Passementerie, trim, braid, fringe—whatever you call it, trim provides the finishing touch on window fashions and soft furnishings. Passementerie (pasmen- tre) makes a statement. Often, it is handmade and occasionally costs more per yard than the fabric to which it is attached. When selecting trim and its application, designers and workrooms should consider the weight of the fabric and trim as well as the desired look of the finished treatment.

Most workrooms have their preferences for attaching trim. Hand sewing is certainly the most labor intensive but it is also the most forgiving application method. If the trim needs to be removed at a later date, hand stitches can be picked out while leaving both trim and fabric intact. Machine stitching, gluing, or using adhesive tapes such as Sealah, Millennium, or Bortenfix are other accepted methods of trim application. While taping is quicker than hand sewing, the cost of the tapes should be considered when pricing this work.

HANDS-ON

Attaching trim by hand affords the workroom more opportunities to “marry” the trim to the fabric. Susan Schurz, Tavern Hill, Amelia, VA, hand sews almost all trim, calling it “the most gentle application and the one that works best for delicate fabrics.” Charlotte Connors, Charlotte’s Custom Draperies & Home Fashions, Waynesburg, PA, holds the fabric taut but not stretched while hand stitching on the trim. This allows her to manipulate the trim, nudging it into place, and controlling the trim with a few extra stitches if necessary. It is also helpful to knot the thread every six inches or so when hand sewing. If the trim should later come loose, just those few inches between the knots would have to be reattached.

BEADED CORD
Lip cord and beaded cord are often a source of frustration for the workroom because it can be difficult to completely hide the lip. Jill Stanbro, North Canton, OH has a set of beading feet from Sloan Manufacturing that make it easier to stitch close to the beads or cording. Schurz recommends adding a micro cord in the seam to hide the tape or lip. When bead trim is attached to the surface of the treatment, cover the tape with a decorative gimp or banding.

LIP CORD
When applying lip cord to a pillow or cushion Connors offers this suggestion: “Construct the pillow cover with the lip cord sewn into the seam as closely as possible. Cut a 1-inch strip of fiberfill the length of the pillow’s perimeter. Lay the fiberfill strip on the bed of your machine. Then with the pillow cover wrongside out, match the edge of the fiberfill to the edge of the pillow seam allowance. Sew over your previous stitching and turn the cover to the right side. The fiberfill strip sewn into the seam causes the fabric to puff over any visible lip cord.”

WORKING TOGETHER

By making small samples to show designers different trim application methods and occasions when they are most appropriate, workrooms can help educate designers. Offering several samples of inappropriate trim choices including a wide flat braid on a curved edge or a thick, bulky cord on a curve also gives designers a better, hands-on perspective of which applications will not work. The more workrooms communicate to their designers about trim applications, the better able the designer will be to specify the appropriate method for the client’s budget and overall appearance of the project. Hand sewing, for example, is a labor-intensive, expensive option because of the time involved, and with some trims or fabrics, there is only one option.

As in so many other work settings, assumptions often short circuit the open flow of information between the designer and the workroom. By specifying hand-sewn trim clearly on the work order if that is what they need—and be prepared to pay the up charge—as well as listening to the workroom’s input on the suitability of the trim for a given project, the designer and the workroom can build a stronger partnership. Listening to knowledgeable workrooms can save time and money, and help you provide stellar window fashions for your client.