How to Make Flat Welt Cord

After receiving many inquiries into how to create the flat welt cord to cover the staples next to show wood have prompted this easy tutorial. Besides this rather sticky method, you can also use double sided fusible interfacing cut in 1 1/2″ strips and simply iron your cut 1 1/2″ fabric strips on and around the interfacing until the fabric is fused to the interfacing strip. Either way creates a dandy flat welt trim—clean, neat and low profile.

Trim fabric close to staples up against show wood.

1. Sew your cut 1 1/2″ fabric strips together.

2. Gather spray adhesive and 1/2″ wide cardboard tack strip, and a small pair of scissors.

3. Carefully, spray adhesive on front and back of cardboard strip (it’s messy) and using a non stick surface, carefully center and wrap the fabric strip around the cardboard strip. Press side edges firmly in place.

4. Warm up your hot glue gun and begin running a bead of hot glue on top of the stapled edge to be covered.

To finish the edges, simply pull back the fabric on one end of the cardboard strip, approximately 1″. Cut off 1″ of the cardboard, leaving the fabric. Fold the fabric under 1/2″ which makes a ‘sleeve’ for the other end of the flat welt to slide inside. Hot glue the ends in place, very carefully. Another way would be to cut out approximately 3/4″ of cardboard from both ends and fold both ends of the fabric ‘sleeves’ under and use the hot glue to secure both ends up against each other with the cut ends being folded under and glued down.  Both ways work.