BERNINA Feet | Piping

Sometimes, I don’t like to follow the rules, but there are other times when following the rules (and using the right tools) gives you a really fantastic result! The one area where this is true: Sewing on Piping.

I have been teaching BERNINA foot classes at a local quilt shop for a little while now, and I’m starting to get some real opinions about people’s feet (sewing machine feet, that is)!

The beauty of BERNINA is that there is a foot for just about everything. Sometimes one foot can do lots of things, making for some overlap here and there. I love that I get the chance to show you whats-what when it comes to sewing on piping with BERNINA feet.

The big three piping feet are:

12C, 38, 55, 59C, and 60C

Here’s what you need to know about each one:

BERNINA Foot #12 & #12C

Foot #12 & 12C (Or the bulky overlock foot) is a favorite of sewists that work with bulky knits. It can also create beautiful corded edges, beaded edges, and you guessed it—piping.

I prefer this foot for piping that is smaller than 1/4″. Anything larger just doesn’t come out as nicely.

BERNINA Foot # 38

Foot #38 (also sometimes called the Piping Foot) is really interesting to me. It is a dream for sewing on Velcro, working with uneven layers, and attaching heavy trims, but it doesn’t do all the types of piping that you would expect from the “piping foot”. It actually works beautifully for mini piping, but nothing larger.

This foot is great for detail mini piping, like what you’d see on children’s clothing.

BERNINA Foot #59C & #60C

This. Is. A. Fun. Foot.

The Double cord foot is awesome—I’m a little awed by it and it’s my favorite in the piping foot lineup. It creates beautiful baskets, rag rugs, and other corded projects with ease, but it also does the best job on piping 1/4″ or larger.

The difference between 59 and 60? Just the size. #59C is meant for smaller piping (4—6mm) and #60C does better with something a littler larger (7—8mm). Honestly, I’ve used #60C on a variety of projects and been really happy with it.

BERNINA Foot #55

This is another favorite foot of mine though, admittedly, I don’t use it for piping.

The reason?

Because it’s a rock star with jumbo piping, but I don’t make projects that use jumbo piping…or should I say, I haven’t yet!

This is a foot that I’d like to share more about in a future post, but for now, trust me when I say that it’s your go-to for jumbo piping or trim!

…and the best part? It’s awesome in A LOT of other ways! I love to use it when quilting <3

So, which is best?

I hate to say it, but you really need to go with the right foot for your piping size. I wish there was a one-size-fits-all foot for piping, but there’s just not.It truly is a Cinderella situation.. So, for:

Mini Piping — Foot #38

Piping up to 1/4″ — Foot #12 or 12C

Piping 4—6mm — Foot #59C (I’ve gotten away just fine with 60C)

Piping 7—8mm — Foot #60C

Anything larger — Foot #55

I hope you’ve enjoyed this post and found it helpful! There’s so many wonderful tools out there (especially from BERNINA), and I want to help you sort it all out.

Until next time,

Happy sewing!

Want to Learn More about Piping?

I’ve got lots of great posts all about piping—Make sure to read them all: