Hi friends! Today I have another fun sewing technique to share with you that would be perfect for your Rowan tee or bodysuit! Have you ever seen that little scallop edge finish on some knits? That is called a Shell Tuck Stitch (or Picot Hem Stitch), and is found on most machines! The stitch alternates between straight stitches and then a single zig zag stitch that drops off at the edge of the fabric, which then pulls it back in when going back to straight stitches. That pull of the fabric is what creates the little scallop.
Let me show you how to adjust the settings on your machine, as well a few variations you can get by playing with those settings!
First off, this is what the Shell Tuck Stitch looks like. On my machine, its actually the vari-overlock stitch. But this shape is what you’re looking for – straight stitches with single zig zags to the right (kind of a mirror image of a blind hem stitch, which is #7 on my machine).
Adjust your stitch width to the highest setting (mine is 5).
Adjust the stitch length to somewhere between 2-3. I’ll show you how this affects the appearance of the scallops on some samples. The smaller the stitch length, the smaller the scallop.
Now turn your tension to the highest setting (mine is 10).
You may be able to lower your tension slightly if you’re working with a really thin knit. But start with the highest setting and go from there.
Grab a scrap piece of fabric and fold it in half. With your needle at the far right position for the stitch, place the fabric under your presser foot with the folded edge right up against the needle. You want that needle to hit right at the edge of the fabric when it zig-zags. The further away from the fabric it hits, the less pronounced the scallop will look.
Here is an example of two different stitch lengths. The left is a shorter stitch length of 2, the right is a stitch length of 3. It just depends on the look you’re going for.
Practice on many scraps to get your perfect setting, and to practice keeping your fabric straight to get even scallops every time.
Also, press, and even steam, your scallops after stitching. This helps relax the fabric back to its original shape if there was any stretching happening while sewing.
Here is another example of stitch length 3 (left) and stitch length 2 (right) on a different color fabric.
Now here’s my finished Rowan tee. Everything was constructed as usual, even hems. It is completely finished, construction wise. Now let’s add some scallop edge finishing, after the fact.
On this tee, I went with the stitch length of 3 alonng the neckband and sleeve hems. You could also do the bottom hem, if you’d like.
Here is a sleeve with the shorter stitch length of 2.
And that’s it! Have fun, and practice practice practice!
LOOKING FOR MORE ROWAN POSTS?
- Sewalong : Crew Neck Band and Turtleneck
- Sewalong : V-neck Band
- Sewalong : Sleeves and Side Seams
- Sewalong : Bodysuit Leg Openings
- Sewalong : Hem
- Sewing Technique : Lettuce Hem
- Sewing Technique : Shell Tuck Stitch / Scallop Edge (this post!)
- Hack : Sleeveless with Sleeve Bands
- Hack : Fully Enclosed Sleeveless
- Hack: Sleeve Ties
- Hack : Square Neckline
- Hack : Cinched Side Seams
- Hack : Ruffle Shoulders
- Hack : Maxi Dress
- Hack : Scoop Neckline
- Hack : Bodycon Dress
- Hack : Tiered Dress
- Tutorial : Lengthen or Shorten
- Tutorial : 3 Ways To Sew a Ringer Tee
- Rowan Inspiration and Ideas
- Rowan Tester Round Up
- Rowan Curve Tester Round Up
- Rowan Curve Maker Round Up
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