Scallops on T-shirt

>Linda, > Will you share your plans for creating a scalloped edge on your shirt? Will >you be tracing the scallops onto pattern and cutting that edge on the garment? >I wonder how you plan to finish the edges of the scallops-- satin stitch? How >do you make sure the scallops meet correctly at the seamline so you don't end >up with half a scallop or something? > TIA, Kathy

Lucky for me, it's pretty simple on my Pfaff. I use the blind hem stitch and reverse it so that it sews the straight lines a very little bit off the edge of the neckline to the right and then takes the "bite" out of the neckline. That pulls the neckline into the "bite" and scallops the edge. You can adjust the stitch length for the length of the scallops and the stitch width "bite" for the depth of them. It looks something like this..

---\/---\/---\/ with the straight stitches off the fabric and the V into the neckline. Hope this makes sense. If you get the Land's End catalog, they carry scalloped necked ladies T's and this is the same thing. The scallop is only about 1/4 " deep.

>Do you have trouble with the stitches that are off the fabric? Seems like I've seen this technique before, but I seem to remember you stitch onto stabilizer? Have you done this before?

Yes, I have done it before. No, I haven't had any problems with it. I should have said more about it, I think. I don't have advice to give very often and I think it was incomplete. I do NOT use a facing. I turn my fabric under the width of the seam allowance - I use about 1/2 inch. If I were better, I would just turn under 1/4", but I'm not, so it's 1/2 for me. I choose not to trim the extra after I do my stiching, but you could. Then I just sew along the edge, with only the bite hitting the fabric. I use about a 2.5 stitch length and the widest stitch width. I like the look of that the best. I've never needed a stablizer. When I was taught this is a Pfaff class, we didn't use one there either. It gives a nice feminine look to a T-shirt. Try it, you'll like it. Practice a time or two on scraps from cutting out your T-shirt to see what mix of stitch length and width you like best. So far, I have been using the same weight of material, so I've always used the same settings. I can see where you might have to adjust for a heavier or lighter weight material. I'm using Stretch & Sew interlock.