Scalloped Piping Tutorial......

I really like the look of scalloped piping. And it is very easy to make, not to mention quick and pretty inexpensive. I thought others may enjoy making their own scalloped piping....so I created this tutorial. All you need is fabric and a sewing machine.....let's get started!

First start with bias strips you have joined together to approximately the length you need. You really have to use bias strips here. The width doesn't matter so much. I make them wide enough so they go through the sewing machine well without getting hung up on the feed dogs. After the piping is finished you can trim the raw edges down to the width needed for the seam allowances on the item you are working on.

Fold the strip in half.

Set your machine to the blind hem stitch. On my machine I can reverse the stitch so that the little "v's" are on the right side and the straight stitches are on the left side. If you cannot reverse your stitch check your machine manual to see if you have a stitch like the one I just described. It may be called a "shell stitch." If not, you should still be able to do this with the regular blind hem stitch. You'll just put your fabric under the needle differently.

So...if you can reverse the blind hem stitch....then put your fabric in with the fold on the right side. If you can only do the regular blind hem stitch then put your fabric in with the fold on the left side. Make sure you are using a presser foot that can accommodate a zig zag stitch....I can't tell you how many needles I have broken from not checking the presser foot first.

Now we need to set some adjustments for the machine. Set the stitch width at 5.0. Set the stitch length at 2.0. And I have to increase my tension to 10. You may not have to alter the tension....check and see.

Position your fabric under the needle so that when the needle goes down it will go completely off the fold of the fabric and "into the air" so to speak. Then for the straight stitches it will swing back onto the fabric. Then start stitching.

Continue stitching in this manner....with the needle swinging off of the fabric and then back onto the fabric for the straight stitches.

After a few stitches take a look at the strip coming out of the machine to see if it looks like what you want. If not, make some more adjustments. If it looks correct...then keep stitching!

Continue to stitch for the length needed. When you are finished you can trim off the raw edges to the seam allowance needed for your project.

Then the piping can be applied just like any piping.....like on the dress above.....

Here you can see the piping on the dress as it buttons on the shoulder.

I think the scalloped piping looks great anywhere!!! Try it and see if you like it. If you have any questions feel free to ask!!! I'm no expert....but I will definitely try to help!!!

*Edited to add - This dress was made from the “Polly” pattern by Pintucks and Pettiecoats. 

*Check out my post about my favorite lotion for crafters here.