May Quick Tip!

Time for another Brother Sews Quick Tip!

May Quick Tip

Note: Stitch shown above is from THE Dream Machine XV8550D.

The Shell Tuck Edge Stitch on your Brother machine is ideal for hemming light weight fabrics with a narrow hem and an added touch of heirloom elegance! This stitch looks somewhat ordinary on the screen of your machine but it's quite beautiful when you see it on a finished piece of fabric. Note that this stitch works best on lightweight soft fabrics. It is particularly lovely when stitched on a fabric edge cut on the bias.

Set up your machine for ordinary sewing, using good quality sewing thread to match fabric. Select the Shell Tuck Edge stitch in your machine.

Note: Check your machine manual for the exact number of this stitch. It's built-in to a wide variety of Brother machine models. Although it looks a little like a blanket stitch, it's designed to stitch in a unique manner by skipping over a narrow folded edge and forming a scallop, thus the name "shell tuck." My preferred settings are shown above but you can experiment with different settings. The upper thread tension needs to be tightened to get the scallop effect. I usually use a range of 8 to 9 which is the maximum setting.

To form the shell tuck begin by pressing under a double turned ¼” hem. Stitch the hem slowly, starting with the fabric fully inserted under the foot. Stitch so that the right hand “swing” of the needle skips over the folded edge, catching the hem and forming a scalloped effect. Practice on scraps of fabric before sewing on your actual project. See Figure #1.

[caption id="attachment_15485" align="aligncenter" width="800"]
May Quick Tip

May Quick Tip

Figure #1[/caption] I used this stitch to hem the vintage style slip in the photo below. Next time you need a narrow hem on lightweight fabric I encourage you to give this technique a try! [caption id="attachment_15486" align="aligncenter" width="800"]

Joanne Banko[/caption]

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