How to Sew a Smooth Scalloped Hem

I made a wrap skirt from a UFO dress from 2017 (pattern is lost and I didn’t have some of the pieces anymore). Wanting to not be plain Jane about it, I decided to do a scalloped edge on the overlapping piece to add even more visual interest to an already punchy skirt. So if you wanted to make something with a scallop edge, I got you covered. Here’s how you do so:

Interface the edge of the fashion fabric you are going to scallop. (I also serged, this is not necessary though)

This is a 3″ strip of lightweight fusible interfacing.

2. Draw your scallops! I took a candle and used that to trace to make my scallops even. You want to line up the previous scallop with the next one so that they meet at the center of the circle so they are neither too shallow or too deep. I should note that I left a seam allowance of 1/4″ (basically my serged edge) so that I would not have to do as much trimming later. Be sure to leave seam allowance at the top to sew in your waistband and seam allowance at the bottom to sew your hem.

Sew! Pivot at the intersections, don’t start and stop, you want that thread line to be continuous.
Trim! Get down in there – cut out the wedge and then ALSO snip to almost the pivot point. Since these are not load baring, they don’t need to be super strong.