I'm so happy that there seems to be a surge of interest in sewing with knit fabric. We even shared about my sister making a pair of campan knit leggings as her second sewing project with no serger. Gasp! No serger! When I first started out I thought you had to have one to sew knits, I wish I'd had someone to encourage and educate me about such mis-guided notions.
The first two things I want to stress with regard to sewing knits are:
You CAN be a beginner sewist (sewer, seamstress – don't get hung up on the term).
You DO NOT have to have a serger.
Past that some general knit sewing basics are:
*pre-wash your fabric, then wash it again if you're really worried about shrinakage
*use a ball point needle
*consider using ball point pins (it makes sense, but I don't always do it)
*don't stretch your fabric as you sew
*use a stretch stitch (consult your user manual if your not sure which is which) zig-zag or stretch zig zag are both good choices for the sewing machine. Your regular 3 or 4 thread overlock is fine on a serger.
That's it in a nutshell.
One of the "things" about Jersery knits is that the cut ends curl up. Sometimes a little curl sometimes alot. This can be frustrating especially when you need to use every last inch of your fabric or when your trying to smooth it out and keep it straight. Let me offer you this:
fabric straight off the bolt
Take your cut ends and serge (or sew on your machine) them together. A narrow 3 thread (serger) or medium to long straight stitch will do, you're not worried about the seam staying together forever. Just long enough to pre-wash your fabric.
fabric re-oriented so that the 2 cut ends are together
cut ends serged together
Wash and dry your bundle of fabric.
Back at your sewing table you'll trim off your stitching and you'll be left with flat edges. One note about that, if you're not planning on using the fabric straight away fold it up and store it as is because over time the edges will roll. You also have the added benefit of fabric that hasn't been distorted by the washers agitation, as sometimes happens. The down side of this is that you'll loose a little of your length, the upside is that you'll spend a lot less time fiddling with rolled edges.
Great tip Corie! I was wondering what to do about the curls. Any tips on ironing? Is it just not necessary at all, or do you iron things like waistbands when you’re done sewing them (cuffs too)? Are there weights of knit that you should NOT use for things that hang, like skirts with lots of twirl or ruffle pants?
Finally, do you have to use patterns designed for knit things, or is there a way to judge whether a pattern designed or shown with wovens would lend itself well to knit? I really want to make some pants this season, but with ruffles and most patterns are for wovens.
Thanks!
Hey there,
I just started sewing with knits and so far it’s not that bad afterall, without a serger..
my machine has an overlock stitch, and it actually works.. but I do see a serger in my future..
I even tried a curly edge on purpose for a finishing on a sleeve. You take a small Zig Zag stitch and during sewing the edge you pull the farbic.. makes a really cute ruffle effect..
So just to clarify for my pregnant brain lol you serge the cut ends together only, not the selvedge ends as well, correct?
I have the same question as Andrea AND one more… Your last comment of “back at the sewing table you’ll trim off your stitching”…. do you mean to cut along the stiching line and discard it? Is this before you lay out the pattern for cutting? Sorry just a little confused.
Deb,
Lots of good ?’s, Lady. Looks like I’ve got more to say … coming soon.
Carolin,
I’m so happy to hear you’re sewing knits and it sounds like you’ve got a successful lettuce edge – Awesome!
Andrea,
Right-o, no need to sew the selvages.
Nancy,
Right again. If you’re ready to sew the fabric trim off and toss the stitches you just made. You’re ends will lay flat and you can lay out your pattern pieces as needed.
Awesome!! Thanks!
Can I do this AFTER I’ve prewashed, or do I need to wash them AGAIN (please please please say it will work after…..I have a MOUNTAIN of re-washing to do otherwise).
Deb,
I’m not really sure. My thoughts are along the lines of: if it’s only curled a little bit just trim off the curled edge when you’re ready to use it. If it’s curled a whole lot but you’re not planning on using it right away I’d serge it and let it sit then when you’re ready trim it and see if it’s smoothed out — please report back to us if it works. If the fabric needs to get wet to make it behave, what about a spray bottle and some water or the quick cycle on the washer? Beats going through the whole cycle.