Today I’d like to talk about sewing with knits, my second favorite fabric type behind Liberty London cotton lawn of course =) I like knits because there are many different prints and the fabric is so comfortable. I know some of you may be intimidated of sewing with knits so I’d like to go over what sewing tools and techniques I use.
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Knit Sewing Tools
Walking foot – I have a Brother’s sewing machine and bought this universal walking foot which fits perfectly and I absolutely love it! This walking foot is invaluable to prevent the knit fabric from stretching because it helps fabric feed evenly as you sew. I used it to sew this top and this one. You can also use a walking foot for quilting like I did with my quilted jacket and fabric scrap quilted pouch and to sew with laminate fabric that I talked about here and here.
Ball Point Needle – This sewing needle has a rounded tip to help it slip between the weave of the fabric. You can also use a sharp point needle but it might leave holes that could become tears in your fabric. I buy this universal pack with different size needles by Singer and it works great.
DIY Seam Guide – I have an electric Brother sewing machine so I can’t use a magnetic seam guide. I can sew in a fairly straight line but it doesn’t hurt to have some help if you’re trying to set in a sleeve or sew in a neckband and need to maintain an even seam allowance. I used a wood square bought from Michael’s a long time ago and placed ScotchBlue blue painter’s tape on the bottom and aligned it to the seam guide on my sewing machine. When sewing I align my fabric edge to the edge of the square to get an even seam allowance. Here is how the square looks on my sewing machine.
Basting Glue – I use this one by Aleene’s. This is a lifesaver when pins are not enough to keep the fabric from shifting. I especially like to use it to align striped fabric to make sure the stripes line up. Here is a striped top I sewed recently and was able to get perfect stripe alignment on the first try. Just dab a few drops of glue on the seam allowance and then sew with a basting stitch to check the alignment.
Knit Sewing Techniques
Fabric Cutting – I used this tutorial on how to cut and match my striped fabric. Know which is the right side of your fabric. I’ve read jersey tends to curls towards the right side of the fabric but I’ve noticed other type of knits also have this behavior.
Sleeve Setting – The benefit of sewing with knits is you can set in the sleeve flat. Here is a tutorial that shows the traditional way and setting in the sleeve flat.
Zigzag Stitches – For hems I use a slight zigzag so it can stretch with the fabric.
To find out more about different knit types, check out this post and this one. Do you have a favorite tool or technique for sewing with knits?
