It may be an unpopular sewing opinion, but knits are my favorite fabric to sew! Many sewists are very nervous to sew with knits. They’re always curling and hard to keep in place with pins; I always get skipped stitches; my hems are always wavy are some common complaints about sewing knit fabrics. Because of this, sewists often tend to only make clothes with woven fabrics – which is great, but super limiting. Knits are soft and comfortable to wear, which is why they usually make up a good chunk of our wardrobes. So why not give sewing knits a try? It’s not as difficult as it seems – in fact, I might go so far as to say it’s easy… once you have the right tools and techniques at your disposal. But first, let’s talk about knits. What are they?
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What is a Knit Fabric?
The basic difference between knit and woven fabrics is simply this: knit fabrics are knitted and woven fabrics are constructed by weaving. But of course, there’s more to it than that. Just like if you were to knit a hat or scarf – knit fabrics are formed by knitting one (or more) yarns together. For fabric, this is done on a knitting machine rather than with knitting needles so that lots of fabric can be produced quickly. Because the yarns are looped together, knit fabrics have intrinsic stretch built-in. Depending on the type of knitting process used, the fabric can have very different amounts of stretch – from a sweater knit with minimal stretch to a jersey knit with lots of stretch. Also, many knits will have elastane (also known as Spandex or Lycra) added in to give it even more stretch – as is the case in swimwear and activewear fabrics.
Woven fabrics on the other hand are weaved on a loom. During this process, the yarns or threads are crossed over at right angles to each other – which creates a more stable fabric with very little (if any) stretch. Some woven fabrics may be advertised as “stretch” fabrics, but these usually don’t have much stretch when compared to knits and the stretch is achieved by including elastane, not by the weaving process itself. Knits can be made from virtually any fiber – just like wovens. Some common fibers for knit fabrics are cotton, bamboo, polyester, and nylon. There is also a wide range of different weights of knit fabrics available that are good for different applications.
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What Can You Make with Knit Fabrics?
Knit fabrics can be used to make a variety of different garments – they’re more common than woven fabrics in many people’s wardrobes! T-shirts, sweaters, leggings, and swimsuits are all almost always made out of knit fabrics. Also, if you have little ones you sew for – knits, especially jersey knits, are perfect for children’s clothing because they are so soft on the skin. For a beginner to sewing knits, I would recommend starting with something simple like a t-shirt or leggings.
Tips for Sewing Knit Fabrics
Because of the intrinsic stretch of knit fabrics, they do require different methods than wovens when it comes to sewing.
What type of needle should be used with knit fabrics?
If you’re only used to sewing woven fabrics – you’re probably used to using universal sewing machine needles. However, while universal needles are technically marketed as usable for both wovens and knits – they rarely work well for knits. For knit fabrics, you’ll want to use either a ballpoint needle or a stretch needle. Both types of needles have a ballpoint tip that will push the knitted yarns aside as they go through the fabric rather than punching holes in your fabric. Also, I just find that the way these types of needles are shaped just works better with knit fabrics. Universal needles tend to skip stitches and just generally create issues with knits. In addition, ballpoint needles usually work better for jersey knits and other knits with very little to no elastane content. Stretch needles are great for knit fabrics with elastane and lots of stretch! They are specially shaped to prevent skipped stitches in super stretchy fabrics, like swimwear fabrics.
What are the best stitches for knit fabrics?
While you may be used to sewing everything with a straight stitch, with stretchy fabrics you can’t use a regular straight stitch because it won’t allow the fabric to stretch. Try sewing up a swimsuit with a straight stitch and all your seams will be popping the first time you put it on!
To sew knit fabrics on a regular sewing machine, you’ll need to use a zigzag stitch, a stretch stitch, or a triple stretch stitch, which will all allow the fabric to stretch without the threads in your seams snapping. The zigzag stitch is a basic stitch that almost every sewing machine should have. You can adjust the width and length for your fabric – the wider the stitch, the more stretch the seam will have, while a longer stitch will have less stretch.
Some machines also have a stretch stitch – which is a stitch that looks like a lightning bolt. This stitch will allow the fabric to stretch like a zigzag stitch, but it looks a bit neater because the angled stitches are lower profile than a big, wide zigzag. Another stitch you can use on your regular sewing machine is the triple stretch stitch (also known as the triple straight stitch). Just as the name implies, this stitch has three rows of a straight stitch. It’s a super-strong stitch that won’t snap when the fabric is stretched. The downside to using this stitch is that it is slow to sew and uses a lot of thread! While these three stitches will allow you to sew stretchy knit fabrics with your regular sewing machine, if you have a serger then sewing knits will be even easier! The overlock stitch that your serger sews has built-in stretch and creates a beautiful finish at the same time! Also, a serger will sew a lot faster than a regular sewing machine. I usually sew all my knit seams on my serger.
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What finishing methods are best for knit fabrics?
One major plus of knit fabrics is that they don’t fray! Because of this, you can actually leave your seam allowances raw if you want to and they won’t fray like a woven would. However, you’ll get a more professional look if you finish your seam allowances with a serger.
What hemming methods can you use for knit fabrics?
For most knit fabrics, a lighter hem with only one fold will create a better drape to the garment. For this reason, I generally avoid rolled or double-folded hems. After folding your hem up, you can sew it in place with one of the stretch stitches mentioned above. Or, if you want a look like the hems on the store-bought t-shirts in your closet – you can create a similar look on a home sewing
machine by using a twin needle. While it won’t be identical (most store-bought knits are hemmed with cover stitch machines), this needle will create a similar look with two rows of straight stitches on the outside of the garment. On the inside will be a zigzag stitch going back and forth between the two straight stitch rows. This zigzag stitch is what allows the stitch to stretch. I often use a double needle to finish my swimwear and it looks great and stretches just fine!
How can you stop knit fabrics from curling?
One of the biggest issues that can come up when sewing knit fabrics, and especially lightweight jersey knits, is curling. The edges of the fabric LOVE to curl up, making it super hard to pin and sew. However, there’s an easy fix! Spray your pieces with spray starch before pinning and sewing them. This will stiffen the fabric – just like when starching button-up shirts for a crisp look. Once you’ve sewn up your garment, just toss it in the wash and the spray starch will come right out!
My knit hem is wavy – help!
When hemming knits, it’s super common to have to deal with your hem getting wavy and stretched out. It’s not a good look and can be really frustrating! The best fix I have found for this problem is to use a walking foot. Usually what’s happening when your hem is getting wavy is that the fabric is not getting pulled through the machine evenly by the feed dogs, so it gets stretched out. A walking foot (or built-in walking foot, if your machine has that option) will feed the fabric from the top, helping it move through the machine evenly and smoothly.
Why am I getting skipped stitches when I sew with knit fabrics?
Skipped stitches are a major frustration, especially when sewing with knits. When you’re getting skipped stitches, usually the problem is your needle or thread. First, try rethreading your machine – something may have jumped out of place. If rethreading doesn’t fix the problem, try changing the needle – a sharp, fresh needle will often stop the skipped stitches. If a new needle doesn’t resolve the issue, you may need a different type of needle – try changing to a stretch needle if you’ve been using a ballpoint needle or vice versa. Each fabric will sew better with one or the other – you just have to figure out what works best for your fabric! If you’re new to sewing knits, I hope you’re feeling confident enough to give it a try. It’s really not as scary or hard as it may have seemed! With the right strategies, sewing knits is a breeze!
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