When I first started sewing, I would avoid knit fabric and any fabrics with stretch for a long time, they can be difficult to sew! When I first started sewing with knits, I really struggled to make my projects look good. Over time I have learned some tips that help me sew with knits and make my projects look great! Here are my 8 tips for sewing with knit fabric.
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#1 Use a ballpoint needle
This is the standard sewing machine needle, but there are different sizes of needles. If you are working with a lighter knit, you will want to use a smaller needle, and if you are using a heavy knit, use a larger needle. Ballpoint needles go through your fabric much nicer without making a large hole in your fabric.
#2 Don’t stretch the fabric as you sew
This one can be hard since it can be easy to pull the fabric as you are guiding it through the machine. One thing that can help is to hang on to the tails, then your fabric doesn’t get bunched but you aren’t stretching out your fabric. When you stretch the fabric, it creates that wavy look in the hems that is very un-cute looking. Allow the feed dogs to do the work and pull your fabric through.
#3 Adjust your pressure foot tension
As mentioned in tip #2, you want to allow the feed dogs to do the work to avoid stretching your fabric and creating wavy hems. You need to make sure the tension in your feeds dogs isn’t too high, since that will also stretch your fabric. This is a delicate balance though, since if the tension is too loose, your stitches won’t look right and there may be loops on the bottom part of the stitches. (tutorial on adjusting pressure foot tension coming soon!)
#4 Use a walking foot
A walking foot is a special foot that has moving feed dogs on the top as well. This helps move both the top and bottom fabrics through the machine at the same time. You can purchase one here
#5 Use a zig zag stitch
A zig zag stitch allows the fabric to stretch slightly at the seams, it can avoid the seams ripping as the clothing stretches. Make sure to test out the size of the zig zag stitch on a sample before you decide to sew it on your project. Make sure the seam still looks straight even with the zig zag.
#6 Pay attention to the stretch of the knit
Some knits stretch all directions, some stretch only one. Pay attention to your pattern and make sure you choose the correct fabric for your project.
#7 Use interfacing
Sometimes there will be parts of a project that you don’t want to stretch (like the should seams) You can use a fusible interfacing on your knits, this will keep the fabric from stretching and ruffling when you don’t want it to. This makes your knits much easier to sew on
#8 Start simple
Knit fabric tend to work best on projects that are simple and only have a few seams. Complicated patterns will likely not even look great with stretchy knit fabrics. Start simple with your knit projects and you will have the biggest chance of success.
That’s it! Those are my 8 tips for sewing with knit fabrics. If you keep these tips in mind, you will have a much easier time making knit fabric projects. Good luck!
