Working with Knitted Fabrics: Sewing Smooth Knit Seams

There are many ways, methods, and techniques for stitching smooth knit seams. These vary by fabric type and machine tension. Some machines will be equipped with speciality stitches that stretch a fabric during the stitching process, and if your machine has this setting, you should use it for knit fabrics. It's usually marked as a knit setting on the sewing machine or in the manual that came with the machine. This setting will allow you to create smooth seams.

But what if your machine doesn't have this very specific setting? You can still get decent seams on your own sewing machine. Try using a longer stitch when sewing the seam, but make sure the fabric doesn't stretch while you're doing it or you'll end up with a bunchy seam. Don't try to mimic the knit setting if your machine doesn't have it. Work with what you have instead.

You might also try a very narrow zigzag stitch (which is my favorite alternative) or using a serger if you have one. Test the various methods on scraps of fabric to determine which is the best for the specific fabric you're using. Remember that all fabrics are a little different, so always do a little test run before working with your actual project.

Working With Knitted Fabrics: Using Interfacing With Knits

As much as I detest working with interfacing, sometimes it's inevitable. Sometimes you need to stiffen up your fabric, or just add a little more stability. Knits, like other fabrics, can often benefit from a little more stability, depending on the project, of course. Unlike other fabrics, however, knits require a very specific interfacing. Woven and nonwoven fusible interfacings are simply too rigid and usually cause the knit fabric to bubble or pucker after fusing. And after fusing is too late to fix it.

Prevent this problem by choosing your interfacing with care. Tricot knit interfacing, available at most fabric stores, is lightweight and stretchy. This makes it less noticeable when fused to knit fabrics. It also won't damage knit fabrics the way other fusible interfacings can. So do yourself a favor and choose the right interfacing based on the fabric you're using. Don't just grab whatever happens to be on the shelf.

Working With Knit Fabrics: Supporting Your Fabrics

I recently returned back to my home sewing center with a friend. We were carrying several hundred dollars of new and very pretty material. The phone was ringing, so my friend gathered up the material, assured me she would put it all away, and ushered me toward the phone.

Well, it was a lengthy phone call. My friend wandered out of my storage room before I managed to get off the phone. When I did finally hang up, we visited for a while and she left to collect her kids from school. I went up to my office to answer a few e-mails. It was the next morning before I went into my storage room to gather up some fabric for my next project. And I could have slapped my friend.

The fabrics were put away all right. But they were all hanging. All of them. Now, it's perfectly find to hang fabrics. I do it all the time. But there are some fabrics that you must not hang. Ever. But there was a bolt of beautiful rose fabric hanging over one of the tower rods. The problem? The beautiful rose fabric was a knit. That's why I have shelves.

Knits stretch. They're designed for it. It's what allows knitted fabrics to conform to the body. They're great for making form-fitting garments, but this stretch has a downside. Knitted fabrics have a tendency to grow and stretch when left hanging. So the overnight hang on the towel rod? Well, I can't use that bolt of fabric, at least not for its intended purpose.

It would have been fine if the fabric could regain its original shape. But the "growth" of knitted fabrics can cause inaccurate cuts, distorted pattern pieces, and wavy seams. And it's not reversible. And it's not just hanging over night that causes this problem. You can ruin a delicate knit simply by allowing the fabric to hang over the table edge as you cut out a pattern piece.

To avoid this particular problem, always ensure your knitted fabrics are supported. When you're cutting fabrics, pile the excess fabric on the edge of the table instead of letting it hang. When stitching a seam, support all of the fabric on your lap or on the table rather than allowing it to droop off the sewing surface. And when storing knits, fold or roll them carefully and place them on a shelf. Don't hang them. You don't want misshapen fabric when you sit down to sew.

Working With Knit Fabrics: Needles and Pins

Yep, I'm still working with knits over here. Turns out there was more to do than I'd thought. And while sewing yesterday, I remembered a tip I gave a couple weeks ago. The one about not using pins to hold the pattern onto the fabric for fear of damaging your knits. Well, I think maybe I should go a little further with that particular tip. Why? Because pins aren't the only thing that can cause knitted fabrics to run or tear.

When you run a piece of fabric through your sewing machine, you use a sewing needle. This needle can and probably will pierce the fabric in just the wrong place. This will cause your seam to split or pop and the fabric might even be ruined. So how do you avoid this and still use knitted fabrics in your projects?

To avoid skipped stitches and popped seams, switch to a ballpoint needle. You can get these at any sewing supply shop and most craft stores. They're often labelled as being "for knits" so they're not hard to find. Ballpoint needles have a rounded tip and are designed to slip between the knit fabric loops instead of piercing the fabric itself. You should also consider using a polyester thread when working with knits. Polyester thread is both stronger and more flexible than cotton, so it will stretch with the fabric instead of snapping as cotton threads might.

So before you start working with knits take the time to get the right supplies. It wills save you the grief and aggravation of a ruined project or two.