Nothing is as comfortable and easy to wear as a knit fabric. Think of an elegant Roya dress, a bright Soraya jumper, or a nice and warm Didi jumper. But what’s the best way to sew it? Read on for some tips & tricks!
Type of needles
A ballpoint needle is handy as they have a blunter tip (compared to a universal needle) that pushes between the fibres instead of piercing through them. This means they don’t cause ladders/runs in your fabric.
A twin needle comes in handy for hemming. This produces two parallel lines of stitching on the right side and a zigzag stitch on the wrong side – this means a lovely-looking hem, a neat finish on the inside edge, and also keeps your fabric a bit stretchy. For best results, set your stitch size a little longer.
Type of stitches
Stretchy fabrics also require stretchy seams. A standard straight stitch seam might mean your stitches pop (i.e. the thread snaps) when the fabric is stretched – broken seams are not what we want! Here are some different stitch types you can use on a sewing machine.
- Zigzag stitch: keeps the seam stretchy, and good for seaming and hemming.
- Triple straight stitch: an extra strong stitch where the machine goes two steps forward and one step back.
- Twin needle stitch: there is often a specific setting on the machine for this.
An alternative (if you have access to one) is an overlocker, which sews and finishes the seams at the same time and keeps them stretchy.
Additional tips
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Take care not to pull too hard on the fabric whilst sewing or the fabric might ripple.
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Wash away stabiliser such as Avalon is great for buttonholes – sandwich your fabric in between to ensure the presser foot glides smoothly over the fabric. The stabiliser dissolves in water!
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Elastic thread such as Mettler Seraflex thread means you can sew a regular straight stitch (instead of e.g. zigzag or triple straight stitch) and up with a stretchy seam.
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Elastic seam tape – press it onto your seam allowance to prevent curling (and it remains stretchy!)
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Final golden tip: try out the stitches on a test piece of fabric, that way you can be sure of a beautiful result in your final sewing!
