I do feel cross about this post. I'd finished writing it, went to publish it - and whoosh, it vanished, with no retrieval possible. (Thank you, Blogger software.) And I've had to start again from scratch. So it may get updated as I remember things I had included before, that now I can't remember.
Complaint over. My introduction will be much the same though. I have many years sewing experience, and when I started sewing, knit fabrics didn't really exist. So I learnt to sew using woven fabrics, and came to knits rather late in my sewing career. When I started, I fervently hated them. I still prefer using woven fabrics, but I've learnt a few tricks and tips over the years that have enabled me to accept that often my grandchildren want clothes that are best made with knits. And to sew them with pleasure (but did I mention I still prefer sewing with woven fabrics?)
In this post, I'll share what I've learnt to make sewing with knits easier. And I should add that I don't have (and couldn't afford) an overlocker / serger. People say knits are much quicker with an overlocker. But many of my tips are useful even if you have one. Lucky you!
So let's start by looking at the kinds of things my grandchildren like me to make: easy-wear dresses, pyjamas, tank tops, monkey bar skirts ("skorts"), playsuits, swing tee shirts, leggings, trainer pants, and, when they were younger, onesies and onesie outfits. Plus sweatshirts and hoodies.
Some of these garments could be made with woven fabrics, but most couldn't. Since the call for frilly dresses and the likes is limited from my four gorgeous grand-daughters, especially in the time of lockdown, I am finding myself increasing using knits.
So what's your problem, you might ask. Let's think then about the advantages and disadvantages of knit fabrics compared with woven. Of course I'm biased, because I prefer woven fabrics. Thinking about woven fabrics (and I'm thinking particularly about cottons, polycottons, plaids, rather than silks and satins and oher slippery fabrics) I'd say they are:
- easier to cut out
- easier to sew
- look crisp and professional - you can make pleats, for example.
- and the fabric can be very inexpensive.
Clearly, there are those who would disagree with me. Knits have these advantages, though:
- less likely to fray
- much more forgiving in fit
- can often avoid the need for fastenings, as the stretchiness enables them to go over the head or hips easily.
For many people, these features make them easier to sew. And often they need no ironing, so of course my daughters prefer them for the grandchildren. BUT they do have disadvantages, and this post is about overcoming those.
Mostly, it is the very stretchiness which gives knits their advantages, that is the cause of so many problems for beginners in using them. The fabric can slip and stretch when cutting out and when sewing, and cause slipping stitches, and this is true no matter what equipment or tools you have.
Tips I've found to work (or not)
1. Some fundamentals
Although many people will say you absolutely need a serger (overlocker in British English) to sew knits - you absolutely do not. But there are a couple of things you absolutely do need.
The first is that you need to use the right needle. For sewing woven fabrics, a regular' or 'sharp' or universal needle is used. These have a sharp point to poke in between the fibres. With a knit fabric, the structure is in loops (just like knitting, in fact) and a very sharp needle can often pierce the actual fibre, causing a hole in the fabric. You need to use a more rounded tip ballpoint needle, jersey needle, or a stretch needle. These can slide in between the loops. Although in theory universals are supposed to be (as the name suggests) usable for woven and knits, they really don't do the same job on knits as a needle designed for the job.
How should you choose between these rounded tipped needles?
In principle, a ballpoint or jersey needle is for regular stretch and jersey fabrics, and a stretch needle is for fine and lightweight stretchy materials, like spandex or elasticated jersey. The latter needle is supposed to be better for avoiding skipped stitches, though, as I've never had that problem unless my needle is completely blunt, I can't verify that.
I'm giving you links to a couple of web sites that give you some explanation of the different types. One is from Love Sewing Magazine, and the other from Guthrie and Ghani. Most of the needle manufacturers also have a guide on their web sites, though of course their mission is to try and sell you as many different types of needle as possible!
All I can say is that personally I've never found much difference between these types of rounded tip needles. I've tended to buy whatever the shop had (and they usually only had one type in stock). The only difference I do notice is between using a ballpoint/ stretch / jersey needle, and a regular needle. And incidentally, when I come on to double needles for knits, I have only ever seen these in the form of 'stretch', so where that leaves the different fabrics I really can't tell.To some extent my view may well be partly backed up by this article, which is a fun experiment.
However, if you plan to do a lot of sewing of knits, with different types of fabric, perhaps you should take more notice than me as to exactly which rounded tipped needle you will use for each project.
The second important point, once you have the right needle, is that you need to use a stretchy stitch with knits. I'm going to give you a lot more on that later on, so I won't waste you time by repeating it now. But it's important, because if you don't use a stretchy stitch, your stitches may 'pop' when the garment stretches.
2. How to stop fabric slipping and stretching when cutting out
I think there are two main problems. The first is that most knit fabrics curl at the edges. They curl one way on the sides (selvedge) and the opposite way on the cut line. I feel resentful if I am unable to use all my material, so I want to cut as close as I can to those rolling edges. People have suggested using spray starch to flatten it. You can give it a go if you like, but I haven't had much success with that. It first made the fabric soggy (and still curling) and then when I tried to press it to dry it, it just went stiff and unmanageable. So I have resorted to weighing fabric down. I have a metal metre ruler, as well as a heavy metal right angle ruler (maybe known as a set square). Sometimes I find it helps to put these inside the curling edges and push them out as far as I can. This below was a very heavy-weight navy jersey, and edges I had already cut were not too bad at rolling. But the selvedge and the original cut line both rolled to a depth of about 2" - what a waste. My long ruler below is pushed to within about 1/2" of the actual edge, which wasn't straight - hence my marking lines to give me a straight edge. Here, I am merely cutting fabric 6" wide by 22" to make a couple of sweatbands for my husband. The other ruler is giving me a square conrner and also holding the selvedge at flat as I can.
However, even the cut edges quite often curl - look at these cut out shorts. It's only when you can grab two edges together for a seam that you can reduce that. (We'll come onto that when we see how to sew these fabrics.)
They can even curl after they are sewn!
The other problem is that the stretchiness can make it very difficult to lay them flat, and especially difficult to pattern match. I have seen people on Facebook who say "Oh, I never bother to pattern-match" - and that's fine if you are happy with that. If you are rustling up a pair of PJs in a hurry for a small child, it may not seem worth your while, I do understand that. But, being brought up on woven fabrics, I was also brought up to try and match patterns wherever possible.
Where this can be especially difficult, is if you are cutting more than one layer. Generally, you'll do this by laying one pattern piece on top of folded fabric, either to cut on a fold, say, for a bodice front,or to cut two legs mirroring each other.
The first point is that it's essential not to try and cut on a carpet, or any surface on which the fabric can drag or creep. I use a large cutting table, or with larger things, I resort to the smooth laminate floor. It's not a good plan, if using a table, to allow some of the fabric to hang over the edge so it stretches, possibly unevenly.
Usually, I fold the fabric with the pattern to the inside, in case I want to put markings on the back. But with some fabrics, you may not be able to see the pattern easily, so you may have to have the pattern outside. And you need to fold really carefully to avoid any unseen creases on the underneath layer.
I try to fold according to the design on the fabric, so on this fabric I tried to fold it so that the same little space man was equally across the fold line all the way along. Though sometimes, you may find the pattern matching perfectly in one direction and not in the other! I spent a lot of time gently easing (not pulling or stretching) this fabric until I was satisfied I had done the best I could. You can see (large arrows) that I have tried to get the little spacemen with spiky hair to line up horizontally, and (small arrows) the (still curling) edge of the fabric is in pretty much the same alignment as the two spacemen with eyes on stalks.
Only then was I happy to put my pattern piece on top.
Many people swear by using clips rather than pins to hold the pattern piece to the fabric. But you can only do this on an edge. I use a combination of clips, where I can, weights (my rulers, magnetic pin tins, a large cellotape dispenser!), and my hand, with only occasional pins. Ideally you need proper jersey pins, because sharp pins can pierce the fibres rather than going in between them as they would on a woven fabric. I cut with very sharp dressmaking scissors, I've never been able to get a rotary cutter to work on jersey, but rotary cutters have many fans.
3. How to stop fabric slipping and stretching when sewing it
Let's now assume you have been successful at cutting out your pieces of fabric. You now have to join the little varmints together. This is where clips can come into their own. But sometimes you may need pins instead or as well. Have a look at this playsuit I was making for my grand-daughter. I was determined the stripes I had so carefully matched when cutting, would stay matched on the garment. Here is the centre back seam of shorts, with a pin in every stripe. These are jersey pins, which slip through more easily than regular pins, and don't make holes.
And here's the crutch seam, again with every stripe pinned.
And, though I say it myself, I think I've done a pretty decent job of my matching.
On some fabrics / seams, it may also help to baste the seam first, by hand. Of course, you won't do that if you hate hand-sewing. But it can help keep things together. I found this very useful on these pants, before attaching the bands:
Or when attaching this zip (see those edges still curling? Grrr!)
So, with it pinned, or clipped, or basted, or all three, what are the tricks to ensuring it doesn't shift as you sew it?
First, don't stretch it as you sew, or let it hang over - try to support its weight.
Next, many people will recommend a walking foot. I've never got on with one (and one of my machines won't take one anyway). But don't let me put you off because I haven't managed it. The idea of a walking foot is that it has another set of upper feed dogs in it, which pull the top fabric along at the same rate as the feed dogs pull the bottom fabric.
The alternative solution for me was finding that my newest machine has a dial to change the presser foot pressure. By taking the pressure right down to 1 with knits, I have pretty much eliminated the drag caused by the presser foot, so the feed dogs can happily pull both pieces of fabric along together. If you have this adjustment on your machine, you are in luck, it makes a huge difference. But if you don't have that feature, you'll just have to do the best you can, sewing slowly and patiently, adjusting gently as you go and encouraging the top fabric not to get left behind.
If It's a seam where you don't actually want any stretch in the finished garment (some shoulder seams for example) you can use a non-stretch interfacing or stabiliser. Place a strip along the seam before you sew. One other trick that can help, is the use of washaway tape. I use 1/4" width, bought on a long roll. You stick one side on, peel the backing off, and then attach the other fabric. It washes off after sewing. However, I find it most useful to keep it to the side of your intended sewing line. It is sticky, and you don't really want your needle going through it and getting all gunged up with sticky stuff. I did find it useful to keep this zip facing down. I used the tape and stuck the facing down keeping just away from the seam line. It made it very much easier to keep the seam matched on both sides. It can also be very useful to hold hems (that wretched curling again). As its name suggests, the tape washes away in the wash.
If you do want a little more 'give', stretch interfacing is another possibility to improve stability. Unlike the washaway tape, the interfacing of course stays in the garment. My favourite stabiliser on waists and shoulders is clear elastic, a great solution. On the garment below, which has a gathered woven skirt and a knit bodice, I wanted to keep the stretchiness of the bodice waist, without it getting saggy. I zigzagged on clear elastic so the waistline could still stretch, to get the dress on, but it would recover to its normal size when worn. (You can't see the knit top, it's folded under.)
There's a great article here about how to stabilize seams on knit fabrics.
4. How to stop fabric getting sucked into the machine
One of the problems I see reported most frequently in sewing knits is "Help! My machine is eating the fabric!" I had this happen to me a number of times. It can also be a problem with some woven fabrics, especially very fine or silky ones.
There are three main solutions to this. (Assuming you are using the right needle and you are all threaded up correctly top and bottom.)
a) Hold the two ends of the top and bottom thread very firmly to the back of the fabric - don't pull hard, just keep them firmly held so they can't disappear.
b) Especially with thinner fabric, sewing over or under a piece of tissue, or even between two strips of tissue paper will work wonders. You can then peel the tissue paper away. The only picture I've been able to find of this is not actually on a knit fabric but only a very slippery thin woven fabric. I've used yellow tissue paper underneath when sewing the seam, and in the picture, I've removed the edge of the tissue already - I just need to pull the rest away. This absolutely stopped the fabric sliding about or puckering.
c) My favourite method is to NOT start at the beginning of the seam. It is usually in the first few stitches that the fabric disappears into the machines innards - and it can be very frustrating trying to get it out.
I start somewhere between 5/8" and 1" (1.5cm-2.5cm) from the beginning of the seam. I do NOT go backwards and forwards at the start of the seam - this in itself can cause tangling, especially if you use a stretch stitch. When I reach the end of the seam (and again, I rarely backstitch), I take the fabric off the machine, turn it round, and start again from just before where the seam has been completed (so I overlap the first stitching a little) and then complete to the end. In these pictures, I've turned it round, and I'm just about to complete the seam .
You can, of course, also do the opposite - start a little before the end of the seam and sew towards the end. As in the picture below, which has been turned round, in order to start just before the end of the bit just done i.e. part-way into the seam, and to sew all the rest.
And here's what the seam will typically look like before you trim off all the threads.
On this seam, I've used a triple stretch stitch, and overlapped by a few stitches, so I probably did just cut off the threads. If I'd used a zigzag, or I thought the stitches might unravel, I would probably have knotted them first.
As a further alternative, some people also like to put a spare bit of fabric as a feeder at the beginning of the seam to get it started. Whatever works best for you!
5. Best stitches to use
Back near the beginning of this post (if you can remember that far back!) I mentioned the importance of using the right stitch, a stretchy one, for the main seams. Unless you have a very basic machine (which I'll come onto at the end of this section), you will at minimum have a zigzag stitch. And this can make perfectly good knit garments. For many (very many!) years, my only machine was a 1968 Frister and Rossman. Yes, it does have an electric motor. But all it does is go backwards and forwards - and side to side. It has a slider that can increase the stitch width, and another lever that adjusts the stitch length. By playing around with these settings, I can make a great zigzag stitch. Remember this picture? I made this knit and woven dress for my grand-daughter when that was my only machine.
She so loved that little dress! (And some reasonable pattern matching, too.)
You may want to use different widths / lengths of zigzag for different purposes. On a seam you may want a shorter stitch, to avoid gaps, but on a hem or a very stretchy seam like the waist above, perhaps a longer stitch.
If you have a slightly more sophisticated / more modern machine, you may have a greater choice of stitches. People have their own favourites among these, and you may want to look at your manual to see what is recommended. Some people like the 'lightning stitch' for seams. I don't have this option, but I do have a triple stitch, which has now become my favourite for most knit seams. It is very strong, but stretchy, because it goes two stitches forward and one back. It's number 1 here, with the left hand dial turned to 'SS'. But many others can be used, from 2-8. And many machines have dozens more options than mine. I still use a narrow zigzag on certain seams, like attaching a neckband, depending on the fabric. The main thing I would suggest is to try the different stitches out on some material scraps before you launch into your real seams. And find out what you like best.
I'll now come back to the situation where you have the most basic form of machine, which doesn't even have a side to side stitch. Straight stitching is not generally advised for knits. You'll see plenty of demonstrations of what can happen, on You Tube. If you sew a straight seam, then stretch the fabric, the stitching doesn't stretch. So eventually the stitches will 'pop' - you'll get little breaks. I've seen people advise a very long straight stitch (and a very short one!), but neither are really going to work. Sometimes, you may be able to slightly stretch the fabric as you sew, but the stitching may be a bit loopy when it relaxes. This may be improved if you press it with steam. That is probably the best alternative, in my view. Unless you are prepared to do some hand-sewing.
6. Finishing Seams
That's the main seams dealt with. But you also may want to do some seam finishing. A lot of times, people say that you don't need to finish knit seams. Because they don't fray. That's not always true!
But you may find those curling edges exasperating, or you may just want your seams to look a bit more like overlocked seams.
You can use a simple, short stitch length zigzag, or one of the other stretch stitches. My manual suggested using stitch 4 (on the above photo of the machine) to overcast my seams. But it was not possible to shorten the stitch length, so I found the gap between stitches too long.
For later versions of these pants, (below) I treated the leg bands as bindings, turning over the raw edge and hand-hemming the insides. I just thought it neater. (I suspect by the size of the holes in the zigzag stitching that I'd been too lazy to change the needle to a stretch one. That's what you get - little holes.)
For me, the game changer on finishing edges was getting an overcast foot. There was one as part of the package with my new Janome machine. I didn't actually like that one, it has a fancy little brush that kept catching the threads. But a cheap one from Amazon works wonders. This is what it looks like. The black metal strip keeps the fabric exactly butted up against itself as you sew. You MUST use a stitch that moves from side to side (like a zigzag). The needle goes from side to side across that little bar down the middle. So the stitch goes just off the edge of the fabric, but only just.
My preference, is still to stick to a short but wide zigzag, having tried others, including the one my manual says is the overcasting stitch (5). On this seam below, I first trimmed the seam down, but you don't need to, it's personal choice.
I am happy with the look of my seam. By the way, I also use the overcast foot with a zigzag on woven fabrics when I am going to have an exposed seam.
Knit seam
Woven seam
If you have only the most basic machine without a zigzag, you have the perfect excuse not to finish the seams. You could perhaps consider pinking shears if you feel the need. My preference is to press the seam allowances away from the seam if I'm not finishing the edge, unless it's on a curve that I need to clip to get it to lie nicely.
7. Hems and cuffs
Having included them in this heading, I'm not actually going to deal with neckbands and cuffs in detail here, I've covered them in so many other posts. See this one, which covers making a knit pair of pyjamas from start to finish. But I will touch on finishing and hems.
First point - a good pressing with steam, or with a damp cloth, can do wonders. Often people worry that everything has 'gone wavy'. A steam press will sort it out 9 times out of ten, unless the neckband or whatever was just too long, or hasn't been correctly attached to the quarter points.
Next, hemming. I like things hemmed. Some patterns call for the bottom edge of a skirt, say, just to be left raw, but that's not for me. At the bottom edge I like a deep enough hem to prevent it curling outwards - for me that's generally 3/4" - 1" (20-25mm). With my old machine, it wouldn't take a double needle, so I would often zigzag the hem, and make a feature of it.
This is on a woven fabric but it works perfectly on knits too.
And here's a facing for a dress.
An alternative finish for the bottom of a dress, or top, or even shorts, might be to Get the overcasting foot out again, and just do a very short wide zigzag over the edge. This will give you a wavy hem, but that may be a look you like.
Another useful finish for hems (and neckbands, cuffs etc) is to use a double stretch needle. You use this with two threads on the top - preferably matching. And you use a straight stitch, NOT a zigzag or side to side stitch - or the needle will hit the presser foot. I've broken needles before now, forgetting that I still have the machine on a zigzag stitch! How does it stretch? It's like magic! The bobbin thread zigzags between the two upper thread, giving a nicely stretchy seam.
I have to confess here that I'm far from an expert with using a double needle. The back side is supposed to be a nice, even, awesome zigzag, and mine often isn't. But it works. I'll get it figured one day. You can also use a double needle to top stitch a neck binding, or cuffs. What I like to do then, is to 'stitch in the ditch', so that one thread is pretty much hidden in the seam, leaving just the one row of topstitching showing. Like this.
One problem that people do mention with using a double needle is 'tunneling', in other words, the fabric squeezes up between the two lines of top stitching. I think this implies that the tension underneath is tighter than the tension on the top - but I'm no expert. Tunneling is one problem I haven't had. And if there is a slight bump in between, a press with a damp cloth will usually flatten it.
My other special trick for finishing knits is to resort to a certain amount of hand finishing. Maybe that's not what you want to hear. But with children's clothes, they are so small that I figure it won't hurt me to sit in front of the TV at night and hand-hem a top. I've already shown you these trainer pants, where I hand-hemmed the leg bands, and below, is a neck binding which I hand-hemmed inside the binding. I don't like raw edges inside, even finished raw edges such as a serger produces. Most of my grandchildren are senstive to itchy things inside. But then I was taught to sew by my mother about a hundred years ago. So you don't have to do it.
8. Last words
My final bit of advice is about making bindings (e.g. for neck or armhole bindings). I've written elsewhere about how to make bias tape, but doing so using knit fabric has its own special aggravations. Firstly, with many knit fabrics, it's hard to press a nice crease into it, as you can with woven fabric. (Did I mention I prefer sewing with wovens?) And once you've made it , it will probably all uncrease itself again and you'll be left with a strip of fabric. I do have bias binding makers but I don't find they work very well with knit fabrics (especially if you have any joins). So I resort to pressing it in half along the length, and then pressing the edges in to meet the middle line. Yes, it all wants to spring out again immediately, but I've found a way of thwarting it. Working from one end, I roll it up inside out as I go along pressing it, putting a weight on it so it can't unroll. And once I've completed the whole roll, I can stick a jersey pin through it. And it stays in its creases.
You can also double-fold it, but I still roll it and pin it to stay rolled.
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That's the end of all I have to offer, but if you want even more tips, this is one of the best articles I've ever found on the subject of sewing knits without a serger. It's much more succinct than mine, and very professional. On the hand, mine is written by someone who previously hated sewing with knits, so if that's you, then you might find my blog post empathetic!
I can also recommend these You Tube tutorials.
Sewing Parts On-line
Sew DIY
And for a first project, maybe have a look at this video by Dana of Made Everyday, in which she shows you how to make a knit head band, but also gives more useful tips.
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