As many of you know, I like to work with knits… especially Jersey. I personally like the natural look and feel of the fabric, just like many of you. If you take a look at your wardrobe, you will find many types of knits, from sweatshirts, fleece, velour, velvet, to Jersey knit.
Some variations of knits are easily stitched under a machine, while others can be a bit tricky to construct with, so that the garment holds its shape.
There are two basic types of knits, a single and double.
Single knits are light to medium weight with looped threads. Single knits often make apparel such as t-shirts, dresses, and skirts. Basically single knit is very stretchy, with flat vertical ribs on the right side, and horizontal ribs on the wrong side of fabric.
Double knits are made with two interlocking single layers of thread which have been both looped at once. Double knit looks basically the same on right and wrong side of fabric. This knit has very little stretch and is the medium to heavy weight knit. This type of knit is best used for more structured garments such as jackets, pants, shirts, and skirts. Knits can be made in several variations but commonly 100% cotton to 100% synthetic material is what you’ll find.
Here is a short list:
Fleece- This type of fabric has very little stretch, is soft on one side, and flat on the other. It is often used in pajamas, shirts, scarves, pants, and blankets.
Velour- has a soft brushed nap on right side of fabric, it stretches across the grain, and often used for making dresses as well as pants, jackets, and shirts.
Interlock- this is a single weight fabric that is light to middle weight, has fine ribbing on both sides, and stretches across the grain.
Jersey knit is made from cotton or a cotton blend. This knit is a very soft light weight fabric, most commonly used for bedding. I personally like to use it to construct shirts, and my many of my clients prefer to wear it because of how comfortable it is.
Here are a few tips about how to sew using knit:
1. When you begin to cut knits, don’t let the fabric hang or stretch.
2. Use pins… a lot of them! It can be difficult to keep knits pattern pairs together.
3. To prevent tears in the seams of knit garments, try a rounded needle such as a ball point.
4. The thread used to sew knit can be as equally important in preventing tears, so try polyester or polyester cotton.
5. You may want to try using tissue paper between knit layers to prevent slipping while sewing.