How to Sew With Knits 7


Have you ever wondered how some sewists confidently tackle knits while others hesitate? Well, let me assure you that knits aren’t harder to work with, they can be easier and fun! Well, if not easier, at least much more forgiving than woven fabrics.

Here is the truth:

Knits are not harder to work with, they are just different. In order to understand (and even love them), you need to learn a bit about them.

So,

let’s answer the most important questions about knit fabrics.

What is knit fabric and how​​​​ is it different?

Types of fabric can differ in the way they are produced and the materials used to produce them. Fabrics, used in clothing can be knitted or woven.

What is knitted fabric and varieties of knitted fabrics

Knit fabrics are manufactured by creating repeated rolls of loops. Knit fabrics are made from only one set of yarns, all running in the same direction.

Some knits have their yarns running along the length of the fabric while others have their yarns running across the width of the fabric. Knit fabrics are held together by looping the yarns around each other.

Usually, knit fabrics are stretching even if they do not have elastic thread included, as a result of their structure.

How to sew knit fabric - the ultimate guide.

Knitted fabrics include mesh, lycra, cotton jersey, viscose/rayon, interlock knit, etc.

Woven fabrics

are made from two pieces of yarn that are stretched out over a loom and woven together in both horizontal and vertical directions. Usually, woven fabrics do not stretch because their fibers run at 45-degree angles to one another.

It is possible to have a stretching woven fabric if there is elastic included in its structure.

What is woven fabric

Woven fabrics include linen, denim, twill, satin, chiffon, tweed, canvas, etc.

There are thousands of varieties of fabrics on the market, both woven and knitted. You don’t need to know all of them. What is important is to make a difference between woven and knit fabric, because they are designed and used for a different purpose and have distinctive qualities.

If you want to learn more about fabric names, there is a full list of both woven and knitted fabrics by their names.

Are knits harder to work with?

Beginners find it harder to work with knits because they stretch and the edges of the fabric sometimes roll. I find this to be an advantage because details get assembled easier. You can pull and stretch a bit so the details match. It requires some practice, but there is nothing to be overwhelmed about.

Knit and woven fabrics have specifics and different basic techniques to work with. My first steps in sewing were with knits and I honestly find knits and jersey fabrics easier to sew than woven ones. They are more responsive to adjustments and tolerate small mistakes better than wovens. And in my opinion, they are way more fun and offer a greater variety of uses.

Woven and knit fabrics react, sew and look different. Nothing is more important for the end result than choosing the appropriate fabric according to the project you are starting.

In most cases, you can rely on the pattern to point out the most appropriate fabric choice. If not, as general rule wovens require darts, zippers, and ease while knits look good without those when sewn.

How to cut knits?

The first step when working with knits is cutting. Make sure you have chosen the right knit fabric for your project. For example, I usually choose lycra spandex for leggings and a cotton jersey for a T-shirt.

Steps before you start cutting the fabric

Preparing the fabric:

1.Relax the fabric.

When sold, fabrics are usually displayed on bolts or cardboard tubes. This changes the natural shape of the fabric, especially if it is a stretchy one.

 It is very important to unfold the fabric or the quantity of it that you are going to use and leave it to relax for at least twenty-four hours before cutting. This will prevent the fabric to go back to its natural form after you are done with your project and twist the garment.

How to cut and sew knit fabrics.

2.Preshrink the fabric.

Many fabrics shrink when they get in contact with heat and moisture. This is usually true for natural materials like cotton.

That is why in industrial sewing the patterns for cotton T-shirts are sometimes left 1-2 cm longer in order to tolerate shrinking after washing. Very often it is hard to tell what is the fabric made of exactly, so I would suggest preshrinking any fabric before beginning the sewing project.

3. Ironing the fabric is also important.

Especially if you washed it to prevent shrinking, the fabric might have some wrinkles. This might take effect in the cutting ocess. It is important to cut when the fabric is completely relaxed. The wrinkles can add up centimeters/inches to the detail when it gets ironed at the end.  

The fabric shouldn’t hang over the cutting table. This is very important for knits because they stretch when hanging over. The more precise you cut, the better the ready garment will fit.

How to sew with knits - a comprehensive tutorial.

4.Test your fabric for colorfast, if the garment is made of different pieces of main and additional fabric.

I’ve messed up big time in the past because I forgot to make a test for color fasting. You don’t want to finish a garment, wash it and …. ruin it. Although it is a tedious task, it is a must when you have contrast fabrics on the same garment.

5.Mark the right side of the fabric.

It is essential to cut all the pieces on the right side of the fabric. Prepare the pattern. Determine the size, alter it where necessary and cut it out.

Position the details of the pattern on the fabric. This will help you minimize the fabric waste and avoid unpleasant surprises. Be careful about the straight grain of the fabric.  Very often the edges of a knit fabrics don’t match the straight grain.

When folding the fabric, finding the grainline (straight grain), is very important. Things might seem ok when cutting and sewing, but once you wash your garment, it twists on the seams and takes unnatural forms. Have in mind that sometimes the details are cut off grain and some are cut on the fold and this is fine when it is specified in the sewing instructions of the pattern.

How to cut knit fabric

6.Prepare the tools you are going to need. 

That would be scissors or a rotary cutter, chalk, pins, the pattern, a liner, a measuring tape.

For knits, I prefer to use a rotary cutter machine because it cuts precisely next to the pattern outlines. When I use scissors I unintentionally leave a bit bigger seam allowances than I want to.

how to sew with knitted fabrics

Also, a rotary cutter machine can handle several layers of fabric which is useful when you cut two or more details faced together like sleeves for example. The edges of the fabric stay smooth, without edges left by the scissors.

And, if you produce more than one piece this will help cutting faster and more precisely. But don’t get me wrong – scissors are perfectly fine, too.

sewing with knits

Instead of traditional chalk, I prefer to use a water-soluble one or even a sliver of soap. They fade away when I iron, which is important having in mind the smaller seam allowance we leave on knits.

How to sew with knits

As you already know, knits stretch and regular straight stitching easily break and the threads pop out. To manage the stretching of the fabric, you need to use stitching that tolerates the stretching.

The best choice would be an overlocker/serger machine. The loops of the thread make the seam extremely durable and tolerant to stretching.  If you don’t have a serger, you can use your regular sewing machine to sew the knits and it can look as good on the outside as if it was professionally manufactured. 

To achieve that, use a zig-zag stitch instead of a straight one. You can see a lot of zig-zag stitching on bathing suits because it tolerates the stretching as good as the overlocker seam. The unpleasant part is that it is harder to remove if you made a mistake.

You can also regulate the width of the stitch, depending on the specifics of your sewing machine.

sewing knitted fabric on a regular sewing machine

TIP> When using the serger/overlocker sometimes the seam ruffles. Usually, this happens on fabrics with more elasticity. You can reduce that by regulating the tension on the serger and by ironing.

Ironing while sewing is inevitable. If you want to make your stitches precise, no matter if the fabric is woven or knit, you have to iron a lot DURING the sewing, not only at the end. I like to say that ironing is half of the sewing.

If you still feeling hesitant about sewing with knits, take a deep breath and dive into Knits 101. This comprehensive over-the-shoulder lesson will guide you through the basics of knit sewing, from selecting the right fabric to mastering various techniques, in no time.

What seam allowances to leave?

When working with knits you don’t need to leave a big seam allowance because it goes into the seam. So the seam allowance depends on the width of the seam. And, unlike wovens, knits don’t unravel so you don’t need a big seam allowance. Most patterns have that specified in the instructions.

Keep in mind that eventually, you can cut a bit of excess fabric with the serger, especially if you are a beginner. If you use the zig-zag seam on a regular machine the excess fabric stays in and it can be visible and bulky on the face side when done.

TIP>   I always test my stitches on a piece of the fabric, before starting the project. I test how it handles stretching and how it looks in general. You can make some adjustments, depending on your machine type, the seam might get thicker or rare. A thicker seam usually tolerates stretching better.

 Choose the right needles, width, and length of the stitch.

If you sew knit fabric on a regular sewing machine, you have to pick the so-called jersey or stretch needles. They have a ballpoint tip that goes between the loops of the fabric easily and doesn’t break it.

If you sew on a serger/overlocker usually a middle-sized needle is ok for most knitted fabrics.

Finishing off the knit garment

There are several different ways to finish the ends of a knit fabric garment.

  • Binding

Bindings are very often used with knits for finishing the neck opening or the armholes. Binding not only looks good, it helps to gather and hold the fabric together at places that are stretched intensively.

  • Hems

When sewing knits, hems are usually done on a cover stitch machine. It is the most common choice in industrial sewing. It makes two straight stitches on the right side of the fabric and a set of loops on the wrong side.

Some sergers have the cover stitch option included. You can also finish with a binding, zigzag stitch, or a catch stitch, although in my opinion, a catch stitch looks a bit heavy on knits, especially on jerseys.

Or, you can even choose to leave the knit fabric unfinished, because it won’t unravel like a woven one. That is often called a raw edge.

finishings on knit fabric garments

Many people I know who are learning to sew tend to avoid the knits as too complicated and hard to work with. I find them easier, BUT there are specifics when working with them. I think that all the trouble sewers face when using knits is because they try to sew them as if they were woven fabrics. If you want to dive deaper into Sewing with Knits, embark on your knit-sewing journey with Craftsy’s comprehensive online lessons and become a knit-sewing master in no time. they have a whole category dedicated to knits.

If you follow the guidance above and practice a little you might be surprised to find out that you prefer knits.

You still have questions and concerns? Let me know in the comments below.

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More sewing tutorials:

  1. What is a coverstitch machine and how to use it?
  2. How to sew an elastic waistband
  3. Ten most asked questions about a serger (overlocker)
  4. How To Learn How To Sew (and why)
  5. What is interfacing in sewing?

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7 thoughts on “How to Sew With Knits

  • Pat Monroe

    Thank you for this wonderful article about sewing on knits. At the age of 77, I’m just embarking on learning to sew with knits and all this information will be extremely helpful to me.

  • Linda

    Hi,
    Thank you for sharing all this valuable information.
    I just recently bought an overlocker and started making ponchos to sell.
    Because I made them to sell, it would have been easier to cut out more than one at a time.
    What I learned here today that I must have is cloth cutting machine.
    Thank you
    Linda

    • Daniela

      Hi Linda,

      The cloth cutting machine saved me a ton of time over the years. It is also very precise and easy to operate.

      Good luck with your ponchos and I hope you have many sales!

      Daniela

  • Mill

    Thanks for the post Daniela, I just sew my jean using knit fabric by following your instruction so, I really appreciate the easy to follow step by step instruction and very detailed information.

    A question is what would you recommend is the best knit fabric for people who are just starting off?

    • Daniela

      Hi Mill,

      Most beginners prefer woven fabrics. I learned how to sew with knits. so it is up to you. If you chose to start with knit fabric, I would suggest picking up a less stretching one. In most cases when sold, fabrics have specifications on the ticket. It usually looks like this: “95/5 cotton/elastane”. I would go for 5% to none elastic thread included, because fabrics with 8-10% and more are a little harder to handle, especially for beginners.

      Thank you for your kind words.

      Daniela

  • NemiraB

    Hello, your article is a gem to those, who want to learn how to deal with various fabrics.
    I always was thinking to get sewing machine, just I am not sure which is best for my needs.
    I bought sheets for bed and after wash, one side opened. Threads were loose, not so pleasant view. I could fix it by myself.
    Anyway, your article is rich with content and great advices.
    Thank you, happy writing, Nemira.

    • Daniela

      Hi Nemira, I appreciate your kind words! You give me the idea to write about how to pick a sewing machine that suits your needs best.

      Thank you,

      Daniela