Sewing with Stretch, Knit Fabrics Archives - Page 2 of 2

Tips for working with sweater knits

November 25, 2016

Have you seen the sneak peek Judy posted on Instagram? Check it out if you haven’t already. If you did you might have noticed that soon you will be sewing those pretty sweater knits you’ve been saving. In the blog today I will give you some of my tips and tricks to work with this kind of fabric.

1.Grab the lint roller! No, I have not lost my mind…believe me, you will want the lint roller close by when you cut sweater knit. Whether it’s a open weave or a dense one, sweater knits tend to leave a lot of residue when being cut.

TIP: Use the lint roller to not only clean your cutting mat but also the edges of the fabric pieces you just cut. That will help keep your sewing machine cleaner.

2. If cutting with a rotary cutter, use a new or very sharp blade. I find sweater knits to be more prone to getting a run in the fabric if the cutter or scissors is not very sharp.

3. Water soluble stabilizer is not just for embroidery! When working with sweater knits on your sewing machine I highly recommend placing a piece of WSS under your fabric. This will not only make sewing it easier but it will also prevent puckering and even more important it will stop your machine from “eating” your fabric. Sweater knits, especially open weave ones have a lot of “holes” so your machine is basically sewing through air.

Tear away the excess, the remaining water soluble stabilizer will disappear when you first wash the garment. I prefer transparent WSS but opaque ones work just as well.

4. You can sew sweater knit entirely with your sewing machine however a serger will make the process faster and easier. You might need to adjust your settings a bit to accommodate this type of fabric. My favorite serger stitch when sewing sweater knits is the FLATLOCK stitch. Check your serger user manual to make the proper settings for a flatlock stitch, they will vary from model to model. Here is an example of how a white thread flatlock stitch looks like on a black piece of fabric.

A narrower flat lock stitch

A wider flat lock stitch

I use this type of serger stitch when I make sweater knit bands and hems. Use a matching thread so the stitch will blend in with the fabric.

5. Just as with all knits, always use a ball point needle in your sewing machine and serger. You’ll also need to lower the pressure foot tension of your sewing machine.

6. The markings on open weave sweater knits will need to be added with chalk/ a tailor pen or by adding tailor tacks. Notches are impossible to see on sweater knits.

I hope you find these tips helpful when you will be sewing the new Cocoon pattern releases soon. I will leave you with another sneak peek of this amazing cardigan. Now get the sweater knits stash out and as always post your creations in the group so we can all ohh and ahhh over them.

Alex

5 TIPS for successfully hemming knits

July 28, 2016

We have seen a lot of questions in the group about getting the perfect hem on your knit outfits. Most hems are sewn perpendicular to the grain and on the bias in the case of curved hems…this makes hemming sometimes appear stretched out, puckery or wavy.

I needed to sew a shirt to showcase this fabric so the first pattern that came to mind is the Women’s Henley. The only modification I did was to shorten the neckline placket so it would not interfere with the design of the fabric.

I will give you my 5 best tips for avoiding stretched out hems (especially curved hems) and getting the perfect finish.

1. You IRON is your best friend!

Always have your iron hot and with plenty of water in the steamer. Iron your hem before your sew it, it will make hemming easier! This process is called a memory hem. Be sure to follow your pattern’s directions for the amount of fabric that needs to be folded. Pressing and steaming the seams once sewn will also remove the puckering and waviness back and make them look beautifully finished. Ironing and steaming your garment every step of the way is one of the most important parts of sewing. While steaming your hems may not fix all issues it will definitely fix most of them.

Before pressing and removing excess fabric.

After a good steam and press.

2. CLIPS and PINS galore!

When hemming, I clip/pin my fold over fabric almost every two inches. Having a stable seam will make sewing it a breeze. Whether you are using your coverstitch machine or your sewing machine having your fabric pinned every inch and a half or so will make your hemming experience much more pleasant. Sewing clips vs. pins is a matter of personal preference. I like sewing clips best because I find them to help me secure my hems faster than pinning used to. So, are you a “pin-er” or a “clip-ser”? 🙂 – insert pictures of the clipped hem

3. HEMMING TAPE is magical!

Stitch Witchery or Easy Knit Tape will become your go to notions for hemming. Stitch Witchery is great for stabilizing and fusing together knit fabric. Simply lay the tape inside the memory hem and press it. This will not only fuse it but it will also give it more stability, making sewing so much smoother and hassle free. It is very important to make sure that the hemming tape you use it’s sew-able. Some no-sew tapes may leave a gooey residue that will damage your needles. Insert photo of hemming tape and photo of ironing it.

I also like to spray Best Press when I press my hems. The starch in it makes the hem more stable so it becomes easier to sew.

Hemming tape can be transparent or opaque.

4. Length of the STITCH and TENSION matters!

Whether you are using your sewing machine or your coverstitch machine, you must remember to adjust the stitch length and tension according to the type of fabric you use. Some coverstitch machines will adjust the tension automatically but most of them will not, so be sure to test your hemming on a scrap piece of fabric. It’s imperative that the scrap fabric you use is the same as your project. Usually hemming knits will require you to lower the tension and length the stitch. Some machines will prefer a longer stitch, some will work great with just a 3.0 length.

If your machine will allow you to set up the stitching speed, do it!

I tend to coverstitch at about 1/2 to 3/4 inches away from the fold so I remove the excess fabric with my applique scissors. You can use your regular scissors too, just be careful not to snip your stitches.

5. Last but not least, have PATIENCE! Go slow!

We all know that rush feeling we get when reach the hemming part of the project…one more step and then it’s ready!! Well, last thing you want is for this last step to ruin your hard work. Take a little more time and go slowly when hemming. Coverstitch machines sew pretty fast so remember to slow down and guide your fabric through.

I hope you find my tips helpful and that you will tackle your next P4P project with more confidence. Don’t forget to post your creations in the group. Sew like a Pirate!

Basics of Sewing Swim

April 25, 2016

As I’m approaching my very first swimsuit pattern release, I realize there will be a lot of questions about sewing swim!

So here are some bullet points you’ll need to know before you jump into your first suit! 🙂

Common Questions:

What type of fabric do you need?
- Nylon Spandex is the traditional swim knit. There are also some polyester spandex blends that are capable of with standing the chlorine and can hold up to the activity.
- My favorite suit I made was out of supplex, a nylon spandex. I almost always use a nylon spandex rather than the poly blends, it’s just my personal preference.
- Just like all fabric types you will have a wide range of quality. Great swim knit can be a breeze to work with, while cheaper/thinner/slinkier swim knit can really test your patience ;). If you’re sewing swimwear for the first time, I’d recommend buying a good quality swim knit even if you’re nervous. It is much easier to work with!
- How can you tell if it will be easy or more difficult to work with online? Watch the weight- steer clear of lightweight, drapey descriptions and try to stick with medium weight knits.
- Lining- You can use a swim lining or just self line with more swim knit. The self lined suit will most likely fit and feel a bit tighter because usually your swim knit is a bit more stable than the swim lining.
Do I need special thread?
- Nope 🙂 You can use standard poly thread like always.
- You can use a stretch thread in your loopers or bobbin for more stretch. I’ve done both and haven’t ever had issues with threads popping, but I recommend it if you’re planning on getting tons of wear and being very athletic in it. (I highly recommend it for youth- they wear them more often, are more active and they often get passed down to other kids throughout the years.)
What is the best stitch?
- You can use your serger or your favorite stretch stitch.
- When using my machine I usually use the lightening stitch or regular zigzag stitch. I use my coverstitch as well for finishing hems.
- I baste with a stretch stitch as well, you can technically baste with a traditional long straight stitch, but if you don’t pull your basting stitches you will hear those threads pop when you try on/wear…which can be scary ;).
What kind of needle should I use?
- You need to use a stretch needle. These are best when sewing fabric with high spandex content.
What other notions will I need?
- You will need a SWIM elastic. Even if you are using the top as a sports bra, I still recommend using the swim elastic. It has more stretch then regular elastic and will withstand the wear and tear much better.
- I highly prefer the cotton swim elastic to the clear plastic kind. It is so much easier to work with and softer.
- Don’t let the elastic scare you!
- And don’t skip it! I know a lot of ladies will use bands on swim in place of elastic, but I don’t recommend it. Elastic keeps it shape always- wet or dry. Swim fabric on the other hand gets heavier and stretches out when wet (and depending on quality can stretch enough that it is loose while swimming.) So, if you don’t ever want to loose your bottoms or have to constantly tug back in place don’t skip the elastic!!
- Here is a little video of me putting in some swim elastic to help!

How can I make sure the top is supportive enough to hold me up?
- Follow the tutorial and use all the suggestions to add more support. If you skip any, you might regret it if you’re looking to be very active or have a larger bust to hold up.
- Power mesh- this is an inner lining mesh spandex that you can use to add more support to a suit. It stretches less than swim knits, so it will hold in your body better on that section you place it. I only recommend using it in some of the suit and for adults only. I like to use it on the front of both the top and bottoms. If you have a smaller bust, you most likely will not want it in the top. It is something that will “smoosh” you like a minimizer. There are varying degrees/quality of power mesh as well. You can get looser and stronger depending on how much activity and “smoosh” you’d prefer in your suit. There is also “power net” which is an even tighter mesh. Use this one with caution as you might need to go up a size to accommodate the amount of stretch.
- Swim cups- I used a sew in swim cup in almost all of my suits and sports bras too. I like the tighter feel (the cups don’t stretch like swim knit- so it will feel and be tighter across the chest if you sew them in.) and the thicker layer of coverage for my bust. I HIGHLY prefer the soft cups. I find the molded cups to be really unforgiving in perfect fit (lets just say the D/DD was no where NEAR fitting my D cup bust… I was really channeling the Madonna cone look :/ ) and are much more difficult to get placed perfectly and to sew in nicely and neatly. For larger then a D/DD cup you’re really only getting some coverage for the “important part”. You will need to slip your lining on (I recommend wearing a bra/sports bra) to get a good placement and make sure it’s covering that important part, pin in place, and sew in.
- Remember you’re looking for your sewing cup size- which is the difference between your upper and full bust (NOT under and full bust). You don’t want your cups oversized. They will take up too much of your top and you will loose too much stretch that you need for a good fit.
- I also have an option for adding boning to the side seams, my other sister Megan loves this one! You’ll just need lightweight boning:
Where can you get these supplies?
- Here is a Note on my sister’s (the swim suit sewing queeen ;)) FB page with tons of suppliers:
  - https://www.facebook.com/notes/coles-creations/buying-swimsuit-fabric/10150740266823620
How tight should it be?
- Traditional swimsuit fit has negative ease, meaning the finished measurement of the suit will be smaller then your body. It will have to stretch to get on. Suits are generally 20-25% negative ease. Some athletic ones (think Speedo, Nike, etc) have 30% for more intense work out/swimming needs. Don’t size up if you plan on swimming at all in it, you will need that negative ease to keep the suit in place when wet. If you are at the lower end of your size range you might even need to take a bigger seam allowance to make it snug enough (this will depend on quality of swim knit as well, the super stretchy thinner fabric will mean you will need it tighter).
- The elastic around the edges of the suit are there to help keep everything in place as well. It might “squeeze” you a bit when not wet, but again you will want that very snug to make sure your suit isn’t shifting while you’re swimming.

Have FUN sewing and swimming!

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