Want to know a simple, method of Sewing knits without a serger? Sewing of knit fabric is not much difficult on the regular sewing machine. You can easily sew a knit fabric on a regular sewing machine. All you need juts take care of some little things in order to avoid mess during sewing.
Sewing Knits Without A Serger – How to Sew Knit Fabrics on A Regular Sewing Machine?
In this article, we will give you complete deep information, trip, and tricks to sewn knit fabric without a serger. By following our guidelines you can effortlessly sew the kit fabric on your regular sewing machine.
How important is it to buy good knit fabrics to make clothes?
There is no doubt that fabric is everything in sewing. There are many types of knit fabrics available. Some of them can drive you crazy. Once you get a good knit, half your work is done.
There are a variety of reasons why dressmakers prefer knits. This fabric is easy to care for and makes comfortable clothing, which drapes well. There are seven kinds of knits used in dressmaking: jersey knit, double knit, multi-inner knit, nylon tricot, interlock, velour, and sweater knit.
First, check whether the fabric is resilient. It should adapt back to its default position if you stretch it. Try to stretch somewhere inside and not at the edge. Make sure that the fabric is free of any unwanted bulges once it’s been returned. Do not purchase it if it has been stretched in either direction. As the fabric wears and sags, it means that it won’t return to the resting position.
The most popular knits are cotton knits because they are comfortable to wear, and they are most commonly used for dressmaking. Tees and tops can be made from cotton jersey. Knits with a jersey material have fabric edges that curl inwards. The edges of an interlock knit garment will not curl like this.
Almost anything you wear rib-knit like t-shirts and sweatshirts is really comfortable and has a great stretch. Stretch, and recovery properties in cotton/spandex fabrics make single-knit fabrics perfect exercise clothes since they are supremely comfortable.
A knitted fabric stretches differently with great variation. Some people don’t stretch very much, and others stretch like crazy. Spandex fibers in 2 way stretch knits provide great stretch. You can make Leggings, swimsuits, and figure-hugging clothes from these fabrics. A few knits, such as sweater knits and double knits, stretch very little.
Get an extra piece of fabric because preshrinking reduces the amount of fabric. A knit fabric looks different from both sides, so finding the right side also is important. Stretching the fabric (gently) with the crosswise grain will cause the fabric to roll to the right. It’s how you know. Take care of it this way and get sewing.
What sewing machine accessories are required to sew knits?
If you sew with knits, a serger or an overlock machine would be useful to have. Knit fabrics work best on these machines because their stretchy stitches suit them.
For sewing knits, a serger stitch with three or more threads is the most appropriate stitch. On an Overlock machine, the fabric is sewn and cut, and then the trim is made with both a straight stitch and a zig-zag stitch.
When sewing the seam on a regular sewing machine, zig-zag stitching and presser foot are recommended. You’ll get better results with a walking foot. It simply moves the fabric without stretching it.
Sew with a 70/10 needle on lightweight knits. To make seams and hems, use a ballpoint, universal, or stretch needle. Lightweight knits can be knit with 75/11 needles; thicker knits can use 90/14 needles. The twin needle also works well to sew hems.
There are both cotton/polyester blend and acrylic threads that can be used – on top or on the bottom. Cotton thread tends to pop and snap when it is stretched because of its elastic properties. Since nylon or Wooly Nylon thread is stretchy and easy to sew, you can use them on the bobbin.
Keep edges from stretching out of shape by using stay tape. You can use Fusible web on lightweight knit dresses, skirts, and pants to sew hems. You can make the hem firmer and less elastic by using fusible webbing. Moreover, you can fuse Fusible webbing with knitting that encapsulates wire rope.
How to prepare knits for sewing?
Prewash knit fabrics before sewing to minimize shrinkage afterward. The shrinking of some fabrics is even more apparent than that of some woven fabrics. If you wash the fabric in hot water, it will shrink more. Be sure to purchase extra to accommodate for shrinkage. Make sure the wrinkles are out by using iron before cutting.
Locate the grainline: It is difficult to identify the grainline of knit fabrics since there is no selvage, like woven fabrics.
Aligning the edges may not yield any results for detecting the fabric grain as with a woven fabric. Edge alignment is not dependable.
If the fabric twists, you can straighten it; otherwise, it won’t hang right. This can be done by aligning the visible vertical rows in the knit. They must line up. Otherwise, the fabric will hang wrongly on the body.
The tube can be cut open along the rib if it is knitted. A knight’s edges are prone to curling, and its stretchiness makes it difficult to sew. Stretching too far can lead to overstretching, and you should take preventative measures.
How to cut Knits for sewing?
While marking and cutting the fabric, make sure it does not stretch. Use ballpoint pins instead of pins or use fewer pins on knit fabrics to prevent holes. You should secure seam allowance with pins.
It is very important to be careful when marking, pinning, and cutting knit fabrics.
Knits usually have more than one side. A fabric stretch along the cut edge is measured by the crosswise stretch along the backside of the piece of fabric. You can expect it to curl over to the right.
It is important to cut a straight grain line. Check that the wales line up with the grain. As you keep/mark the knit fabric pattern, the rows and courses are parallel to each other.
It is important to cut the pattern so that it stretches crosswise as you go – this ensures that it fits properly. Don’t just cut if you want to save your fabric. It will hang differently, not how you intend it to.
Besides this, you should cut the greatest stretch of the spandex knit across the body with knits containing spandex.
How to handle knit fabric while sewing?
Some knit fabrics (containing lycra) are not able to move along under the normal pressure foot. You can achieve this by using a walking foot.
Do not handle the fabric in a way that causes it to stretch while sewing. Incorrect handling of the pattern pieces would result in a serious mismatch. It is essential to pay close attention to armholes, shoulder seams, waistlines, necklines, and zippers as this is where the most stretch occurs.
It is preferable to use a binding on necklines than a facing. It might be hard to sew buttons or buttonholes due to the stretch. Zippers are an excellent choice when it comes to fastening.
What interfacing to use?
You should work with fabrics with the same drape and feel of the knit fabric you are playing with. Fusibles must be the lightest weight possible.
You can use knit tricot or stretch non-woven interfacing. Self-fabric can also be used as interfacing if it has a good tear strength. You should preshrink interfacing before shrinking knit fabrics.
How to sew seams on knits?
A serger is the best option for sewing knitted fabrics. Sergers are great for making stretchy stitches that finish the edges of the fabric at once. The serger machine is not the only option, as you can also use a regular sewing machine.
Due to the stretch inherent in its structure, a straight stitch does not work on knits. Usually, it snaps or breaks.
With a long narrow zigzag stitch, or a triple stretch stitch, which also helps withstand the stretchiness of knits, an elastic or stretch stitch can be used. You can also try various zig-zag stitches of 2.5mm in length and 0.7/1.5/2mm in width. 3mm to 3.5mm stitch thickness is good for loose knits.
Before stitching on a final piece of fabric, try the stitch width on a test scrap. Using the stretch stitch will generally result in better results than using the zigzagging stitch.
A straight stitch can be used on some stable knits. Do double stitching 2 inches apart. It may be necessary to strengthen the seams at the shoulder, waist, neckline, and so on; if not, it could become stretched out of shape.
What to do with fabric edges?
The edges of knit fabrics are not frayed like woven fabrics are. Although fabric edges curl, there is a problem. Also, the seam allowance edges can be finished for a neat appearance.
Adding bias binding strips to the edge of the cloth creates an elegant look. The edges can also be overcast stitched.
How to sew hems on knit garments?
Again, this is on the assumption you don’t have a serger. No doubt, hemming knits with a serger is the best method of hemming.
You should hang the garment for one day before finishing the hem.
Besides this, you can use an elastic stitch, tight cross stitch, or zig-zag stitch for hems. Instead of a twin needle or four and a half syringe, you can use a 2.5/75 or 4-100.
You can make Coverstitch hems with a twin needle and stitch lengths of 3 or higher. Put the twin needles and longer stitch length on the fabric after it is folded after sewing from top to bottom.
Fold and press the hem. Do not exert too much tension while threading your bobbin. Take the twin needles and thread them. You can change the stitch length from 2.5 to 3 mm. Don’t stretch the fabric when you sew. If you sew from the top, you’ll get stitches that look like cover stitches on the back.
You can use a lightweight knit fusible interfacing to stabilize hems so that the fabric doesn’t curl during steaming. Using a lettuce edge with a rolled hemmer foot is another option if you like that effect.
How to stop edges on knits from stretching out?
A flexible fabric like this will require you to stabilize necklines. You can use fusible bias tape, bias strips, twill tape, or nylon tape to stabilize the garment. Additionally, you can restitch the neckline and make the edges more rigid. It is equally important to stabilize zipper plackets and buttonhole stands.
Final Words
Rolling up the article we hope that you will find helping our article about sewing knits without a serger and how to sew knit fabrics on a regular sewing machine? All you need to adjust follow the simple steps and you can make the beautiful design of clothes in just a few seconds.
As we reach at the end of our article if you still face any difficulty in sewing pouch feel free to ask us in the comment section. Besides this also give your valuable feedback in the comment section and share the article with your friends and family members.