Beginner Tips - Lucy Sewing Lab

Knits, Stripes, and RTW

by Dave | May 13, 2015 | About, Beginner Tips, Blog, Experimentation, Fashion, Lucy's Sewing Lab

This is a repost of an earlier blog. Actually one of my earliest blogs, a little rewriting and possibly this time people enjoy it!

I sewed with knit six months upon completing the striped skirt. What an accomplishment. For the first time ever, people liked my product and commented about how much they liked it. I felt FAMOUS! Let me tell you, this didn’t happen overnight. Lots of things can go wrong when sewing with knit fabric. Hopefully my mishaps will be a blessing in disguise and help you avoid those same issues.

1. Knit can be two way or four way stretch. This doesn’t really matter, it all stretches right? I thought that too. Then I spent about an hour or two making the ultimate tee shirt. It looked amazing! But, I sewed it with the stretch going vertical instead of horizontal. In case you’ve never made this mistake, it means I couldn’t fit into the shirt. It had no stretch at all in the areas that need to stretch. But, I could probably pull it down far enough to wear it as a dress. Funny, unless it’s your shirt. haha

2. Leggings wear best in a four way stretch. Yes, you can make pants to your heart’s delight in two way stretch fabric. But, chances are the knees will bag throughout the day. Unflattering? YES! A four way stretch ensures the fabric maintains a proper fit all over your legs. So professional, no one guesses you sewed the legings. Okay seriously, no one will consider you made it yourself unless you tell them.

3. Heming Isn’t really an issue, or so they say. Most people do not hem their knit garments. To me, this never really made sense. I don’t find clothing at the GAP that is not hemmed. So, I have always hemmed my garments. I’ve tried several ways.

UPDATE: If the knit is spandex and rayon blend, no hem is needed. Similar clothing sells in department stores and boutiques upwards of $4o!

Rolled hem, created using a rolled hem or cording foot. This works well for some knits. I have found it works best with those containing a little rayon. I tried it recently with jersey. This did not work so well.
Double hem, is primarily used in the ready to wear industry. Lots of articles and websites will tell you this cannot be done without a double needle. Simply not true! I have done them since day one with my normal sewing machine. When it’s time to hem use the standard 5/8″ seam, then go over it again using the 3/8″ seam. The same look is achieved. Now, when you tell people, because you will want them to know, you made this. They will not believe you! Added BONUS, no extra equipment required.
Cut edge hem, again this is one I do not use because I’ve never seen it in ready to wear and it makes me self conscious. If you like it or need to put that just finished garment on and head out for the evening. By all means do it. It is a time saver for sure. This would probably be easiest to get away with when using tissue knits.

No matter what the hem, ENJOY!

Revolution Knits

by Dave | Apr 5, 2015 | Beginner Tips, Blog, Knit Tips, Lucy's Sewing Lab, Tools and Technique

Knits are very on trend currently. They are so popular one might say it’s a revolution of knits, they seem to be taking over the fashion industry. I really don’t think anyone minds either. They are comfortable, wear well, and require little maintenance. As a Fashion and Psychology Major, I have this need, desire, drive to know all there is to know about fashion. Textiles have always had me intrigued. How can cotton and poly blend together and create so many different fabrics? Why is double knit in 2015 completely different than the fabric of the same name in the 1970s? Why do fabrics behave so differently? The questions are endless.

I feel it’s the evolution of textiles. Think about when all clothing was made of cotton. I cannot imagine wearing clothing without at least a little stretch. That sounds horrible to me. I remember fashions trends resulting in new social rules. NO SHIRT NO SHOES NO SERVICE. As a child of the 70s this was devastating. I did not go topless, just to be clear haha. I did not like and still do not like shoes though.

Knit is a good example of a fabric with a personality that has evolved over the years. I started sewing my clothes in the 1980s. Knit was one of my favorite fabrics. I love the way it feels, or the hand of the fabric. I never considered it as a difficult fabric to work with. But, as I got back into sewing earlier this year, the internet is FULL of techniques for sewing with knit. Threads Magazine defines slinky knit, jersey knit, and stretch velvet as moderately difficult to sew with. Everything else is considered easy by this magazine.

When sewing, how do you choose which knit is the perfect match for your pattern? On the back of the pattern there is usually an area that says, “must stretch from here to here” To determine the amount of stretch use a single layer of the fabric on the crossgrain. I borrowed this info graphic from Threads Magazine to better explain the crossgrain of fabric. Simply place the fabric on the measuring device printed on the pattern envelope. Then pull to stretch the fabric comparing the stretch to the ruler. If it has enough stretch it is suitable for the pattern. If not, keep looking until you find a material that is suitable. If you really love the fabric, then by all means adjust the pattern to work with the fabric. How to adjust the pattern will be discussed in another blog.