SEWING WITH KNITS
We now have an adorable line of knits for infant and toddler wear that has inspired us to take a look around for more options than the Bunny Knit Nightie by Children’s Corner. After a quick trip to downtown Dyersburg for a visit to the local children’s ready-to-wear boutique, I can tell you that almost anything you can make from a woven can be made from a knit. I saw basic yoke dresses, sundresses, round yoke dresses, and all varieties of rompers, pants, and shirts. The same interfacing methods used for wovens are found in knit garments and many of the knit garments are finished with woven collars, cuffs, plackets, etc. It looks like the sky may be the limit. The following are some of my observations that relate to sewing knits:
- The seams need to have a little stretch because the knit fabric has some stretch so the options are:
- overlock stitch on the sewing machine
- narrow zig-zag with medium stitch length
- serged seams
- straight stitch while stretching the fabric behind and in front of the presser foot
- Seam and raw edge finishes:
- overcast the seam allowance together with a medium or large zig-zag
- overcast the seam allowance together with a serger
- straight stitch the seam allowance together close to the edge (this is found more commonly when the seam has been straight stitched
- Topstitching is seen frequently and twin needle topstitching is the norm because it has “give”.
- Hems may be put in invisibly or with twin needle topstitching.
- Since the knit fabric has more thickness than most of our wovens you may need to decrease fullness in areas where gathers are found.
- Regular buttons and buttonholes may be applied to closures but snaps, especially colored pronged snaps, are often seen. (Watch our website for availability of these as we plan to order a range of colors soon)
- If you have a pattern for a knit garment that calls for ribbing, you may use a double thickness of the garment fabric in lieu of ribbing – just add the following amounts in length:
- neckband – 3/8”
- waistband – 1”
- cuffs – 1”
The Bunny Knit Nightie is an adorable pattern that could easily be a staple in anyone’s sewing library. It provides the perfect quick, easy, and fool-proof gift for any mom-to-be. There are tips and techniques presented in the pattern that have not been included in the preceeding text such as shell finishes.
More information plus basic patterns may be found in Kwik Sew’s Sewing For Toddlers by Kerstin Martensson available from Amazon.
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