Sewing Machine Settings for Knits (if you don't have an overlocker)

First up, I just want to say that there is more than one way to achieve success sewing with knits, and your way is the best way for you. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

This post is aimed at those who do not have an overlocker/serger (or those who don't want to use one) and I'd like to point out that you do not need an overlocker to sew up Bronte. In fact, I didn't touch my overlocker the entire time I was drafting up the pattern, just so I could be completely sure that one wasn't needed for any stage of the construction process. But obviously, feel free to use one if you have one.

When I first started sewing with knits, I sat down at my machine and literally just played with all the different settings in all kinds of different combinations to see what worked for me, my machine and my fabric. So, the suggestions below are merely that, they're suggestions and they are what worked for me. I encourage you to do things your way if what I suggest doesn't work, because we're human, and if one way worked for everyone, it'd be a boring place indeed! I cannot emphasise this point enough - you need to test your settings on your fashion fabric first.

One other thing I'd like to point out before we get started is that it's a really good idea to have your machine manual close by. Let's be honest, a lot of confident sewers have probably never read their manuals (me included!) and I was totally amazed by the wealth of knowledge contained within when I actually made the time to read it (I know, it was a face palm moment) and I seriously had no idea how little I knew about my particular machine and what it could do until I looked through it.

1 - Stitch Settings

Narrow Zigzag

I think the number one reason for why I was scared of sewing with knits had everything to do with that darn zigzag stitch. You see, almost everywhere, people tell you that you have to sew knits with a zigzag. Okay, that's fine, but every time I would read that, my brain always pictured the big kind of zigzag that you use for applique or to finish off edges if you didn't have an overlocker. And my reaction was always, "But, how can that be a strong stitch? It's going to pull apart the moment I try to put this over my head!"

What wasn't clicking for me was that, ummmm, Jen, it needs to be a narrow zigzag (or small zigzag or however you want to say it). "Oh...." *blush*. For many of you, this revelation of mine probably has you banging your head against the wall screaming "DUH!!!!" but for me, it just wasn't that obvious. I hardly ever use my zigzag stitch, and when I had, it was only on the bigger setting for applique, hence why this had just never occurred to me before.

Behold, Exhibit A - narrow zigzag (left) and big zigzag (right). Use the narrow one my friends - mine is quite short in the example, but a longer narrow zigzag will work fine too.

Lightening Bolt Stitch

Now, if you have a lightening bolt stitch (which my sewing machine manual actually calls the Outline Stretch Stitch) you can also use this stitch for sewing with knits. In fact, after reading my sewing machine manual, and it telling me that the lightening bolt stitch is the stitch you should use for knits, I played around, and it worked for me.  It's designed to "eliminate puckering on knit fabrics and bias seams, while permitting the seam to be pressed completely flat" - well, thanks for that great explanation Janome!

Exhibit B - the Lightening bolt stitch

Longer Straight Stitch

Now, I want to quickly address the 'straight stitch' elephant in the room before we do anything else. Many many people will tell you that you cannot use a straight stitch on a knit, when actually, that depends.

Some people actually advocate that you use a longer straight stitch over a zigzag or lightening bolt stitch. And guess what? I use a longer straight stitch on all the top-stitching for the neckline bindings on my Bronte tops and have never had an issue with the threads snapping.

*gasp*

I'm just telling it like it is - am I going to be burned alive for saying that? Nope, I don't think so, and the reason for that has everything to do with my first paragraph, if it works for you, then keep doing it.

I personally use a combination of the lightening bolt stitch (and there are people that will tell you that the lightening bolt stitch is the most evil kind of knit stitch - I have no idea why...) and a longer straight stitch for the top stitch.

There are also other stitches, like the Triple Stretch Stitch (a super strong stitch), that you can use as well if your machine has these settings. Again, have a a play and see what works best for you. There's no right or wrong answer that will fit everybody's needs.

2 - Foot Pressure

If you can adjust the foot pressure on your machine, I would lift it up a notch or two. This will help the fabric slide under your foot much easier which in turn stops it stretching out as much as you sew.

You'll notice the most difference from lifting your foot pressure at the smoothness of the fabric after you've sewn a seam.



The sample on the left of the photo is sewn with the standard foot pressure I use when sewing with woven fabric, in both a narrow zigzag and the lightening bolt, you can see it's bubbly and wavy. The sample on the right is sewn with the foot pressure lifted up a notch. It comes out smoother, since the fabric doesn't have as much pressure pushing down on it from the foot, and therefore doesn't stretch as much when you're sewing.

If you can't lift the pressure of your foot (check your sewing machine manual! Mine was in an interesting place) don't worry, never underestimate the power of a good steamy iron.

3 - Sewing Machine Needles

There are three types of needles you can get for sewing with knits - Ball-point needles, Stretch needles and Universal needles.

Ball-Point Needles

I personally use ball-point needles for all of my knit sewing. The rounded head prevents the needle from piercing the stretch threads in your fabric and breaking them (therefore weakening the fabric) by moving in between the threads instead.

Stretch Needles

Stretch needles do much the same, though their rounded tip is much lesser than a ball-point and the eye of the needle sits higher up. This is apparently better for super stretchy fabrics like swim suit lycra. I have personally never used a stretch needle before, but if you are getting skipped stitches from your ball-point needle, swapping for a stretch needle is suggested, as your fabric may react better to this kind of needle.

Universal Needles

Well, these guys are just that, they're universal which means you can use them on both woven fabrics and knits. Saves you time swapping out needles in between projects I suppose!

All of these needles also come in different sizes, and the general rule is the heavier the fabric, the bigger the needle you should use. I buy ball-points in packs of 5 multi-sized needles which means if I'm having troubles, I can easily swap to a different size to see if that will fix the problem.

4 - Bobbin Tension

Not all machines will allow you to play with your bobbin tension (hello sewing machine manual!). In fact, a lot of basic machines won't. However, if your sewing machine is being temperamental (skipped stitches, puckering etc), if you can play with this setting, it may help.

I personally haven't had to alter this setting on my machine, but do give it a go if you've tried all the other options and you're not getting consistent stitches.


Woah... if you made it to the end of that without falling asleep, I salute you.

Anything I missed knit-superstars? Any questions knit-newbies? Any discussion about sewing with a straight stitch you wanna talk about? (Please be nice in my comments section! Everybody is entitled to their own opinions, whether you agree with them or not).

xx
J

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Choosing Bronte Knits (& some of my favourites)...

I talk quite a bit in the instructions for Bronte about general guidelines for finding the right kind of Bronte fabric. I initially found it hard to describe the type of knit that you need, because being a relative newbie to the knit-sewing community myself, I knew that getting across the feel of a fabric for someone just starting out was a tough call.

Enter, the humble pair of cotton underwear. Yep, there it is right there. That's what you want - an Undie Knit.

So, go find yourself a pair (make sure they're good quality and not too old) and a ruler and let's talk about the three properties you want in your ideal Bronte knit...

1 - Stretch percentage

The stretch percentage is how much your fabric will stretch. For Bronte, we want at least a 40% stretch. To figure out if your fabric will work, take a 10cm piece of it and keeping away from the selvedge, try to stretch it to 14cm. If it does so easily (your undies should stretch nicely) then you have a great stretchy fabric that is right for Bronte.

To illustrate this a bit further, if you head on over to Fabric.com you can search for fabric by the stretch percentage. You'll want to tick the 30-50% range (on the left, down the bottom). There is no other website that I can find that does this (though please let me know if there are!), and I find that so strange, especially when the stretch percentage of a knit is so crucial to getting a pattern to fit you properly. So, kudos Fabric.com! (FYI - these guys are not a sponsor, nor do they even know I'm talking about them. Also, I've never ordered from them before so I can't vouch for their quality or service, I just love that I can narrow my search down by this criteria).

Stretch percentage is different to the fibre content of a fabric. If you check out the tag on your pair of undies, it'll more than likely say '95% cotton, 5% elastane (or lycra or spandex)' which is the fibre content. I would personally look for a stretchy fibre content of 5-10%, as this should ensure you have some lovely stretch in your knit.

2 - Recovery

Once you let your fabric go after you've stretched it, did it ping back into place? Or did it droop? Can you poke little dents in it with your finger and they stay there? I would avoid this kind of fabric. The last thing you want is for your Bronte to grow into a droopy mess as the day goes on.

You should find that your undies will spring back into shape nicely after being stretched and that finger dents don't remain in the fabric. That's the kind of recovery you're looking for in the ideal Bronte knit.

3 - Weight

The underwear you're currently holding is about as light as you want to go with Bronte unless you're a knit superstar. Basically, the heavier the knit, the easier it is to handle and I have personally found with light weight knits, they don't tend to have great recovery (though this is certainly not true all of the time!). Ideally, you want to find a medium to heavy weight knit fabric for your Bronte.

Did any of that make sense? I hope so!

Now onto some of my favourite kind of knits!

Double Knit (or Ponte de Roma)

There seems to be a lot of information out there that Double Knits (or Ponte de Roma) has minimal stretch. Well guys, that depends. It's certainly not true for all of them!! If you find one with a stretchy fibre content of 5% or more, then generally, you'll have some pretty great stretch coming from your fabric.

I personally LOVE double knits. Like, love them. You know that black and gold Bronte? Yep, double knit. You see, the thing about some double knits is that they are reversible, so the neckline binding on that Bronte is actually the underside of the fabric. Pretty cool huh?

Another thing about double knits is that they are easy to handle (great if you're new to sewing with knits). They don't tend to curl at the edges, nor do they fray, so you don't need to worry about finishing off raw edges if you don't want to. Oh, and double knits are comfy to wear and they don't tend to wrinkle.

So, if you're scared of knits, go buy yourself a double knit - you'll wonder what you were ever worried about.

Jersey Knit (aka what your undies are generally made from)

You can get man-made jersey knits, but personally, I prefer the natural type of knit that your cotton undies is made up of. They tend to be a great medium summer weight (also perfect for autumnal layering) and they breath really nicely, which means they won't get too hot or sticky as man-made jersey knits can sometimes get.

They also tend to have great recovery, will withstand a lot of washing, wearing and general 'beating-up' and they are easy to work with.

ITY Knits (aka Interlock Twist Yarn)

If you're hunting around your fabric shop and you come across a knit that says ITY on it, you'll probably be all 'What the...?'. An ITY knit is just a different way of constructing the fabric - a twist is put into the threads as it's being made up.

If you're going with an ITY knit, I would recommend making sure it has a stretch fibre content of at least 5% as this generally results in a lovely stretchy knit with great recovery. You can get all kinds of ITY knits made up of man-made or natural fibres in all the colours under the sun.

French Terry Knit

French Terry has a lovely soft outer, that looks a lot like a jersey knit, but it has little loops on the underside. The long sleeved fuchsia Bronte I made is a French Terry, and it's so comfy and warm!

Merino Knit

I'm probably a little biased towards 'warm knits' at the moment (seeing as we are in winter down here) but your Bronte top will sew up beautifully in a thermal or merino knit. I have 4 merino knits currently drying that are about to be sewn up into some lovely layering Bronte tops.

I know it's a lot of information, and it can be a little overwhelming for beginners, but once you know what you're looking for, you'll be able to spot the right kind of knit from a mile away.

So, do you think you might dip your toes into knits a little?

If you have any questions, please let me know in the comments and I'll try my best to answer them for you.

xx
J

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