In this post I shared some choice tips and videos for sewing with knits. I put them to good use and hemmed the knit skirt under discussion. And the sewing did take all of 10 minutes or so. Blast you, sticking walking foot!
I had three thoughts while sewing the hem:
- Erin, you need to SLOW DOWN
. As tempting as it was to let ‘er rip on the straightaway, going faster leads to sewing heartbreak. I would speed up a little, and the walking foot would get noisy and agitated, which obviously leads to junk stitches. - Erin, you need to practice steering knit fabric. I don’t know if other sewers have trouble guiding knits through their machines, but I felt like I was weaving all over the place. I’m glad the skirt has a busy pattern, because the stitching isn’t the most consistent. I didn’t want to stretch the fabric while it was under the needle. Next time I work with a knit, I’ll do a little test driving first. Slow test driving (see No. 1).
- Erin, don’t be afraid to use more pins when basting a knit. And pin perpendicular to the line of stitching to prevent stretching. Keeping those layers aligned will eliminate puckers!
. As tempting as it was to let ‘er rip on the straightaway, going faster leads to sewing 
. I would speed up a little, and the 
would get noisy and agitated, which obviously leads to 
.
. I didn’t want to stretch the fabric while it was under the needle. Next time I work with a knit, I’ll do a little test driving first. Slow test driving (see No. 1).
when basting a knit. And pin perpendicular to the line of stitching to prevent stretching. Keeping those layers aligned will eliminate puckers!
I am looking forward to more adventures with knits; I have an unfinished knit mini dress I think I’m going to lop in half for another skirt. I love knit skirts. They are fabulous for travel
(especially air travel
), comfortable for cycling
(if you dare to bike in a skirt), and their superior draping qualities result in fewer wrinkles
than woven skirts. Knit skirts are more casual than woven skirts, but because you’re wearing a skirt, you automatically look more polished
. LOVE that.
This exercise also made me realize that I tend to make clothes on the big and long side. I’m worried about cutting away too much fabric and killing my opportunity for a do-over (should I need one). It’s a cautious approach; I’ve convinced myself that my size fluctuates when it really doesn’t. I wonder if there are other sewers who run into this self-made problem, too. I have to remember that for a woman my height (just a whisper under 5 feet 5 inches
), skirts look best above the knees. Proportions in clothing may be more important than fit. What do you think?