Curated by ITF - Issue 19
Sewing knits Skills Kit
Spandex, stretch, elastane… however you refer to it, this 1950s invention transformed the sewing world. Stretchy fabrics!? Crazy!
Long gone are the days when all our garments were made from restrictive, woven fabrics. Today, knits have become part of our daily uniform. T-shirts, shorts, dresses, underwear, swimwear and more - we could make our entire wardrobe from stretch fabric if we wanted! And yet, it’s a fabric that’s struck fear into the heart of many a sewist…
Sewing with knits doesn’t have to be ‘something other people do’ anymore! Our Sewing Knits Skills Kit takes the mystery out of stretch fabric and covers everything you need to know to show it who’s boss.
The first in a two-part Curated by ITF series, the Sewing Knits Skills Kit guides you through the specific skills and techniques you need to know to confidently sew with stretch fabrics on a regular sewing machine.
Learning a new skill can often be overwhelming (so much to consider!), but we’ll give you the lowdown on machine settings, tools, stitch types and more. Then we'll teach you how to apply this information through the use of samplers - an approach that gives you the opportunity to practise and fine-tune skills before applying them to a wearable garment. These small examples can be stored with construction notes and used as a reference to inform future makes as you continue on your journey of sewing with knit fabric into the future.
What you'll learn with this project
Skills covered in this Kit:- Tips for sewing knits - including machine settings, needles etc.
- Tips for cutting knits
- Sewing knit seams
- Zig-zag finish
- Overlocked / serged finish
- Overedge foot to mimic overlock
- Overlocking curves
- Sewing a neck ribbing
- How to calculate neck ribbing ratio
- Tips for making a neck ribbing pattern
- Using fusible hem tape
- Hemming with a twin needle
Mighty Networks group
By purchasing this issue you will gain access to the extra resources we shared in our online community when we released the project. This means that you will be able to ask questions, share your makes and connect with other makers who are also on a mission to learn new skills and sew clothing in a slow and conscious way.
Difficulty
This is the perfect project for advanced beginners, intermediate makers and beyond. Sewing samplers allow you to purely focus on the sewing experience, without needing to get it perfect the first time. Just select the techniques you would like to try, or start with the easier ones (like sewing knit seams) and build yourself up to the trickier ones (like sewing a neck ribbing). As always we suggest you slow down and enjoy the process!
Are you new to sewing knits? Build your confidence by getting your machine settings right, then learn to sew and finish seams.
Ready to level up? Let’s refine techniques, like stabilising a hem before stitching, learning how to calculate neck ribbing ratios or make your own neck ribbing pattern.
Keen to learn a whole heap of new skills? Go you! Work through the resource from beginning to end.
Digital product details
The Sewing Knits Skills Kit: 29 pages of sewing with knits skills, tutorials and content. The booklet is suitable for printing on both A4 and US letter sized paper, or can be viewed onscreen using a PDF viewer.
Have a question?
If you have any questions please see our FAQ and Digital Product Policy.
We look forward to welcoming you to the In the Folds community.