Knit fabrics 101

Some of my knits. I swear they looked neat and orderly a few days ago....

When I posted about our sew-a-long some of you said you were scared to sew with knits. Fear no more my friends because once you start, you are going to love it! I've taken a look at the Lil Blue Boo Hoodie Pattern and it is the perfect pattern to start. You guys chose a good one!

I know when I first started sewing with knits I was a little confused as to what types there were and what they were used for. I have to order all of my fabric online and not being able to touch and feel fabric before buying definitely has its disadvantages.

I thought I'd give you guys a little overview of the main types of knits, so if you need to buy some for the sew-a-long and are confused like I was, you will have a better understanding of what you are looking for.

So, in general, I mainly only buy 100% cotton knits (unless it is cotton/lycra). I don't really like poly blends, but that is up to you. Just like how you will find two different quilting cottons (wovens) that feel slightly different even though they boast to be 100% cotton, the same holds true for knits. Some knits are thick, some are thin. That is the risk of buying online! I will tell you that from my experience often the novelty print knits are thinner and the "boutique" knits are thicker. If you want a thicker quality, Chez Ami has wonderful knits!

There are four main types of knits that you will mainly see when shopping online:

1. Jersey

 Now, jersey is your typical T shirt material. Jersey can really vary in thickness, from a nice medium weight to really thin. I love working with jersey but some people don't. See in this photo how the cut edge is curling? This can make it challenging to sew if your machine likes to eat fabric. You also need to hold the edges flat while sewing which can be difficult for some people. In the Lil Blue Boo Pattern there is a great tip for keeping your jersey from rolling while sewing.

Here is another photo of jersey. It is hard to tell from a photo but the dinosaur fabric is really thin jersey and this is much thicker. It still curls at the edges though. Cut up an old T shirt and you'll see what I'm talking about. Jersey is wonderful for the body of a shirt and the arms but can't be used for necklines or arm cuffs (places where you need stretch) because jersey has very little to no stretch.

2. Interlock

Now interlock is the easiest knit fabric to sew with. As you can see from the picture it lays nice and flat and the cut edges don't curl. It also usually doesn't have a ton of stretch so it makes it easy to sew with. Most interlocks will have some stretch though and can often be used for shirt cuffs and necklines. Baby and children's pajamas are often made out of interlock. Have you ever had a T shirt that was just a nice thick heavy shirt? A little heavier than your average T shirt? That was most likely interlock. This is by far the easiest knit to work with if you are new to knits!

3. Rib Knit

I use interlock a lot for necklines etc. but rib knit is really the "go to" fabric for things like that. See the ribs in the pink fabric? Rib knit is usually quite thick and has a ton of stretch. If you look at the cuffs on one of your child's hoodies they will most likely be made out of rib knit. The pink in this photo is a really wide rib knit (perfect for sweatshirt cuffs) and the stripe has finer ribs but is still just as stretchy. I personally don't like making clothing out of rib knit, but leggings, shirts etc. are often made out of the finer knit. I usually jsut use it for necklines etc.

4. Cotton/Lycra

Cotton/Lycra is also a nice fabric to work with, but can be tricky. As you can see by the photo the edges aren't curling, but don't be fooled they sometimes have a tendency to while sewing. Because this fabric has lycra in it it is really stretchy and if you aren't careful and pull it while sewing you are going to have a wonky garment. Unlike rib knit it is smooth so is really nice for making fitted Tees (where you want some stretch) and is also perfect for necklines, cuffs etc. Cotton/Lycra is excellent fabric for making leggings for little girls because it has stretch but also has really good recovery so it won't "bag out" after being worn a few hours.

Here is another photo showing the stretch to it. Just like the other knits there is a wide range of thicknesses as well as stretchiness to it. The higher the percentage of lycra in the fabric the stretchier it will be. Often when shopping online the description will indicate the percentage of cotton and the percentage of lycra.

I hope this little fabric lesson has been helpful to some of you!

Now get your fabric ready, I hope many of you will sew the Lil Blue Boo Hoodie with me!  I already have ideas floating around in my head of ways I can change it up to create many different looks.

Are you guys in?! :)