stretch sewing tips: needles

Yesterday Suzy asked if the type of needle you use when sewing with stretch fabrics makes a difference. Yes, it does.

The type of needle you should use is a ball point needle. This has a slightly rounded point, meaning it slips more easily between the fibres of the fabric, rather than piercing them. Sharp point needles tend to catch on the fibres in knit fabrics, and because of the stretch, that can muck up your lovely seams!

If the needle pierces the fibres, it could break them, and depending on the type of knit you are using, it might cause a run like you can get in your pantyhose.

As with other fabrics, you should always prewash your knit fabric before working with it, as they do tend to shrink a bit. After you’ve washed, you can cut the pattern pieces out, but you’ll need to make sure the fabric doesn’t stretch as you are cutting, as this will lead to inaccurate pattern shapes.

To make sure your fabric doesn’t stretch while you’re cutting, rather than cutting on the table, I do it on the floor. I find that if I have my fabric on the dining room table, the whole thing rarely fits, meaning that some has to hang off the edge. This will cause it to stretch, which is exactly what we don’t want at this time! I realise though that not everyone is as physically able as me to crawl around on the floor pinning pattern pieces and cutting. So maybe you’ll just have to use a very large table.

It is just as important with knit fabrics to line up pattern pieces with the grain, as it is with regular fabrics. This is because if you don’t, when you make up your garment, the stretch will happen in the wrong places.

Enjoy your stretch sewing with knit fabrics. If you missed yesterday’s tips on sewing stretch fabrics, check them out too. As it happens, today I’m going to get my first chance to wear my little red dress – very excited about that! 😉