I started this project a LONG time ago, I think it was even before Thanksgiving (hiding under my chair). I bought the knit from Hobby Lobby on sale and thought that leggings would be a fairly easy first knit project. I used this tutorial from Make It and Love It and it was really easy to follow.
The major reason it took me so long to finish this project was because I couldn’t find the right twin needle. I was (still am) confused on how to use a single needle for the hem since it’s suggested to always use a zigzag type stitch with knit.
I also wasn’t sure which twin needle to buy. I thought that for knits you wanted to use a ballpoint needle so I kept looking for a twin ballpoint needle. Well, I don’t think there is such a thing! I have a standard twin needle and that was a disaster.
Then Rae from Made By Rae did a knit series so I decided to email her to see where she purchased her double needle online and what type of needle to get. She said to try a twin stretch needle and she buys this one. So I purchased the needle and was eventually able to finish these pants. (It has free shipping (at least for now) and it was fast, so don’t worry about buying from this seller).
I used the twin stretch needle for the whole thing and am not sure I would recommend it. I’m not sure if I did something wrong but as you can see, the thread shows through the seam. I guess using a blue thread wouldn’t have shown as much but this picture is without any stretching of the fabric and I don’t feel like it should show that much. Maybe I’m wrong though!
I also learned that you still have to backstitch with this needle or the stitching will come loose. I didn’t feel like the fabric stretched too much while sewing but I did use my walking foot. Even with that said, I feel like the hem and the elastic casing were pretty bunchy as if the fabric was stretching.
Maybe it just takes more practice to get a knit project that I will be happy with? The other sad thing is that I waited too long and these pants don’t really fit Lillian and the bottom of the legs are a little tight so I don’t think I added enough to my pattern.
Do you like sewing with knit? Do you have any suggestions that would help all of us that haven’t sewn with knit very much or at all?
5 Responses
I love sewing with knit but my serger is non cooperative at the moment and I am not a fan of doing it the hard way on my sewing machine. I have gone a little mad of late purchasing patterns specifically aimed at knit fabric as I see all these cool things I just can’t wait to make.
We don’t have Hobby Lobby here but something similar I would think (Spotlight). I did get most of the knit fabric I have off our local TradeMe site (like Ebay) so it was pretty cheap. Some of it is nice (I love the animal print stuff I got although it is super slinky) and some of it is pretty average.
Hey! Glad it worked more or less… 🙂
And FYI, I do not use the double needle for sewing the side seams, only for the hemming. Use a regular ballpoint with a narrow zig-zag for the side seams and you should be fine. 🙂
I would also try using a smaller stitch length.