My sewing machine, a Singer Featherweight, only has the option of a straight stitch. I can adjust the length and tension, but can't do a zig-zag stitch. Is it possible to sew a stretchy knit fabric on this machine? My goal is to make a dress with a thin Rayon knit fabric.
1 Answer
Yes, you can sew knit fabrics with straight stitch. Notice t-shirts, they are made of knit jersey. When you sew woven fabric on the bias, that creates stretch on an otherwise non stretchy material. Here are tips, when I get somewhere with a better signal, I will upload pics to demonstrate.
- You want to be sure to use a ball point needle for knit fabric.
- Where you sew, will have less stretch the shorter the stitch-see pics not stretched and stretched.
- Fray. The part that worries people about sewing knit fabric without a zig zag or overlock, is that it may fray. A few options - French seam, double stitch, use fray check
- If you’re concerned about jamming your machine, do not pull the fabric or it will become wavy. You can use stabilizer to strengthen the seam.
Hope this helps. Here’s a pic of a jersey knit skit I made as well.
It’s an elastic waist and the ruffle at the bottom is woven eyelet fringe.
It’s great.
Good luck!
🌊 🌙
