I am making long pajama pants for ds for this fall and winter and want to use a knit material. He is always hot so I don't want to use flannel.

Anyway, I've sewn before but not with a knit material. This sounds silly, but I'm nervous about it! What is different about sewing with a knit material? Any tricks? Thank you!

I feared knits for a long time! I then took the plunge and realized why I feared the knits.

#1 They are thicker than wovens and cottons
#2 When stitching if you are using the standard foot it will tend to gather
#3 It usually ends up with a lettuce edge look if you pull while sewing the fabric
#4 When the project is complete you will want to do it again and again because knits are so wonderful and make the project look that much better!
#5 When attempting to sew the next outfit you will remember why you feared knits but will continue because the outcome.

That's my honest opinion.

I have a LARGE stash of knits that I still have the prices pinned to from the fabric store! Because I simply fear knits and I've been sewing with knits for almost 3 years now.

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Happily married to my geek
Proud homeschooling, cloth diaperin, attached parenting, slinging, simplier, breastfeedin, sewing mama mades, christian and funky mama

The biggest problem I have when sewing with knits is the fabric stretching while I'm sewing it. This is what I do to help with that:

Adjust your machine so that the presser foot is at the lowest tension (that's the knob that tells you how tight the presser foot pushes down on the fabric as it goes over the feed dogs.)

Use a slightly longer stitch length than you would with non-knit fabrics. That way if you fabric stretches a little as you sew, there will be a some room between stitches for the fabric to bounce back.

Hope this helps!

While we're on this subject...do you guys use just a regular straight stitch or a zig-zag stitch? I read somewhere to use zig-zag, but does it matter?

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Wendy~Self-proclaimed hippie momma to Bob and Jamie

I use a straight stitch. If it is for a seam (like attaching a ribbed collar to a Tshirt) that needs to stretch, I'll use an even longer stitch and stretch the fabric slightly while sewing. Some machines have a stitch called a "lightening stich which is a tiny zig-zag that can be used for seams that need to stretch. Mine has one, but I usually just use the straight stitch because I'm used to doing it that way.

Thanks everyone! This was GREAT advice! I had no idea about the longer stitches. I'll let you know how it comes out.