Quick Share ~ Conquering the dreaded knit!

Oh my goodness you guys ~ I just had to share this post when it popped up in my feed reader!!   You might not know, but I have tried sewing with knits before and at the end of my little experiment I swore I wouldn’t touch them with a ten foot barge pole until I was a better seamstress. 

Well, this gem of a post by Lauren of LLadybird has stirred the itch and I am thinking that with her good advice in hand, I might try some knit sewing this year.  Knits are super comfortable and can look really cute as Lauren shows!  Check it out here ~

Conquering Knits: A Self-Help Guide

So you wanna sew some knits, huh? Maybe you picked up the Renfrew pattern and haven’t worked up the courage to slice into the pattern tissue yet. Or maybe you’ve been romanced & wooed by all the amazing printed knit fabrics out there. Or maybe you’re just ready for a new challenge that doesn’t involve zippers! Whatever you reason, it’s time to talk knits. Get a coffee and get comfy, this is gonna be a long ‘un.

First off, let me say something very important.

Knits are not scary or super difficult to work with!

I don’t know who is responsible for freaking out millions of sewers to be afraid of knit fabrics, but I wish I did know so I could stick some needles in his (or her!) face. Knit fabrics are actually MUCH easier to work with than a basic woven fabric. Yes, you have to pay special attention to the grain line, but aren’t you doing that anyway with your other sewing projects?  ; )  Yes, knits do curl up – but they don’t unravel! Yes, you have to use a special stitch & needle to keep your seams from getting too wavy and/or snapping – but what’s so scary about that?

Here is what is so awesome about knits. I made you a list….

xox,

bonita

P.S. ~ One tip that I picked up is to start with a knit fabric that doesn’t curl much at the edges.  That means that it’s less stretchy which also means that it’s easier to work with.  Works for me!  : D