I have written a guest blog post for Sofilantjes about overcoming "Sewing with Knits" using the Sofilantjes Omni Tempore kid's pattern.
This post will review the differences between the most widely used knit fabrics. I have designed the bullet points below for a quick list and review of knits.
- Jersey knit: Most commonly used, best for tees and summer dresses. Can be made of wool, cotton, and synthetic materials. Best to use cotton.
- Cotton Lycra: also used for tees. Material is made of cotton with a small percentage of lycra, or spandex. Soft to the touch, good stretch and recovery. This is typically the type of material used to make custom knits.
- Cotton ribbing: This can also be used for t-shirts and other clothing items but is limited to making cuffs, waistbands, and collars for garments. This is a double knit material with vertial rows. (Think men's sleeveless undershirts.)
- Cotton Thermal: Cotton knit with a waffle pattern. This is best used for garments worn during cooler weather.
- French terry: Think terry cloth. This is a soft fabric. One side of the fabric is flat jersey-like while the other side has a higher pile. I recommend using this fabric for light-weight sweaters.
- Sweatshirt knit: This one is easy to identify because it is how it sounds. This knit is the fabric used to make stretchy sweaters, like the typical store-bought hooded, zip-up, or crewneck sweaters.
- Sweater Knit:
- Hacci: These knits are light-weight stretchy materials. They are best for cardigans, light-weight shawls, and kimonos. Wrinkle resistant.
- Ponte de Roma: This knit has more structure to it, It is similar to the knit fabric used in store-bought polo shirts. Wrinkle and crease resistant.
Recommended Sources for Knits
- Fabric.com
- GirlCharlee
- Whimsical Fabrics
- Fabric Fairy
- Sincerely Rylee Fabric Shop
- Peek-a-boo Patterns and Fabrics
- Fabric Stache
- Facebook Groups
(upon receiving an order from a retail store I originally listed, I had to remove the retailer. Retail knit arrived saturated in the cigarette smoke. Lesson learned!)
***This is really a short list in comparison to the number of fabric resources that are available. I recommend visiting your local fabric stores in support of small business.
*** Also, feel free to ask me here if you are searching for a particular fabric or need any sewing help. I will do my best to help.
