question re sewing knits please help lol

[ms.shell]

hi mamas.
so i have only sewn like quilter's cotton type fabrics in my work so far.
i want to use some t-shirt fabric saved from a onesie but just messed up the square i was making.
i only have 2 pieces from this shirt and i am going to use the messed up panel i just made but want to do the other one right, if possible. maybe i cant do what i was trying to- which is using an ugly (miscarriage) colored wool felt square, but covering it with this t shirt piece. i am trying to make fabric blocks for my baby from santa and right now i have limited felt and that particular outgrown shirt matches perfectly the already finished block squares. i thought that by using that butt ugly color stuff i would not otherwise use it would look cute and coordinated if i could cover it neatly with an outworn t shirt (and i have several pieces of this nasty colored nice wool felt, and so i could get farther on these blocks if i can use t shirt panels some how).
so anyway. the tshirt stretched horribly and the resulting square is a mess. i have limited sewing skills and am learning as i go, so thanks for your help! i tried adjusting the sewing tension but couldnt tell a difference. i wondered if i could change the foot with good effect...i haven't changed out feet before and always use the same one, but i know i have a couple (i think) of others. or something...a different needle? i bet it is a foot?
what do i need to know to properly sew stretchy t shirt type knit fabrics??? ths would open up a lot of possibilities if i could sew that stuff which seems hard to sew and scary....
or are the two fabrics (wool felt and t shirt) just too incompatible?

please and thank you for any help!

[clothdiaperingmom]

Hi,
The only special thing you need....ball point needles for jersey. I sometimes use a roller foot with a smidge less pressure then would for cotton. Do not stretch or pull it (unless you want a lettuce edge).
You might also be able to use a walking foot.

I sew mostly on cotton as well. I HATE sewing knit and try to avoid it!! I do challange myself at times to sew some knit, but I am a perfectionist and my knit never quite reaches my expectations.

I just fully reread your post....... Im not sure about sewing it on wool. Maybe someone else can help!
Good luck

[orangefoot]

Jersey and wool are both a bit stretchy so you might want to stabilise them with a bit of cotton or iron on interfacing to stiffen them up a bit.

Can you ease the pressure foot or drop your feed dogs a little bit? Squeezing the stretchy layers between a small space will stretch them out so easaing hte pressure between foot and plate will help. Using a very slight zig zag stitch is good too as it allows for a bit of stretch in the material.

Or - bizarrely, stretching both the knit and the wool so that they are both quite taught under the needle will make them easier to stitch as they won't bunch up as you sew. They will each return to their original shape when you have sewn them so test the limits of the stretch first.

Mess about with your scrap first to see which way works best fo you.

Or as a last resort you could hand stitch them which would be much simpler.

[SeekingJoy]

I would use a ball-point needle and a stretch stitch with less tension. Do you have any scraps you can practice on to get a straight, even, non-bunched stitch?

[WC_hapamama]

Use a ball point needle and at the very least, a zigzag stitch. Before I got my serger, I made t-shirts/tank tops/knit pants for my kids using just my regular sewing machine and a zigzag stitch. Works just fine.

[SeekingJoy]

Do most regular sewing machines not have a stretch stitch now? I ask in all sincerity because I sew on an old-as-dirt all metal one and have no clue what is typical on modern machines.

What do you see as the advantages of using a zig-zag over stretch?

[WC_hapamama]

Originally Posted by SeekingJoy

Do most regular sewing machines not have a stretch stitch now? I ask in all sincerity because I sew on an old-as-dirt all metal one and have no clue what is typical on modern machines.

What do you see as the advantages of using a zig-zag over stretch?

Even the cheapie Target/Kmart/Walmart machines have a zig zag stitch now.

I've always figured that if zigzag stitching works on elastic, that it works on knit fabrics too. It's generally faster and easier for me than using one of the fancy stretch stitches on my sewing machine.

I've been using zigzag stitches to hem t-shirts for a couple of years now, and rarely have problems with it... IMO it's sturdier than using a twin needle stitch.

Here's a blurb on the uses of the zigzag stitch from the Sewing and Craft Alliance website
http://www.sewing.org/files/guidelin...zag_stitch.pdf

[SeekingJoy]

Thanks! Interesting that it is faster than a stretch stitch for you. Mine is about the same. And no double needle. Just one of the standard stitch options on my machine (straight, zigzag, and stretch) with separate controls for length and width. Interesting.

How do you press open a zigzag stitch without it being either lumpy or uneven? I could see it totally working for a hem, but can't envision using it for a side seam or something.

[WC_hapamama]

Originally Posted by SeekingJoy

Thanks! Interesting that it is faster than a stretch stitch for you. Mine is about the same. And no double needle. Just one of the standard stitch options on my machine (straight, zigzag, and stretch) with separate controls for length and width. Interesting.

How do you press open a zigzag stitch without it being either lumpy or uneven? I could see it totally working for a hem, but can't envision using it for a side seam or something.

I press a zig zag seam to one side. Behaves more or less like a serged seam on the same kind of material.

[SeekingJoy]

Neat. I learn something new everyday.

OP, how is the project coming?