sewing jersy

[boricuaqueen327]

I am really struggling to sew jersey fabric.  I have some jersey that I purchased to make my dd some doll clothes and my machine just eats up the fabric.  It continually gets stuck and bunches up the fabric and makes it look terrible.  Am I doing something wrong?  Is there a special needle/ foot that I should be using to sew jersey?

Thanks!

[ms.shell]

i just answered this, and my post disappeared after I submitted it!

First thing, use a ball point, not a regular tipped needle.  Also, do not use a straight stitch.  If your machine has a "stretch stitch," use that.  If not, set a zigzag stitch that is barely a zigzag, with a short stitich width and slightly longer stitch length.  Those two things should enable you to sew jersey without trouble.  You don't NEED a special foot. However, if you happen to have a "walking foot," use that; it will feed both layers perfectly together and makes sewing any kind of knits easy as pie.  Like I said, a ball point needle, a stretch or slight zigzag stitch, and a regular foot will do the job just fine, though.  Good luck!

[boricuaqueen327]

Ah!!!! I had no clue that there was a special needle.  I bet that will help alot.  Thanks!

[ElsieLC]

I haven't figured out the secret to sewing jersey, either. I do find that pinning the fabric to a piece of paper (I use adding machine tape from garage sales) gives the fabric enough body to go through the machine, plus it helps the jersey to keep its shape. After sewing the seam, it's pre-perforated and easily rips off.

DD asked for doll socks and they're so tiny, I haven't bothered switching to the walking foot, but perhaps I'll try that.

[carriecook-sew]

sewing stretch fabrics can be very tricky, it takes practice I think. sew some scraps, try leaving extra seam allowance so it doesn't get eaten down inside machine as easily....

sergers are great for stretch/jersey fabrics but that's a whole different thing....

[iowaorganic]

My machine has a built in walking foot that works amazingly well on sewing jersey.  Of course not as great as my serger- but if you have a walking foot try that :)

[nstewart]

This might sound odd, but in addition to the above I also find it easier to not pin stretch fabrics when sewing but to just carefully match them up as I go along, holding the fabric about 2-3 inches before the foot together with my fingers, then stopping, and moving them down again as they reach the foot.  I have WAY better results this way!

[LiLStar]

my trick for knits, in addition to the above (but i haven't tried the paper trick, I might try that sometime!) is I've found the most likely time for the machine to eat my material is when i first start each seam. So instead of starting right at the edge like I would with a woven fabric, I start a half inch or so in. Then I sew all the way to the end of that particular seam, flip the project upside down, and go back and do that 1/2 inch or so I didn't sew the first time.