14 TIPS FOR EASIER SEWING WITH JERSEY!

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14 TIPS FOR EASIER SEWING WITH JERSEY!
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• Jersey fabrics are probably the most sewn, but
  also the most cursed. Especially with thin,
  elastic material, the machine tends to eat the
  fabric, seams dont hold and if things go bad,
  the stitches are unthread. Anyone who has ever
  started with these fabrics will have had their
  own personal experience. Here are some of the
  useful tips for sewing with jersey fabric.

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TIP 1 CHOOSE THE RIGHT JERSEY

• Every sewing project starts with choosing the
  right material. Its no different with jersey
  fabrics. There are now numerous different jerseys
  made from many different yarns in every
  well-stocked fabric shop. In this article, we
  took a closer look at them and wrote down what
  you can do best with them. Basically, you should
  look at the fabric and its properties beforehand
  and consider whether it fits your project. So,
  you wont experience any surprises such as too
  much body emphasis in the wrong place or an
  unattractive fall.

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TIP 2 WASH THE JERSEY BEFORE SEWING

• Basically, it pays off to wash fabrics before
  sewing so that you dont end up with a garment
  that no longer fits through shrinking. This is
  especially true for jerseys. Make sure to follow
  the washing instructions. A professional tip is
  to fold the fabric once before washing and then
  sew the edges all around with a zigzag stitch or
  the overlock. This will prevent the fabric from
  warping during washing. Then you can just cut the
  seam and still have enough material left.

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TIP 3 JERSEY TAKES TIME TO UNFOLD

• Nobody likes to be rushed, especially not an
  elastic jersey fabric! If youve spread out your
  fabric before cutting, just give it 15 minutes to
  contract. In this way, you make sure that you
  will get your pattern pieces in the right size
  later.

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TIP 4 AVOID CURLING UP AT THE EDGES

• The curling of the edges, especially with thin
  single jerseys, is the most feared property of
  these fabrics. First, it must be said that this
  also has an advantage often the edges of the
  fabric do not have to be cleaned at all, as they
  only roll up and do not fray. But if you want to
  counteract the curling, then you can iron on a
  molding tape or a light, bi-elastic interfacing
  on the edge.

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TIP 5 PLACE PATTERN PIECES CORRECTLY

• Jerseys are knitted fabrics. It is therefore
  particularly important that you lay out the
  pattern pieces according to the grain of the
  thread. The direction is usually drawn on the
  pattern pieces. In the knitted jersey fabrics, it
  runs parallel to the selvages, i.e. the long
  edges. Especially with thin fabrics, it is better
  to weigh down the parts with sewing weights
  instead of pinning them.

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TIP 6 CROPPING

• If you have followed tips 3-5, cutting should not
  be a problem. You can get the best results with a
  winder, but you shouldnt have any problems with
  scissors either. An important rule is, the
  thinner the jersey, the more seam allowance you
  should give. Well go into this in more detail in
  Tip 9, but you shouldnt sew too close to the
  edge.

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TIP 7 USE ELASTIC SEAMS

• For an elastic fabric, you need elastic seams. A
  straight stitch wont last. A narrow zigzag
  stitch works well here. You leave the stitch
  length set normally but reduce the stitch width
  to 0.5 to 1.5. Some machines also offer an
  elastic stitch or a three-part zigzag stick. To
  find out the best one for you, it is always
  advisable to do trial sewing. If your machine can
  do overlock stitches, these are also an
  interesting choice and with a special overlock
  machine sewing and overcasting jerseys at the
  same time becomes childs play.

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TIP 8 BE SURE TO USE A JERSEY NEEDLE

• Since knitted fabrics can quickly get holes if
  needles that are too sharp damage the material,
  it is advisable to work with a jersey needle. The
  tip is rounded and thus protects the delicate
  mesh. So-called stretch needles for elastic
  fabrics are also suitable.

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TIP 9 START SEWING IN THE FABRIC

• To prevent your fabric from being eaten directly
  by the needle plate, you should start sewing as
  far from the edge as possible. If you then sew a
  few stitches forwards and then backward, you will
  prevent the fabric from being pulled into the
  needle plate.

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TIP 10 TWIN NEEDLES FOR STRETCHY HEMS

• To get a nice, stretchy hem, it is advisable to
  use a twin needle. This way, the hem is beautiful
  and stays in shape. A twin needle creates two
  parallel seams with two upper threads and one
  lower thread.

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TIP 11 ALWAYS CLEAN SEAMS AFTER THEY HAVE BEEN
SEWN TOGETHER

• Unless otherwise stated in the sewing
  instructions of your choice, you should always
  overcast the seams of jersey fabrics after they
  have been sewn together. Otherwise, the edges can
  stretch and curl. Then afterward your cut parts
  will no longer fit together.

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TIP 12 PREVENT WAVES WHEN SEWING

• If your fabric ripples when you sew, it is
  usually because the presser foot is pushing the
  material together. There are two ways to prevent
  this from happening here. You can cut off a strip
  of parchment paper and place it under the left
  half of your presser foot just next to the seam.
  This will help the presser foot slide better and
  prevent the fabric from shifting. Under no
  circumstances sew the baking paper along with it!
  The second option is to make changes to the
  settings of your sewing machine. First, try to
  decrease the presser foot pressure. An additional
  top conveyor can also be helpful. Otherwise, you
  can still experiment with the thread tension.

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TIP 13 REINFORCE BUTTONHOLES

• If you need buttonholes or want to drive in
  eyelets, for example, you must reinforce the
  areas. There are many ways to do this. You can
  work with an ironing pad or with a piece of
  sturdier fabric. Depending on the desired look,
  even great variants can be created.

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TIP 14 REINFORCE SEAM EDGES WITH SPRAY ADHESIVE

• One of our favorite sewing fairies has a very
  special tip in store for stabilizing particularly
  unruly edges temporary adhesive spray. This is a
  water-soluble adhesive that you can easily spray
  on (far away from the machine, otherwise you will
  be messed up). In this way, especially a thin
  fabric with a tendency to roll up is stabilized
  and if you wash the garment after sewing, the
  glue dissolves without residue.
• We hope that there was something among the many
  tips that will make your next sewing project
  easier for you. Do you have any further tips
  yourself that we havent listed here yet? Then
  write to us, we would be happy. Have fun sewing!
• If youve got the desire to work with jersey
  fabrics, be sure to check out our lovingly
  compiled assortment of cotton jersey , Viscose
  jerseys, or jacquards.
• Also, if you would like to find out more about
  jersey, then in this article we explain the
  differences between the individual types of
  jersey. This includes a little bit of history, a
  little bit about manufacturing processes and a
  lot about different materials.