Some Tips for Knits

Below are some tools and techniques I’ve used over the years for getting more professional results or just making things easier on myself when sewing with knits.

Design Plus Stabilizer Tapes

These are some of my most-used notions for knits.

I hate using clear elastic. I am not sure if it is my machine or just me, but seems like it always wants to wander off in one direction, with the fabric wanting to go in the other. There’s also the fact that I’ve had issues with the longevity (I have had it fall apart when stretched after a few years in my stash.) The superfine straight tape is 3/8” wide and great for stabilizing shoulder seams. It is very very lightweight and thin, with a bit of give to it. Since it is fused to the fabric before sewing it gives you so much more control. There’s also a superfine bias version, but I find the straight is just more useful.

The Ultra Soft double sided tape is also 3/8” wide and awesome for holding seam allowances in place. You first fuse it with the paper against the iron and fusible against the fabric, then carefully peel off the paper, stick the fabric to it with your fingers, and then fuse it again with your iron. The paper makes a great guide when folding over 3/8” hems, like for the Jalie swim shorts. I’ve also used it for folding over and holding the edges of wrap dress skirts in place before stitching. It works well on both natural and synthetic fabrics and is so lightweight won’t affect the stretch much.

Elmer’s Washable School Glue

When I need to hold something in place without using pins, like a pocket flap or patch pocket, I sometimes use tiny bit of Elmer’s Washable School Glue on the seam allowance. It is cheap, easy to find, and will wash out when you launder your garment. Just make sure to be careful to use a tiny amount because otherwise it will soak through the fabric and make a mess. Sometimes using a paint brush can help control the application.

I’ve also used glue sticks. I find they don’t give quite the precision of the tip of a bottle of glue, but they dry a lot faster.

Press Hem Allowances Before Sewing Seams

Pattern instructions will tell you to press hem allowances in place after sewing the seam. I often press them in place before. I don’t actually stitch the hem yet, I just press up the hem allowance and then proceed with sewing the seam. After sew the seam I will sometimes give a little touch up again to the folded edge with the iron before hemming. I like doing this because it’s often easier and faster to work with a flat piece of fabric instead of turning up, measuring, and pressing it in the round after it’s sewn. Spraying Best Press while turning up and pressing the hem often helps the fold stay crisp.

Hem From the Inside

You do not need a machine with a free arm if you’re hemming small openings, like those on leggings and children’s shirts. I just turn the garment inside out and then work from the inside.

For very tiny openings like the sleeves on baby clothes, turn up the allowance and hem it before stitching the seam. Then take it to your regular sewing machine and tack the seam allowance in place with a straight stitch for about half an inch. They do this all the time with RTW – just check out a bound neckline edge around the shoulder seam sometime.

Taming Knit Edges that Like to Roll

When working with cotton/lycra jerseys and other knits that like to roll, I often use Best Press. Just lightly mist and then apply dry heat with your iron. In addition to helping the edges stay flat it also has the advantage of making sure any pressed edges stay crisp, and also gives a little body for extra stability during cover stitching.

Use a Regular Sewing Machine for Tricky Parts Before Serging

I do this a lot for things that require a lot of precision, like attaching the band to a V neckline at the center front, or making sure the edges stay lined up when sewing a seam that has been hemmed first. I don’t do the entire seam, just the first inch or so of those very specific sections. You can see below how I stitched an inch or so with darker thread outside of the V on my latest Jalie Tina before using the serger. If I had just done it with the serger it would have almost certainly shifted and I wouldn’t have gotten a nicely centered and crisp V shape. I just use a regular length stitch and not a long basting stitch because sometimes (like below) I don’t quite hit the seam allowance accurately during serging.

Awls

Awls are great to have in the sewing room. I use mine all the time for feeding a strip of binding into a binding attachment, pulling the threads to the front before cutting when ending a coverstitch in the round, or manipulating fabric under a serger presser foot. I also find them useful for things like lining up the center front seam of a V neckline band with the center front of the shirt because they’re sturdier and easier to hold than a pin, but will still poke through the fabric enough so you can see what you’re doing.

Compensating Feet

I find I get a much better finish when I sew down neckline bands with a 1/8” compensating foot on my Juki than I do with a guide foot on my regular machine. Compensating feet have a spring and one section of the foot higher than the other, so I find it stays in place better than a guide foot.

The only downside is that I’m not sure compensating feet are available for domestic machines.

Clear Feet and the Adjustable Seam Guide

I’ve been significantly happier with the results from my Janome Coverpro 2000CPX since switching from the standard metal to clear foot with guide and using the adjustable seam guide. If I remember correctly the clear foot with the guide was about the same price as the regular clear foot without the guide. The guide is removable so there’s really no advantage to the regular clear foot. Just leave off the guide during ordinary hemming and put it back on when you want the guide for something like topstitching a sweatshirt neck band in place.

Style Arc Delta Cargo Pants

I made these pants with the intention of them being lightweight outdoor work pants. I help out a lot with yard work at my parents’ house now and weed whacking is a perilous task with shorts. So I wanted something full length that would be lightweight, breathable, and comfortable to wear in the heat. The Delta provide plenty of range of motion despite the non stretch fabric so I’m pretty happy with them.

Shown with one of the several Jalie Tina t-shirts I’ve made recently.

Pants hem. Lots of double row topstitching throughout these pants.

Pattern Background

The Style Arc Delta is a relaxed fit cargo pants pattern. There’s back patch pockets, faux front fly, and slash side pockets along with side cargo pockets with flaps. The elasticized waist is cut to be just slightly larger than the body hip measurement, which allows you to get them on while eliminating bulk at the waist as much as possible.

As you can see from the back leg piece, the leg is slightly tapered at the hem rather than being a true wide leg from knee to hem. I actually prefer this as it makes for a more controlled silhouette, and you don’t have to worry about your hem dragging the ground or getting soaked when it rains.

Size and Alterations

I made a size 20, with the following alterations:

Lengthened the legs 1”
Added 2.5” height to the back crotch curve, tapering to 1” at the side seam and then to nothing at the center front
My finished measurement for the waist elastic ended up being 34.25”, which is between size 16 and 18.
Since I made these to be summer outdoor work pants and the fabric is fairly thing for pants fabric, I added another layer of fabric to the knee area for more durability.

Fabric and Materials

I used the same 100% cotton Robert Kaufman fineline twill fabric from Fabric Mart that I used for my Jalie Denyse shorts.

Note: even though Style Arc only gives the yardage estimate for 58” fabric, I was able to use 44” wide fabric. My size 20 with a few length alterations and doubled up knee fabric took 3.25 yards.

For the waistband elastic I used some 1.5” non-roll Stretch-Rite elastic I had in my stash. It comes in a small retail package so I must have gotten it from Joann’s at some point.

The thread is Gutermann Mara 100 from Wawak.

The interfacing for the pocket flaps is Pellon Shape-Flex from Wawak.

Construction

I constructed these entirely on my Jukie TL-2010Q. The standard foot on it is fantastic for a project like this with the double row of topstitching because you can use the very inner edge of the foot as a guide for the first row of stitching so it is 1/16” away from the edge, and then switch to using the scant 1/4” outside as a guide against the first row of stitching. Eyeballing it works great, no need to switch out for guide feet.

When I did the waistband I wasn’t sure what my finished elastic measurement would need to be since this non-roll elastic is stiffer than my usual knit elastic. To better manage this I used the same method as my Jalie shorts where you sew the center back seam for the waistband but leave a 1” opening inside, then use that to thread the elastic through and trial it before trimming and sewing it. Then I hand stitched the opening closed.

Comparison to the Jalie Denyse

These two patterns seem similar, with similar finished measurements, but the drafting is actually quite different. I would say that in general the Delta is a trouser style draft and the Denyse is more of a slacks style draft. An explanation of trouser vs slack vs jeans crotch curves can be found in this old Pattern Review post. Just for reference, the Jalie Denyse is size CC and the Style Arc Delta is a size 20. These are the corresponding sizes for a 48.5” hip.

Overall the Style Arc Delta has a much higher rise than the Denyse: about 1.5” in the back and 2.5” in the front. The back crotch curve of the Delta is also straighter, with a more scooped out back crotch curve. The Denyse is definitely more angled, with a shallower crotch curve. In the photo below I’ve overlaid the Denyse on top of the Delta. They are actually really similar measurements from hip to center back seam, but the Denyse has it shifted more towards the side so the back crotch curve ends more angled.

Here’s a comparison with the Delta on the left and the Denyse on the right.

Now for the front crotch curve comparison.

The Denyse rise is 2.5” lower in the front than the Delta.

Unfortunately the Delta crotch curve paper got a little crumpled but you can see how the Delta is much shallower and taller compared to the shorter, more scooped out curve of the Demyse.

Here they are overlaid, with the Denyse on top of the Delta. (Note that the Jalie Denyse has inseam pockets and the Delta has front slash pockets, so that’s why the top of the Delta is a lot smaller than the Denyse.) As with the back piece the distribution of the pants is so the fabric is shifted to the side seam, so you get the same amount of width across the hip despite it appearing smaller in the photo below.

Now heres the front view of the Denyse and Delta respectively. Keep in mind they’re the exact same fabric.

So despite appearing to have similar style and ease, the drafts for these patterns are actually quite different. The Jalie Denyse feels and looks a bit slimmer than the Delta. To me neither one is better or worse. It depends on your body type and what look you are going for. For me, the Delta flows over my hips better. You can see how there’s no diagonal lines from the elastic to the my hips. But it also has a bit more excess fabric around the center front, which does correspond more to a trouser style crotch curve/fit. With the Denyse I definitely have more under butt wrinkles than the Delta, but again this corresponds to the Denyse having more of a slacks draft. (This is why you need to think carefully about the intended draft of a pants pattern before trying to remove every single wrinkle under your butt.)

In general I would say that Jalie is drafted more for straight hips and Style Arc is more for curvier hips. You can even see this in their size chart where the Jalie waist measurement is two centimeters (about 3/4”) larger and the hip one centimeter (3/8”) smaller than the same size would be for Style Arc. That doesn’t necessarily mean you should avoid one or the other, just be aware of it and alter accordingly.

Jalie 4672 Tina T-Shirt

Not the best quality photos…was rushing to get them taken this morning before working on pizza dough and a birthday cake for my son’s birthday party this weekend. Plus assembling his new sandbox. He’s turning three, and he’s been a total lunatic this entire past week because he knows something is up!

The shorts are the Jalie Denyse.

Pattern Background

The Jalie Tina is a basic t-shirt block for knits with at least 50% 4-way stretch. It comes with cap, short, and long sleeve lengths and crew, scoop, mock neck, and V necklines options. There is an add-on that came out not long ago which allows you to convert this into a dress.

I made the cap sleeve V-neck version. I’ve also made the crew neck short sleeve version for my son.

Size and Alterations

Based on my bust chose a size Y, extending out to a BB for the hip. I lengthened the top 1″ because I’m about 5’9″ and its just a tad too short for my taste when wearing shorts and pants. I also added about 3/4″ width to the sleeves.

Fabric

I used a 4-way stretch cotton/lycra jersey from Emma One Sock. Even though the description says it is only 30% stretch, I found after washing and drying it was actually about 50% stretch.

I stabilized the shoulders with Design Plus Superfine straight stay tape. I highly recommend this notion if you’re like me and despise working with clear elastic.

Construction

Very straightforward and quick to sew. If you’re doing the V-neck version you do have to take your time when sewing the point of the V to the neckband, but once that’s done it is smooth sailing, especially if you’re able to use a serger for construction. The V neckline is deep enough that you can use an ordinary straight stitch to topstitch the neck band in place without having to worry about the stitches popping when taking it on and off.

Conclusion

I’ve made several of these. They’re great for wearing alone as well as for layering under something like the Ottobre zipped hoodie. I really like the Amazon Essentials women’s slim fit V-neck t-shirts and the Tina allows me to make something very similar but with a custom fit and in better colors than what Amazon offers.

Jalie 4347 Denyse Shorts

Pattern Description

The Jalie Denyse is a pull-on wide leg pants pattern for non-stretch woven fabrics. It comes in shorts, cropped, and full leg lengths. (Note that for cropped and full length you need to extend the length yourself. Jalie has a table of measurements for guidance on how much to extend it.) There’s back patch pockets and front inseam pockets. The elastic waist is cut slightly narrower than the hip, which helps reduce bulk at the waist.

My shirt is the Jalie Tina.

Fabric and Materials

I used a lightweight Robert Kaufman cotton twill from Fabric Mart. Unfortunately I don’t appear to have taken a screenshot when I purchased it, but it is lightweight and could almost be used for a heavier weight shirt.

I am not entirely sure where I got the 2” elastic. It may be an old Fashion Sewing Supply purchase. If not Fashion Sewing Supply then Wawak or Mandala Crafts on Amazon.

Alterations

I started with a size CC, which is slightly larger than my current hip measurement. My fabric has zero stretch/give and I’ve had some weight gain lately (the relentless demands of caring for my young and wild son and elderly stroke victim father this year is taking its toll on me) so I felt like it was better to just size up.

I added a total of 2.5” to the center back height, tapering to nothing at the center front. Technically I could have probably gotten away with just 1.5″, but I prefer my back waist to be higher than the front because I want to be fully covered when sitting or bending over.

Since my waist is smaller than my hip size I used the size Z elastic measurement.

Construction

These went together pretty quickly. I was able to get them cut and sewn and finished in about 3-3.5 hours.

I liked the construction for the waist. You see one side seam normally, but leave a one inch opening when sewing the front and back waistbands together at the other side seam. Fold and press the seam allowance for the lower edge in place. Then attach the waistband to then pants with the right side of the waistband facing the wrong side of the pants. Then you press, flip it over, and sew that edge you folded over earlier to the right side of the pants. It gives a very neat finish from the right side while fully containing the wrong side.

Conclusion

I find these shorts much more comfortable for my pear shaped figure than the Jalie 3243. My fabric has no give to it and I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all in them during the day, not even when I was squatting and sitting on the ground outside today assembling my son’s new sandbox. The wide elastic waistband is very comfortable to wear, and the 6″ inseam length of my size CC makes me feel comfortable with the amount of coverage provided. (For this reason I think it would make a really good woven shorts pattern for little kids as well as adults.) The only thing is that due to the elasticized waist combined with my “bubble butt” and narrower waist, particularly in the back, the back pockets tend to gape. This isn’t a dealbreaker for me because my shirt covers it, but something I thought I should mention as a caution to anyone with a shape like me that is considering making these.

2026 Fabric Sources, Part 2

These are a few more not included in my original post. I’ve ordered from all three of the following places at some point during the past two years.

Jumping June Textiles

I got the nicest sweatshirt fleece in my life from this place! She has AWESOME cotton sweatshirt fleeces. They are so soft and have some stretch to them (I would say more than the average sweatshirt fleece), but are still very stable and easy to work with. My absolute favorite hoodie is made from one of her sweatshirt fleeces, and after many washes there’s still no pilling and it has consistently retained its shape. You can often find coordinating 220gsm ribbing for the sweatshirt fleeces and french terry fabrics she has. I also found a fantastic quilted fabric I used to make a bomber jacket for my son last fall. Lots of beautiful jersey prints too. If I was rich I would totally source all of my son’s fabrics from here, because she has some of the most amazing little boy truck/tractor/dinosaur prints.

Prices are rather high, but the stock is top-notch quality. I only order if I can get a coupon or if there’s a sale. I highly recommend signing up for the mailing list.

I found shipping reasonable and fast.

EOS Fabrics (Emma One Sock)

This is a popular premium fabric store famous for their quality fabrics. I haven’t bought from here a lot because I find the prices can be rather premium as well, and a lot of the fabrics are just too precious for my lifestyle now. That being said, she does have some great sales every so often. I recently picked up some 1.5 yard precuts of European cotton/lycra jersey for only $10 each! With some very careful cutting I was able to get a Jalie Tina t-shirt out of it along with a coordinating Jalie Claudia bra and Ottobre panties out of one length that I recently used.

One thing I like is that when she’s out of stock of something, she seems to leave the listing up so you can cross reference it in the future.

Shipping is not only fast and reasonably priced, but all of the fabrics come wrapped in tissue paper. Such a pleasant experience opening it!

The Fabric Store

This shop is based in New Zealand. I found it when I was searching for merino fleece fabrics. They had some sort of sale and their poly/merino sweatshirt fleece was way cheaper than anything I could find in the United States. In general their prices seem quite reasonable, especially for merino knits. The only reason why I probably won’t order from them (or any other non-US seller) again is because of those stupid Trump tariffs. (I’m sure I’m not the only one out there that shies away from ordering internationally now due to not knowing how bad the tariff will be once it arrives in the States.)

Shipping was a very reasonable $15. I don’t remember how long it took (I ordered about a year and a half ago) but I don’t think it took more than a couple of weeks.