No Serger, No Problem: How To Sew Knit Fabric Like a Pro

Today we’re going to look at how to sew knit fabric without a serger, something sewing beginners quite often ask me about.

Wanting to start sewing knit fabric doesn’t actually mean that you need to immediately go out and buy a serger, overlocker of coverstitch machine! You can use a regular sewing machine to sew knit fabric – it’s how knit fabrics were sewn long before sergers and overlockers became mainstream!

But, you do need to make sure your sewing machine can handle the type of knit fabric you plan to sew, and that you have the right tools for the job.

Knit Fabric Types

I have previously written a very in-depth guide to the different knit fabric types, so I’m only going to touch on the various types of knits here:

• Interlock
• Loopback
• Ponte roma
• Ribbing
• Scuba
• Single jersey fabric
• Sweater knit
• Tricot

The above are a variety of light to heavy weight knit fabrics that are commonly used in sewing patterns.

Let’s have a look at the tools you might need!

Tools For Sewing Knits Without a Serger

There aren’t really tools that are needed for sewing knits, but you are going to need to change up your needles! If you’ve mostly used your machine to sew woven fabrics, you’re probably used to using a regular universal sewing needle.

For knitted fabric, you do need to use the right needle and stitch type to prevent skipped stitches and there are several options:

• Ballpoint needle
• Stretch needle
• Twin needle

Ballpoint Needle

A ballpoint needle – often called a ‘jersey needle’ – has a rounded tip and is much less likely to damage your knit fabric as it is able to push gently through the knitted fibres instead of forcing it’s way and breaking them.

Ballpoint needles come in size 70/10 – good for finer knit fabrics – up to 100/16, which can be used on heavier weight knit fabric.

Stretch Needle

Knit fabrics with lots of stretch will need to be sewn with a special stretch needle.

These needles are very similar to a ballpoint needle, but have been designed to work with fabrics and elastic that ‘spring back’ into position with the groove above the eye of the needle (called the scarf) being deeper than on a ballpoint of universal needle.

Sewing elastic and very stretchy fabrics like spandex can cause skipped stitches which will ruin your project, so a dedicated stretch needle will help create a perfect stitch.

Stretch needles come in onlt two needle sizes:

• 75/11 – great for four way stretch fabrics
• 90/14 – great for heavier-weight stretch fabrics 

Twin Needle

This needle type is often seen on a coverstitch machine, and when used to sew a seam creates two parallel rows of stitching.

Twin needles are available as add-ons for regular sewing machines, but you’ll need to check that your sewing machine is compatible!

This article will help if your sewing machine needle keeps breaking when you’re sewing!

Sewing Machine Tension For Knit Fabrics

All types of fabrics will need to have proper tension applied when sewing with the amount of tension dependent upon the fabric.

A guide to knit fabric tension:

• Light weight knits – I sew mine around ‘4’ on the 10 point tension dial on my Bernina
• Medium weight knits like T’shirt fabric and interlock – I start at ‘5’
• Heavy weight sweater knits – between ‘6’ and ‘7’ for my Bernina

The starting point for you will vary based upon your sewing machine’s tension options, so always check on a scrap piece of fabric first!

Knit Sewing Tips On A Conventional Sewing Machine

Here are some top tips for sewing knits on your sewing machine:

1. Avoid stretching your knit fabrics as you sew as this will stretch them out and leave them looking very warped.
2. Knit fabric can be 2 or 4 way stretch so make sure to test how it reacts by sewing a few samples from your fabric scraps.
3. Make sure that the knit fabric is not left unsupported while you sew as it can then stretch out. You’ll want to keep the fabric on the worktable by your machine, and not dragging down to the floor for this reason.
4. Always backstitch at the start and end of your seam line – but do note that if you start stitching too close to the fabric edge, you may find your sewing machine tries to ‘eat’ the fabric resulting in damage.
5. I like to reinforce my shoulder seam when sewing with knit fabric. This prevents the seam from stretching out with the weight of the garment hanging down from the shoulders.

Sewing Machine Stitch Options For Knit Fabrics

Regular sewing machines come with a variety of stitch options that you can use to sew knit fabrics.

With a serger sewing machine, you have an all-in-one solution where the seam is stitched with a straight line of stitching by one needle and then loops are created with the second needle to form an overlock stitch which finishes the raw edge of the seam allowance.

In addition, almost all sergers / overlockers that I have used have had a much smaller seam allowance – usually 7mm (1/4 inch). Compare this to what is often seen as a standard seam allowance amount of 1.5cm / 5/6 inch for commercial sewing patterns and you can see that there’s quite a difference!

When using a regular sewing machine, we have plenty of stitch options, which I’ll run through below!

The Straight Stitch

This is the most common stitch on a sewing machine, with the only variable option being to change up the stitch length.

The Stretch Straight Stitch

This is often called a ‘lightning’ stitch because the line of stitches it creates on the right side of fabric looks like lightning bolts!

It is available on most sewing machines (it’s Red No.9 stitch on my trusty old Bernina 1008) and works well on knit fabrics that aren’t prone to unravelling when cut and sewn.

The Overlock Stitch

Not all sewing machines have an overlock stitch built in, but the more modern machines should!

On my Bernina, it’s Red No.12 stitch, and it looks like a combination of a two dashed straight stitch lines with a zigzag stitch running between.

This stitch works really well for more light weight knit fabrics.

The Zigzag Stitch

The zigzag stitch has more variations on a sewing machine than the stitch available on a serger. We can adjust both the width and the length, making it a stretchy and strong stitch for sewing knitted fabric with!

That said, you’ll want to stitch to as short and narrow a stitch length as is possible for the knit fabric type you are sewing.

Let’s have a look at some of the questions I get asked about sewing knit fabrics without a serger!

Can I Hem Knit Fabrics On A Regular Sewing Machine?

Yes! When we hem knits with a serger / overlocker, coverstitch machine or by hand, we usually turn the fabric just the once, to create a single fold hem which is far less bulky than a double fold knit hem.

If you do not know the difference between the two hem types, these tutorials will help:

• Single fold hem on a sewing machine
• Double fold hem sewing tutorial

This is the same when hemming knit fabrics on your sewing machine – make sure that you are turning fabric under just the once.

You also need to consider how deep your hem will be as well as the stretch factor of your knitted fabric. Hemming a close fitted garment in stretchy fabric will need a more ‘stretchy’ stitch than a loosely fit jersey garment.

The stitches you should use for hemming are:

• Zigzag hem – this is the basic zigzag stitch option on your machine. Sew with a wide stitch and a little shorter in length than you normally would.
• Three step zigzag – this is similar to the regular zigzag but each zig and zag is created from three stitches. Its one of the stretchiest stitches but isn’t available on all sewing machines.
• Twin needle hem – if your sewing machine will allow for a twin-needle, then a twin needle hem is a great way to finish your hems, although it has less stretch to it than either of the zigzag options above!

Do You Need A Walking Foot To Sew Knits?

No! While a walking foot is always a helpful sewing machine foot to have in your sewing kit, it is not an essential for anyone wanting to sew knit fabrics on a home sewing machine.

Use your regular sewing machine foot and just guide the knit fabric under the presser foot.

If your knit fabric looks a little wavy, or you’re sewing a wavy seam, you might want to play with the presser foot pressure on your sewing machine. This will adjust the amount of pressure being applied to the fabric as it is being sewn, but do note that not all sewing machine enable this.

Is Zigzag Stitch Stronger Than A Straight Stitch?

A regular zigzag stitch is not stronger than a straight stitch, but it is has more elasticity, so it is more stretchy allowing more movement before the stitch will ‘snap’.

What Is The Best Stitch For Stretchy Fabric?

The best stitch for stretchy fabric on your sewing machine is a zigzag stitch at full width (no.5 on my Bernina) and just 1.5 length – this looks similar to the serger / overlocker stitches found on commercially producted knit garments.

Final Thoughts On Sewing Knit Fabric Without A Serger

So, you now know that you can sew all kinds of knitted fabrics at home without a serger – your sewing machine will likely work well with all the different types of fabric. In fact, I have a serger, but very rarely use it myself, preferring to continue using my Bernina for my knit projects.

Is it laziness on my part? Perhaps – the thought of dragging out and setting up my Brother 1034D in my very small sewing room doesn’t fill me with joy.

But then my Bernina gives me so many stitch options that I don’t feel a great loss by the serger staying tucked away under the shelf.

How do you feel about getting started sewing knits without a serger? Are you raring to go? Let me know in the comments below!

If you are still keen on getting your own serger, do check out my other posts on sergers below:

• Serger sewing machines
• Threading your serger like a pro
• Best threads to use with your serger
• Sewing Showdown: Coverstitch vs. Serger But Which Reigns Supreme?

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