Modifying Commercial Sewing Patterns to Suit Sweater Knit Fabrics

Often, sewists who like my sweater knit fabric designs say, "I love your fabric but I wouldn't know what to do with it."

After asking them a couple of questions, I direct them to specific places on this site, which I hope gives them enough information to put them at ease and get them started happily working with sweater knits.

Though things may change in the future, at this point I don't have a pattern for any of my sweater designs to offer people, as I usually design a basic sweater and draft a single pattern to my size. There are many commercially available patterns which I know would work beautifully with my fabrics. Modifications would usually need to made in the cutting layout, since my fabrics are often narrow when compared to commercially manufactured knits. Also I highly recommend cutting pieces out of a single thickness of fabric. (This may mean tracing the matching half of a paper pattern piece and taping them together, before laying the piece out on the fabric.)

With my widths running anywhere between 18 inches and 36 inches, yardage requirements will vary. Generally, it's good to allow about 2 1/4 yards of main fabric with another 1/2 yard for bands or binding for a woman's long sleeve "medium" sweater.

Plain jersey, 100% bamboo, click for more info.

So what about commercially available patterns will make them work? First of all, the pattern should be designed specifically for knits. Secondly, it should be a pattern with a basic design -- nothing too fancy.  Though leaving an edge unfinished may be an option for a lighter weight knit, it's not an option for a sweater knit fabric, which can and will fray or run. Bands, bindings or hems are required. Inside seams should be serged or zigzagged. 

Here's one basic patterns with lots of potential. If you're comfortable with adding your own seam allowances, this classic tube neck sweater pattern from BurdaStyle is an excellent candidate.

BurdaStyle #121A Turtleneck, clicking on image will bring you to the site

Though the recommended fabric is "fine stretch jersey", the ease in the styled photo on the BurdaStyle site suggests to me that it would also work for a heavier jersey, like the sweater weight bamboo in the top photo. The width of my bamboo jersey would only work up to a Burda size 42. The bamboo would look lovely finished with twin needle hemming as instructed in the pattern.

My Moonstone lacy rib, which I originally used for the Moonstone Sweater would be an unconventional, but very suitable choice, since this rib fabric is light and airy. Unlike with the Moonstone Sweater, I would the use fabric in the traditional way with the greatest stretch going horizontally. This means the stripes would run vertically on this sweater. This fabric is wide enough for all given sizes of BurdaStyle #121A.

Moonstone lacy rib, 100% pearl cotton, click for more info.

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The Renfrew Top, from indie Sewaholic, is a very popular pattern and an excellent candidate for a sweater knit fabric.

1201 Renfrew Top, this could happen.

Again, the cutting layout would need to be modified to accommodate a narrow fabric. And I would choose to make the bands, which are doubled, out of a thinner fabric than the main fabric, much the way I did with the Providence Sweater. If I were using a very heavy sweater knit, I would go up a size for comfort when layering.

I'm planning on using one of my fabrics with a commercial pattern soon. Perhaps this will be the one. (Update: To see the finished Renfrew, click here. I ended up using a different fabric!)

O!
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Images not generated by O! Jolly! remain the property of their respective owners and are used here for the purposes of education, comment and review.
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Updated 30May20013

Another Finished Edge for Knits - Binding

Unlike last week's featured finished edge, the selvage, which doesn't require any work and can only be used in certain situations, this finished edge is a little more flexible, but actually requires you to do some cutting and sewing. But that's what we're here for, right? On first glance a binding has a similar look to a band (or in these links, a rib band -- part 1 and part 2). I can't say whether a binding is better or faster or neater than adding a band. It's just  different.

What actually is the difference between "band" and "binding"? That's a tough one to write about because many people use the terms interchangeably. To add to the confusion, some people incorrectly refer to it as "ribbing"!  A rib fabric ("official" fabric used in "rib bands") isn't necessary with either finishing method, but can be used with either.

You can see the difference between bindings and bands. This edge is finished with a binding.

The edge below is finished with a band.

In the top photo, the binding encases the raw edge of the garment. In the second photo the band extends the edge of the garment.

This is the time where I would ordinarily give the steps for finishing an edge with a binding, but I'm not going to do that today, because there's a good tutorial on adding bindings to knit garments over on Gorgeous Fabrics' blog.

Here are my modifications. I did an additional step at the beginning, because I'm using a sweater knit fabric, rather than a lightweight knit, and I didn't want to leave the inside edge of my binding raw. I serged and pressed under one raw edge of the binding fabric before sewing the opposite edge to the garment. Peeking under the inside edge of the binding, it looks like this -- no raw edges.

Peeking under the binding on the wrong side

My other modification was to use a wobble stitch when doing the top stitching. A wobble stitch is a very narrow zigzag, in this case, 0.75 mm in width. With this weight of fabric it's hard to see the wobble at all in the top photo, but using it provides a nice bit of stretch.

It's always nice to have another way to finish an edge. I don't recommend bindings on extra bulky fabrics, however. It'll be easier to add a band in that situation.

O!
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Updated 24Apr2013

Further Notes on the Moonstone Sweater

Issues come up, lessons are learned, and discoveries are made with any project like the Moonstone Sweater. Here are the ones that I haven't had the chance to mention yet.

Selvages as Finished Edges

You may have noticed that the bottom edges on my sleeves and the bodice "hem" have no additional finishing. I designed the fabric for this sweater knowing that I wanted to use the fabric sideways.  That is, I wanted columns of knit stitches to run parallel to the ground, instead of the usual perpendicular, using the selvages as bottom edges. With the greatest stretch running vertically, some loosely knit rib fabrics might stretch out of shape by the end of the day. My fabric is actually an "embossed rib", sort of a rib on top of a jersey backing. This should keep the sweater from "growing". So far, so good.

Two Helpful Tips on Using Transparent Elastic

Those of you've who read my Stabilizing Shoulder Seams post know of the difficulties I had using transparent elastic. I did admit to getting better at it. Here are helpful suggestions, both of them from Natasha over at Houseful of Nicholes, given to me during a Virtual Craft Night hangout on Google+.

When I was dismayed trying to actually see the clear elastic as I attempted to machine baste it to the bodice, Natasha asked, "Any way you can mark the elastic?"  Turns out all I had to do was to draw a line down the center of the elastic with my handy Frixion Pen. Things did become easier.

After I finished sewing the elastic and raglan seams and just before I was about to press them, I realized that the transparent elastic might not be able to stand up to the heat. "I've heard that cheesecloth makes a good pressing cloth," said Natasha. I emptied the water from my iron (so as not to deactivate my temporary stabilizer), turned the iron temperature to the "silk" setting, and gave the seams a pressing through the cheesecloth. The result was not perfect without steam, but it was enough for me to get an idea of how the finished seams might look. And the clear elastic remained intact! (I did use steam at my iron's lowest steam setting after blocking the sweater, still using cheesecloth where the clear elastic is. The seams are very good now.)

Inspiration

I was excited to get a couple of pattern inquiries after I revealed the Moonstone! Yes, I developed the cotton fabric (available here), and I drafted the pattern myself. As always, it's the fabric that inspires me to create a sweater. I knew at the beginning that I wanted to work with the fabric sideways and was originally going to do one of those big openwork tunic tops. Then, this linen blend sweater by Donna Karan caught my eye. As far as I can tell from the photos, there's a seamless round yoke. Since there's no mention of it being hand knitted, the sweater may have been knitted seamlessly on a big industrial, whole garment machine similar to this one. For those of us who enjoy our sewing, I guess we'll gladly settle for seams!

O!

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Edited 17Apr2013 to correct knitting machine link

 

Moonstone Sweater

I'd been hoping for an overcast day, as I usually do when it's time for a photo shoot. Overcasts skies are the easiest way for me to avoid harsh shadows. Though the morning started out promising, the sun broke through just as I was about to start taking pictures. The good part is that the "harsh shadows" really brought out the texture of the fabric.


Yes, I've finally completed the Moonstone sweater! This project held two firsts for me. It was the first time designing raglan sleeves for cut and sew, and it was my first time cutting and sewing such a lacy fabric. Temporarily stabilizing the cut edges was definitely worth it, and I'm sure I saved myself much frustration. Those of you who've read my Stabilizing Shoulder Seams post know that I wasn't too happy with the transparent elastic used on raglan seams. They did smooth out after washing and a good steam blocking, as you can see from the pic below (taken later in the day), but I still won't use clear elastic for this purpose again... at least not for a very long time.

Besides the boat neck, another design detail I worked into the mix was the extended length in back.

The textile designer in me, however, is most pleased with the details of fabric itself.

The fabric used in the Moonstone sweater is now available for sale.

ETA Click to read Further Notes on the Moonstone Sweater posted April 13, 2013.

O!