The Magical World of Sewing Knits

Disclaimer: I am by no means an expert at this as I just started sewing knits. Just want to save you some heartache, time, and trouble!


I've been inspired by the amazing custom T-shirts and other jersey clothing I have been seeing on Etsy and in stores in general. But since I'm trying to save money (and most shops do not make clothing in my size), I decided to give customizing a T-shirt a try. How hard can it be, right? What a wake up call! The first stripe I sewed was just fine, nice and smooth. (Probably because it was on heavier jersey and ribbing.) Then, I tried to sew that stripe onto a tissue weight T-shirt I spent a day ripping apart. It was so frustrating! The seam was rippled, puckered, and just looked terrible. So I got to rip it out again and again while I was trying things that I thought would fix it.


I did my due diligence and tried to find some tips on sewing knits online. It seemed like sewing knits must be some magical talent you're born with because I couldn't find hardly any tips or directions on how to sew a smooth seam on knit fabric. I did find a couple good tips, but mostly, it's all been trial and error (and help from Mom). So to save you from having to rip out seam after seam, here are some tips I learned the hard way.


* Buy ball point needles for your machine. The ball point will push through the knit instead of punching a hole in it.



* Use a stretch stitch on your machine. I've been using what my machine calls a stretch straight stitch. It's pretty much a version of the zig-zag stitch.


* Don't stretch the fabric by pulling it through your machine. Instead, let your feed dogs do their job to guide the fabric through. I usually just guide it to keep it straight (or straight-ish in my case).


* My #1 tip is to use tear away stabilizer! It does wonders for sewing a smooth, non-rippled, non-puckering seam. I haven't even had to adjust my stitch length or width when using it. But I would stay away from the sticky backed tear away stabilizer. It's a huge pain to pull off and tear away after you're done sewing. You're going to pin the seam together anyway.

* Finally, sew test swatches first. If you're anything like me, they seem like a waste of time. But wouldn't you rather just throw the swatch away instead of spending hours ripping out seams?

I hope these tips help! I'll be sure to let you know if I find out any others as I sew!

Purse Lady

I have a purse fetish. I wouldn't call it an addiction, but I really, really, really like purses. (See the Purses, Purses, Purses blog post.) A few months ago, I was looking for a new purse on Etsy. My mom mentioned maybe I should make purses for myself instead. What a great idea! I could make them out of any fabric I want, whatever shape I want, whatever size I want. It took me a while, but the first purse I made is pictured below!

I don't mean to sound cocky, but I think it turned out really good. It has a couple inside pockets, one zippered and one not. I also really like this fabric. There are a couple things I would do different, but I can do that with my next purse. I may also shorten the strap of this bag, I'll see after I use it a couple times.

I would really, really like to sell purses on Etsy. But I'll obviously need some improvement, so we'll see.

Shop Updates and Am I Crazy?

Happy Weekend, Everyone!

I wanted to let everyone know that Home Hooked now ships internationally. I have the shipping set in my Etsy shop for most items. If you don't see it on the item you want, just convo me on Etsy and I will find out the shipping costs for you.

So, I've been thinking that it would be cool to make my own clothes. So today I put down a deposit for a sewing machine. The store I am buying it from didn't have a new one in stock. I'm excited. Though, I'm kind of scared because I'm not the most proficient sew-er in the world. But I guess I'll get better with practice. I think I got bit by the Project Runway bug and all of the awesome clothing I see on Etsy.

I got a really cute sewing machine though. It's a Baby Lock Audrey. I told Mom it reminded me of an Ipod Nano because it's got most of the features of this higher priced regular sewing machine, but it's more compact.

I'll have to keep you updated on my progress. I'll let you know when my clothing line is available. (Lol, I think I am crazy!)

Wardrobe for your Cell Phone

Make room in your closet for....shirt cell phone cozies! My mom made these cozies. I think she did a great job and what a great idea! The flame shirt is currently listed in my Etsy shop. That's my favorite because of the bright colors. But she made one for everyone. The red shirt has an Asian print. Each shirt has a button or two. These cozies can also be used for MP3 players and other small electronics.

Check them out!