Sewing jersey is quickest and easiest on an overlocker, overlockers have a ‘differential feed’ which basically feed the fabric through the machine with the correct tension so it does not stretch or gather up as it stitches. If you sew a lot of knits it is well worth investing in an overlocker. If you can, try it out before you buy to check that it will be suitable for the kind of fabrics you like to use. Some machines are much easier to thread (for instance, the Babylock has an air threading system that saves you fiddling with tweezers in dark corners). Do not confuse the overlocker stitch you get on many domestic machines with a true overlocker; this works for finishing seams on wovens, but is usually lacking the all-important differential feed.

Sewing jersey and knit on a domestic machine is perfectly acceptable, it just takes a bit longer.

It is important to tack with small stitches so that the machine cannot stretch the seam as it goes (and cause unsightly puckers). Trust me, A little time preparing your fabric saves a LOT of time unpicking later! Sew your vertical seams (those seams that don’t need so much stretch) with a straight stitch or a narrow zigzag. Be sure to use a polyester thread (not cotton) and the correct needle (usually ‘ballpoint’). Horizontal seams and hems that need more stretch will need a wider zigzag stitch —use the narrowest you can get away with as this generally looks neater— or perhaps a specialist stitch (beware of many machines that offer a stretch stitch that looks like three adjacent straight stitches – this is a good strong stitch for stretch wovens but creates too much stiffness on most jerseys). It is best to test a few stitches on your particular machine and evaluate which is best for the job.

What can also be effective for hems is a twin needle, these have to be sewn the right side up as the reverse is not so pretty, the stitch has ‘give’ but is not truly stretchy, so do test first.

Most importantly, when sewing with jersey, do not show it your fear, jump in and experiment, it is a wonderful fabric to work with and can give the novice sewer a real boost of confidence.