Sew Knits With Confidence

It's sew on! What's not to love about knits? They're flexible and fashionable, extremely versatile, and completely wearable. But are they too tricky to sew? Not with expert Nancy Zieman at your side! Nancy's no-fear approach to this easy yet comprehensive guide will inspire you to try all kinds of knit fabrics in your sewing projects, for results that are truly rewarding. With this book, you will: Learn about a wide variety of knit fabrics and their best sewing uses. Practice basic techniques and pick up dozens of tips that will build your confidence. Discover how to choose the right knit fabric for your needs. Test your skills on 5 fully illustrated step-by-step projects, ready to sew and wear. Even the most challenging knit is no match for you and your sewing machine with this helpful guide. Let's sew!

It's sew on! What's not to love about knits? They're flexible and fashionable, extremely versatile, and completely wearable. But are they too tricky to sew? Not with expert Nancy Zieman at your side! Nancy's no-fear approach to this easy yet comprehensive guide will inspire you to try all kinds of knit fabrics in your sewing projects, for results that are truly rewarding. With this book, you will: • Learn about a wide variety of knit fabrics and their best sewing uses. • Practice basic techniques and pick up dozens of tips that will build your confidence. • Discover how to choose the right knit fabric for your needs. • Test your skills on 5 fully illustrated step-by-step projects, ready to sew and wear. Even the most challenging knit is no match for you and your sewing machine with this helpful guide. Let's sew!

Follow Wendy Ward’s tutorials to make a collection of comfortable and stylish garments. Follow Wendy Ward’s tutorials to make a collection of comfortable and stylish garments. Wendy’s style is functional but beautiful basics, and you will learn the skills to make garments out of knitted fabrics that drape beautifully and are a joy to wear. There are t-shirts, wide-leg trousers, lounge trousers, tank tops, cardigans, skirts, and dresses made in versatile fabrics that can be dressed up or down. Both beginners and more experienced dressmakers often avoid using knitted fabrics, but Wendy will show you how to successfully sew them with just a regular sewing machine. You will learn essential skills with the help of a comprehensive techniques section that includes a guide to different types of knitted fabrics and their uses (including jersey, sweatshirt fabric, boiled wool, and many more), how to prepare them for making clothes, setting up your sewing machine, which needles you need, sewing seams and hems, and using elastic. There are also full-size patterns for every garment included at the back of the book, so you will have all the information you need to start making your own perfect wardrobe!

Unsure how to sew the new knits so they'll look great and fit better than ready-to-wear? Knits for Real People helps readers sort out the differences in fabric types and explains the fitting and sewing techniques for each. Photographs of knit fashions from McCall's, Vogue, and Butterick pattern companies provide inspiration throughout the book and illustrate the many types of knits. The many techniques explained include: layout, cutting, and marking; seaming techniques using sewing machines and sergers, including the use of the differential feed feature; creative embellishments, including piping, flounces, "peepers," and decorative serging; neckline and edge finishes, including bands, collars, and bindings; sleeves, hems and closures; and fitting techniques for tops, pants, and activewear. Knit fabrics are very popular in fabric stores and this book helps people take advantage by teaching how to fit patterns for this versatile material.

Do you ever look at the price tag on a piece of clothing and think, I could sew that myself? Well, sew do we! Sewing your own clothes is rewarding and cost-effective, plus it's an enjoyable creative skill to develop. Sewing Knits from Fit to Finish gives you the instruction you need to sew soft knit fabrics using professional techniques. This comprehensive reference book from expert Linda Lee includes methods for both conventional sewing machines and sergers, and it includes precise construction notes and how-to photos along the way. Sewing Knits from Fit to Finish eases readers into the subject by teaching how to identify the different types of knit fabrics available and helping them select the ones that best suit their sewing projects. From there, the book introduces readers to sewing patterns for knit fabrics and teaches how to tweak those patterns to fit specific measurements. After that, Sewing Knits from Fit to Finish moves step-by-step through the sewing process, including all of the following: Preparing fabric before it's cut Transferring pattern markings onto knit fabrics Organizing a garment's construction Sewing seams and selecting seam styles Utilizing stabilizers and inserting closures Sewing a hem and selecting a hem style Adding embellishments to create a more unique garment Imagine an updated wardrobe that you have total control over. Sewing Knits from Fit to Finish makes that dream a very possible reality. Not only that, the book reveals a few shortcuts and troubleshooting tips to ensure a stress-free sewing process. So jump on the sewing bandwagon! Once you learn how to sew knit-fabric pieces, you'll wonder why you ever bought them.

With hundreds of step-by-step illustrated instructions and a user-friendly, stay-flat format, Patternmaking with Stretch Knit Fabrics provides emerging fashion designers with comprehensive information on how to draft patterns for popular cut-and-sew stretch knit fabrics such as jersey and knits with spandex. After covering the basics of knits and techniques for gauging stretch capacity, Julie Cole introduces a unique, simplified approach to drafting slopers using hip and top foundations. She then provides information on converting, drafting, grading, and reducing patterns for proper fit in four categories of stretch. The book proceeds to drafting slopers and patterns for tops, dresses, jackets, sweaters, cardigans, skirts, pants, lingerie, swimwear, and activewear. Patternmaking with Stretch Knit Fabrics is ideal for students with basic or intermediate design, patternmaking, and sewing skills for any course in which students design and draft patterns for knits; or courses that incorporate both knits and woven fabrics. Features - Accurate and simplified system for patternmaking with stretch knit fabrics with easier to follow approach than other books -Each chapter includes - Key terms - Highly-illustrated step-by-step instructions - Three types of boxes: "Important", "Pattern Tip", and "Stitching Tip" - End of chapter features "Knit It Together" checklist, "Stop! What Do I Do If..." troubleshooting tips, and "Self Critique" review - More than 900 technical drawings with color accents and 100 photographs of sewn samples on the dress form Patternmaking with Stretch Knit Fabric STUDIO - Study smarter with self-quizzes featuring scored results and personalized study tips - Review concepts with flashcards of terms and definitions - Access downloadable files for half-size top and hip foundations, and slopers found in the book Teaching Resources - Instructor's Guide and Test Bank includes sample syllabi, suggested projects, test questions, and evaluation guides

Nancy Zieman's pattern fitting approach is easy - no cutting, slashing, tucking or pinching—just logical and easy pivot-and-slide techniques, providing a painless method to follow that results in a garment that is comfortable and attractive. Once you learn Nancy's techniques for fitting, you will find it easy to make every garment you sew fit your size and shape. Multiple fitting charts are included in the book, as well as an index for locating technical information at a glance.

Fitting Finesse is my painless approach to fitting--both for you and your pattern!