I've got some lovely blue ribbed knit fabric which is very stretchy and I'm having difficulty sewing it.

It stretches as I sew. I've tried all sorts of tension settings and am using a knit fabric needle but I just can't get it right.

Does anyone have any advice for me please?

Teresa

There are a few tips of sewing with knits.first of course is using a stretch needle,thats the right size for both fabric and thread..I like a 75HS for lightweights, an 80 for medium light weight, and a 90 for big thick sweater weights and then I use a ball point needle rather than an HS stretch needle.

Also needed are the right thread and the right stretch stitch.

Adjusting tensions, sometimes using a stay tape at shoulders and possibly arm holes and necklines also helps.

I prefer the 3 bar type stretch stitch my machine offers ( depicted by three bars) for the longer seams like side seams, a stretch zig zag is great for applying stretch elastic to swim suit legs, around necklines and arm holes.

Most fabrics I sew are organic but I quickly found you dont use a cotton thread on supplex.
what a MESS.
use poly thread on poly fabrics!

some folks use a walking foot..more monkey buisness than its worth in my opinion.

the best trick I can share is needle down, then lower pressor foot.
sew slow.
an inch or 2 at a time , stop with needle down, lift foot to release any bubble that may be forming and then foot down and continue.repeat as necessary.

sewing more slowly and stopping may seem a pain but its a lot less work than froggy stitching and redoing the seam!

Kaaren

The tension settings and needle you are already using are great, but your problem is coming in before those come into play. It is the pressure from the foot causing it to stretch out and not enough 'grab' from the feed dogs.

If your machine can do it, reduce the pressure on the presser foot. -OR-
Use a serger instead of sewing machine. Almost all sergers have a pressure knob for the foot.

Pin frequently to stop the layers slipping if the top layer is stretching more than the underneath layer.

Use a 3mm or 3.5mm stitch length. This will allow the stitches to relax back once the seam is sewn. Use a very narrow zig-zag or even a straight stitch.

Use another foot like a roller foot. The shank on my plastic foot is fractionally shorter than the shank on my metal foot so it provides less pressure. I use the plastic foot when sewing knits.

HTH.

Thank you both for helping me out with this problem.

I'm going to get to work today on another test piece to try out your suggestions.

Kaaren you advice about stopping every inch or two really made me think. I'm such a novice at sewing that sometimes I just need to slow down. In a funny way I sometimes see my hesitancy as a lack of knowledge and experience and try and rush on, but slowness in cases like this is best.

I've got a lot to learn, but I'm really enjoying the process.

Best wishes, Teresa