I’m often asked for tips on how to improve when it comes to sewing with knits – and this is one of those things that is incredibly simple and will really take your knit sewing to the next level.
Press your knits. That’s right, pressing during construction is not just important for wovens, don’t forget the stretchy fabrics!
This week i was making some leggings for Bunny with knee patches – the picture on the left is a leg that wasn’t pressed yet. Look at how wavy and puckered the heart is. It looks terrible. It looks homesewn, and not in the good way. Many people finish at this point and feel disappointed that it didn’t turn out how they had hoped. Thankfully it’s easily fixed if you remember to press!
The leg on the right is post pressing. Pressing the knee patch helped the fabric to recover after being stretched when i sewed it. It brought everything back into shape and set it so it will continue to look this good.
Pressing is crucial to every project. You absolutely 100% will not end up with a good result in sewing if you don’t press. This rule holds true for every fabric type, and there is no such thing as a garment you can get away without pressing.
It bears mentioning again – press everything. It’s my golden rule.
[For more on pressing and why it’s so important, check out this post]
