Sewing stretch fabric.  If you want to see a video, you can  join Magic Circle and access all my videos.

Continue.....

The way to stop stretch fabric from pulling or puckering is to sew with the right side of the fabric facing you.  I call this - sewing "topside".  You may need to practice a little before letting loose on a stretch garment, but basically what happens is that the feed dogs (they are the metal teeth that move up and down under your sewing machine needle) move up and down and they can cause the fabric underneath to move out of alignment with the top layer.  This means the fabric twists on itself.

Therefore if you have the right side of the fabric on the underside as you are sewing, it will tend to twist the fabric.

Mistakes made when sewing stretch include:-

• Turning the tee shirt inside out and folding the fabric over twice (like jeans) and sewing on the wrong side - RESULT - Hem will twist
• Using a twin needle.  Personally I do not like the look on the underside of a twin needle.  It looks like a zig zag and my clients would not accept it as professional enough - RESULT - unprofessional look PLUS the fabric is generally puckered in the middle between the stitches.

Even fashion stores will display garments with twisted hems, and expect them to be purchased.  These garments have been sewn without any care of workmanship.  When I had my shops, I taught my team how to sew "topside".  When customers picked up they were pleasantly surprised to find the hem looked better than it was originally.

Method on sewing "topside":-

1.  Cut the new hem length, making sure to allow for hem allowance.  I usually leave 2 cm (1 in) to 3 cm (1 1/4 in) as a hem allowance on stretch fabric.

2.  Overlock (serge) the edge.  If you do not have an overlocker, take it to an alteration shop and ask them to overlock the edge for you.  It might cost you a few dollars but would be worth it

3.  I always mark my hem allowance with a little dash with chalk so I know where to fold.  My technique for marking a hem allowance is illustrated in my book.

4.  Pin up the new hem.  I generally just fold and sew because of the volume of stretch fabric I have sewn, but initally you may want to pin.  Either have the pins side on to the hem so you can pull out as you sew, or with the pin head facing towards you so you can pull out as you sew.

5.  This is what makes the difference - I use my button hole foot to sew stretch fabric.  It has little grooves under the foot and it tends to stablise the fabric better than a foot with a smooth edge underneath.  Depending on the fabric if you use a smooth foot, it can tend to grab the fabric and twist it as well.  I use Janome, so this is the plastic buttonhole foot for a Janome.  Not the automatic buttonhole foot that is very long, but the small clear plastic one.

6.  Place the garment with the right side of the garment on top and put under the sewing machine foot.

7.  Begin sewing at a side seam, but in front of it.

8.  You should be able to see the ridge from the overlocking (serger).  Place your needle in the centre of this ridge.  With my buttonhole foot, I find I can have the inside edge of the left hand side of my sewing machine foot on the edge of the overlocking and I always sew in the middle of the overlocking.  Practice does make perfect.  -  SPECIAL NOTE - I place my index finger in front of the foot so I can FEEL the ridge of the over locking, and also so I make sure I feed it in correctly - NO PUSHING OR PULLING.  Because I do not use pins, I fold and line up with the numbers on the right hand side of my machine or for other machines, find a point that you want the fold of the fabric to be on and always have it at this position.

9.  If you want two rows of stitching - For a wide two rows - move the fabric across so the first row of stitching in sitting under the centre of the left hand side leg of your sewing machine foot.  For a narrower row place the first row of stitching beside the inside of the left hand arm of the foot.  Sew around the hem making sure you keep the first row of stitching under this position all the way.  DO NOT LOOK AT THE STITCHING - concentrate on the position of the first row of stitching.

Happy altering
Judith Turner