Knit hems can be a real hassle. Sometimes your needle wants to shove the material all the way down into the bottom feeding bobbin.
Time to improvise. Cut a newspaper into strips and just lie it down on top of your material and stitch over it. Its easily ripped off afterwards, and does't leave any sticky residue. If newspaper doesn't work, try construction paper, or old cards.
If those methods don't work, spray on starch might be a possibility........... or scraps of interfacing, or even scraps of tissue paper left over from when you cut out the pattern.
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Thanks for the tip. I work with a lot of knits and and my fabric does like to get sucked into the plate. I will definitely give this a try. Do you ever have a problem with the newsprint coming off on the fabric?
11/19/10 9:38 AM
Tearaway interfacing might be a good bet here, since it rips much easier
11/19/10 9:51 AM
I love this hint and I also must use an extra something. I have found that strips of tissue paper works well or I use steam a seam (1/2 inch light weight) and it adds the stability to the hem so that it doesn't get sucked down.
11/19/10 10:52 AM
Thanks for the tip domesticatedmennonite. Would you put the steam a seam between the 2 fabrics?
11/20/10 7:44 PM
I love your hint, too! After struggling in trying to get a knit hem to lay flat, and then reading your hint, I put a small strip of stabilizer inside the hem and wow, what a difference! I am making pants and made a sample hem using 1/4 inch grosgrain ribbon as a stabilizer and I really like the weight it gives to the pant hem. You got me thinking on this one!! Many thanks.
11/28/10 7:42 AM
LynnG, you're welcome. And I've never had a problem with colour staying on the fabric afterwards. I did use coloured ads though, not sure if that makes a difference or not. Also my fabric was completely dry, since I didn't iron with steam. If you're wondering why I was improvising this way, we live about an hour away from the nearest fabric store. Thinking outside the box can have its rewards.
12/3/10 4:53 PM
Be careful using printed papers. The ink can rub off on your fabric.
2/2/11 5:56 PM