Knitted fabrics like jersey, velour or sweat-shirting are soft, easy to shape, cling to the body and their stretchy qualities make them very comfortable. The following tips will help you work with knitted fabrics. Join the seams with narrow zigzag stitching (stitch width ½ to 2 mm, length 3 to 4 mm). Some sewing machines have special jersey stitching, see you machine’s instruction manual. Over-lock machines are ideal for working with knitted fabrics. Your sewing machine will need a special jersey needle that has a rounded point to prevent damage to the knitted stitches. Neaten/finish the edges of the seam and hem allowances with large zigzag or over-lock stitching. If the fabric stretches too much, stick adhesive tape on the outer edges and then edge-stitch along before trimming off the adhesive tape. Stretch out any rolled collar, narrow neckline or rib-knit cuff band while stitching. The hems will remain stretchy if you topstitch the hem allowance with a twin needle which produce a double line of stitching on the right side and elastic zigzag stitches underneath. Hand-sew the hem with loose slip stitching and fold the upper edge of the hem allowance back by ½ cm. If seams are not intended to stretch, catch in a strip of bias binding with the stitching. Armholes can be chain-stitched along the seam lines. Or iron Vilene/Pellon seam band on the fabric, over the marked seam lines. Snip into the band around curved sections. Strengthen edges of fastenings with fusible interfacing.