Working with / Sewing Jersey Fabric

Dear users, dear authors,
Do you have any tips for working with jersey fabric, or how is jersey fabric made?

Jersey is a knitted fabric that can be more or less stretchy, depending on the spandex content in the fabric. Jersey is very finely knitted and NOT woven; there’s cotton jersey and polyester jersey, as well as viscose jersey, which is made from natural fibers and, in some cases, synthetic fibers. Cotton jersey often has only a very low elastic content, since it’s mostly made of cotton with a very small amount of spandex. It’s a different story with synthetic-fiber jersey, like polyester—or as I always call it, “plastic jersey”—where the spandex content is very high and the fabric is extremely stretchy. Viscose jersey usually also has a high elastane content, but it’s often very light and thinner. Those are, roughly speaking, the most common types of jersey, but by no means all of them.

LG, Inge

Jersey can be worked with just like any other fabric, but you should always make sure your sewing machine is equipped with a jersey needle, because the tip of that needle is rounded at the front. A universal needle has a pointed tip, and that would punch holes in the jersey—just like a leather needle—and if you’re unlucky, the stitches will really run. If the jersey curls, there’s a trick to still get a nice seam. Just place some sandwich paper on top of the fabric and then sew your seam—the paper can be easily torn out afterward, but the fabric won’t curl up anymore. When sewing, you should also avoid pulling on the jersey, because that will make the seam ripple like the Danube Wave and the hem will really curl up a lot; a strip of sandwich paper helps with that, too.  If you don’t have a serger or coverlock, I’d recommend hemming with a zigzag stitch or the triple zigzag—that’s the zigzag stitch that appears as a dotted line on the machine.

Best regards, Inge

Dear Inge, you explained that very well. I always learn something new from your posts. From my own sewing experience, I now know that “jersey” refers to the way the fabric is made. What the fabric is actually made of determines its properties and how it’s used.

I’m a big fan of cotton jersey. At least that fabric can breathe. Polyester jersey just doesn’t work for me. When I used to wear something like that and start sweating, I felt like I had to take it off immediately. The heat can’t be released through the fibers to the outside; instead, it gets trapped under the “plastic layer.” That’s why there are no more polyester items in my closet.

Unfortunately, there’s more and more polyester clothing out there. No matter how beautiful the pattern or colors might be, I won’t even consider them because of the polyester. And since the selection of “good fabrics for clothing” is getting smaller and smaller, I’m also glad I started sewing. That way, I still have a say in the material.

Best regards, Ina