Needed a new swimsuit and ended up buying a swim shirt and shorts (they look like bike shorts). The swim shirt is a bit too long so I need to hem it. I sew clothes occasionally but never anything like swimsuit fabric. Anybody done this? I’m wondering if I can use a sewing machine needle made for knit fabrics or if there’s a special swimsuit fabric needle. The fabric has some spandex in it, so it’s a little stretchy but it’s also thicker than regular swimsuit fabric.
You should be okay with either a universal needle or a ballpoint needle, just don’t use a sharp. Careful with pressing, use a low setting.
Use a ball point needle.
I’m not sure if links are allowed, but I googled sewing with spandex and found a very helpful article in Craftsy. What I’ve done when I’ve had to sew this kind of fabric - I take a scrap from the cut-off and try out a few stitches so see which one looks/works best. You will want to use a stretch stitch, so try a few of the stretch stitches that your machine has and see which one looks best and also gives the most stretch.
Thanks for that link, @bookreader. I’ll read it thoroughly before starting. I didn’t know the term “ball point” needle but after looking it up, those are the needles that I have for sewing on knits or stretchy fabrics.
Personally, I prefer to hand sew when it’s stretchy fabric, especially for a hem. I prefer hidden stitches and that way I can make sure I’m only sewing the parts that are supposed to be sewn and don’t have to take out stitches. Of course, YMMV.
@Himom, I understand your point but this fabric is such a wild and crazy swirl of colors, I could use neon green thread and it wouldn’t be noticed.
Yes, I understand but when it’s possible, I do prefer hand sewing so I don’t accidentally stitch together several parts of the garment that aren’t meant to be joined. Eek! I hate having to take out stitching and fear it weakens the fabric and may make holes as well.
One of the first things I figured out about sewing was that if ripping out made me mad I wasn’t going to have much fun sewing. It’s part of the process. So I have a really good ergonomic handled seam ripper and just do it.
I find hand sewing “therapeutic.” It’s just easier than setting up the sewing machine, pinning everything and making everything “just right.” Of course, if it’s a major sewing project, that’s totally different.
I like hand sewing too. One of my favorite things is to hand stitch the binding on a quilt. I also like needlepoint. BTW, it’s no hassle setting up the sewing machine if you never put it away!
Our house is tiny. There’s no point in leaving the sewing machine our as we rarely ever use it and it would gather dust and corrosion.
Understood. For me, there’s no point in putting it away.
Reporting back: it’s done. The swim shirt was 85% polyester and 15% Creora spandex, which is a brand. The fabric feels really nice; it’s not that thin stuff where you catch a fingernail on it, if you know what I mean.
The armholes were a little too “open” so I started by sewing up the underarm seam a couple of inches. I used a needle for knits – in the Singer and universal needles, it’s the one with the yellow top (as opposed to the red, which is for woven fabrics). Needle worked great.
I cut off an inch and a half around the bottom and hemmed it up with a half-inch hem. I used a short-length zigzag stitch and it worked great. I think it’s going to be fine.
Thanks for everyone’s input.