How Do I Home Sew Ribbing In My Neckline or Cuffs? – Sewing Machines Los Angeles

If you are new to the home sewing world, I recommend purchasing the tubular knit ribbings in the color of your choosing. Don’t forget to consider the width of the ribs – is it compatible with the garment you are sewing? The width of the ribs or the spacing of the ribs is sometimes referred to as the weight (it seems ironic doesn’t it – the human race aren’t the only ones concerned with weight – even the garment industry is concerned about weight!).

Ribbings, which can (and in my opinion, should be) purchased by the inch, vary in stretching capabilities. Check on the back of your pattern to make sure that you purchase an adequate amount of ribbing for the purpose you need it. If you are doing repairs or replacing the ribbing in a garment, prefit the ribbing to the body area or measure it against the garment edge.

To attach the ribbing to your garment, always use a ballpoint needle which is specially designed for sewing knits. If you have the wrong size needle in your sewing machine, you will either have runs in your ribbing or the stitching will not hold the ribbing properly. The proper sized needle in your machine is the most important step in attaching ribbing to any garment!

If you have a serger and feel confident enough to use your serger sewing machine to sew in ribbing, make sure you have the proper sized needle. In that respect, ribbing can be very fussy!

I personally prefer the “in the round” technique where the ribbing and the garment seams are sewn separately and then attached to each other. I try to place the ribbing seam even with the garment seam if I can, but in a neckline, for example, such a thing is not feasible at all times. If I can on a neckline seam, I place the seam from the ribbing in the center back so it doesn’t look out-of-place and cause irritation (some people are sensitive to this).

If you are more efficient than I am, you may prefer to attach the ribbing to the garment and then one continuous seam is sewn. However, if you choose this method, be sure to leave one seam open to allow for the attachment of the ribbing.

Make sure you use an overlock stitch on a serging machine to sew and finish the seam edges at the same time. But if you are using a regular sewing machine, select a narrow zigzag stitch to apply the ribbing and a wide zigzag stitch to finish the edges.

Keep in mind that today garments with rib-knit band necklines are popular casual wear. The rib-knit neckline can be shaped round with either a flat or a lapped front, or v-shaped with a lapped front. Your imagination is the only thing stopping your flow of creativity!

Keep these points in mind if you are replacing ribbing in a sleeve band (on a jacket or a lined sweater) as well. Keep in mind that someone had to apply that ribbing in the first place and with a little thought, you can duplicate what has been done!