I thought I might ask you all about this . What are the rules with using a knit on the bias . Is this necessary or desireable in some situations or are the properties of a knit fabric those that you are trying to achieve in using a woven on the bias ?
I am really interested in deciding whether using a wool jersey which has only a moderate amount of give on the cross grain would be better cut on the cross when making a cowel front top.
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In one article on knits by Marcy Tilton, she said that she couldn't see the point of cutting a knit on the bias, because knits already possessed the very trait that you were trying to coax out of a woven by cutting it on the bias. However, in a later article, she said she would be interested in trying a knit on the bias if it had an interesting stripe or pattern that would show well that way. I don't think I've ever read anything about cutting a wool jersey on the bias to enhance its stretch, but it could be interesting, if you didn't mind the possibility of making a sacrifice out of your fabric. I'd recommend inch and a half seam allowances, to give yourself a safety net when fitting.
Yes I know about the seam allowance being large and yes I guess that it might be overkill but then I read about people using knit interfacing on the cross and thats what got me wondering about using knit fabrics on the bias . I guess it might depend on the degree of strtch available in the knit. too.
Knits on the bias are extremely unpredictable! A particularly awful experiment with this turned a nice, simple, well-fitted dress pattern into a long, skinny tube with no sideways stretch. I agree with the other posters that knits have the built-in qualities of wovens used on the bias. Besides, it's so hard to find good knits that work the way they should, I'd hate to risk any yardage for possibly negative gain!
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