Rib Knit Fabric 101

KnitFabric.com has an excellent selection of Rib Knit Fabric that works well for sewing apparel. You may have heard it referred to by different names – rib, cuff rib, rib knit, rib jersey, or rib knit fabric. It confused me in the past but today we’ll go through what rib knit fabric is, some different variations of rib knit fabric, and how to sew with rib knit. Let’s get started!

Rib Knits are a soft and very stretchy fabric that has textured vertical stripes. They are most commonly used for neckbands, waistbands and cuffs. But they are also used for dresses, tees, pajamas and even for leggings and tights. They come in tubular form or as flat fabric. They also come in pre- prepped cuff packs.

Rib Knit has a very clear bumpy textured stripes. They look like bumps or ridges and valleys. This very distinct look is because of the way these fabrics are made. The Rib Knit fabrics are made using a Knit - Purl sequence. The Knit stitches produces the bumps in the fabrics and the purl stitches produces the valleys. They come as tubes or flat, like a regular yardage.

There are many different types of Rib Knits based on the fiber content and the knit-purl sequences used. Most common Rib Knits that you will find are cotton and polyester bases with or without Spandex combined. The other bases available include linen, wool, rayon, acrylic etc. I have seen and used 100% Cotton Rib, 95% Cotton 5% Spandex Rib, 96% Polyester 4% Spandex Rib, 92% Polyester 8% Spandex Rib etc. There are heavier and lightweight rib knitted fabric.

Rib Knits can also differ based on the stitch sequence they follow. There are 1x1 Rib, 2x1 Rib, 2x2 Rib, 4x2 Rib, 8x3 Rib and many other possibilities out there. A 1x1 Rib follows - 1 knit and 1 purl sequence. A 2x1 Rib follows 2 knit stitches, 1 purl stitch sequence. So an 8x3 rib follows 8 knit stitches and 3 purl stitches sequence. Since the Knit stitches create the bumps or ridges and the purl stitches create the valleys, while a 1x1 rib has almost no texture an 8x3 rib has a wider bumpy texture and skinnier ridge texture. You can identify lots of rib knit by the vertical lines or vertical ribs throughout the fabric.

Knitfabric.com stocks an amazing array of prepacked ready to use cuff ribs for garments and accessories. These are usually enough to finish an adult sweatshirt's cuffs and waistbands. These come prefinished on one side and ready to sew on the other side. And these do not have to folded in half as one side is pre finished. You can find an assortment of colors here.

Rib Knits have amazing 2 way stretch. Most rib knits typically only have 2 way stretch, but they are very high percentages and their recovery is amazingly high. This particular characteristic is what makes these rib knits the perfect choice for the high stress areas like neck bands, arm bands, leg bands etc! Some rib knits do have some vertical stretch as well. The 8x3 Poly Spandex Rib has 4 way stretch.

Below are a few pictures of the various rib knits at its natural state and stretched out state. KnitFabric.com stocks most of these amazing ribs and I have added links to each of the kind to make shopping easier.

This 2x1 Rib is a cotton blend. These are perfect for cuffs, neckbands and waistbands of hoodies. I have even seen other Sewists use this as waistband for skirts and joggers. If you are using this rib for a pattern piece that works for a regular knits too, I would shorten the length a smidge. You can find many colors and prints of these here.

1x1 Rib also has a ton of stretch as well and is used as neckband, waistband and cuffs. They have no obvious texture like the other rib knits as they are knitted with a 1x1 sequence. These also generally come in tubes. For bigger sizes, this would work in your favor to cut waistbands with no seams! If not, you will cut these as you do all the other fabrics that aren't in a tube form. You can find a lot of beautiful solids, stripes and a few prints here.

These 4x2 Rib Knits are Polyester Blends. They have a more wider ridges and shorter valleys because of the 4 knit 2 purl sequence. These are lighter than the 100% Cotton and the cotton blend ribs, but the use for these are more than just as neckbands and cuffs. These 4x2 Ribs make wonderful dresses with amazing drape. I have made leggings, turtle necks, skirts, tops most everything with these ribs, including waistbands for the leggings. You can find many fun solids stripes and prints here.

8x3 rib is another polyester blend Rib knits. These are similar to the 4x2, but has wider ridges and even smaller valleys due to the 8x3 sequence. They feel lighter and more flowy than the 4x2. They also have a lot of stretch. As you can see below, it can be stretched to the point that it looks almost flat. Because of that, I wouldn't suggest these for items that needs a tighter fit, like a waistband of leggings, without some modification for the pattern pieces. But these are my favorite choice for the dresses, Dolmans, Rompers etc. You can find some fun stuff here, just keep scrolling down for more solid colors.

Rib Knits are amazingly easy to sew with. With its great stretch and recovery it makes an easy fabric to use. Like most other knit fabrics they do not fray at the edges, but the cotton based knits tend to curl if left raw. There are couple of points to keep in mind while sewing with Rib or ribbing.

• Rib knits tend to look similar on both sides. Closely knitted ribs like a 1x1 or a 2x1 is extremely hard to differentiate between both sides. Where as on the 4x2 and 8x3 it is a bit more easier as the ridges and valleys will be more obvious.
• If you are in a pinch and cannot tell the Right Side and Wrong Side, try stretching the rib and look to see where you can see tiny elastic like threads. This is a cheat trick that I use that might not always work and is easier on darker shades.
• When using rib knits for cuffs, neckbands and waistbands, adjusting the pieces to match the stretch would be better, especially if it is a very stretchy lighter Rib Knits.
• Using pre - made cuff ribs make sewing easy as they come ready to sew. One side of this rib cuff is finished.
• Using pattern weight is highly recommended while cutting the fabric.
• Take extreme care to make sure the grainlines are straight. This is easier on the rib knit because of it texture.

Rib Knits make amazing PJs as they are soft and are pretty stretchy. With warmer weather on the horizon I wanted to sew up a few lighter weight PJs for my kids. They chose these cute spring prints in an 8x3 Rib Knit for their spring Pjs. So lets gather everything we need and lets get sewing!

I am using the Alex and Anna pattern from the Shop for this Pajama project. This 8x3 Poly rib is super soft and stretchy. So they work amazingly for Pajamas and I can use the same fabric for the body & cuffs too as this is a 4 way stretch Rib knit. While Alex and Anna pattern offer the option to choose between shorts and pants and all the sleeve options, I am going with the Long sleeves and Pants options today. I am making 3 sets of pajamas, one each for each of my kids. But for ease of photographing we will be using the smallest size I am making.

Cut out all the pattern pieces necessary. I am using a projector to cut out all my pieces. Like I mentioned above, this has enough 4 way stretch to be used for the body as well. When cutting out, make sure to align the 'ribs' straight and along the grainline guide (if there) or that the 'Rib' lines are going parallel and not skewed.

Using a ruler to cut the straight line cuts will make things easier. I do not have pattern weights on in this picture so you can see how everything is smoothed out and aligned. But I do use pattern weights to keep things from shifting. So I have cut out two leg pieces mirrored, two leg cuff pieces for the Pajama bottoms. The front and back bodices, two long sleeves, neckband and two sleeve cuffs for the Pajama top.

TextLaying the front and back bodices right sides together, we will sew the shoulder seam

Open up the bodice that we just sew. Aligning the center of the sleeve on the shoulder seam and matching the raw edges, ease the sleeves into the armscyes and sew them. Repeat with the other sleeve.

Sew the side seams matching the raw edges all the way down from the sleeve to the waist hem.

Take the neckband and fold it in half. Sew the short edges to create a loop. Now fold them along the long edges to create a loop with the seam enclosed inside. Divide the neckband and neckline into quarters. Match the quarter points and sew them together. Repeat these steps for the sleeve cuffs too, dividing the cuff and the sleeves into halves instead of quarters. If using a directional print, make sure that the neckband and sleeve cuffs are aligned right and you will not end up with an upside down design once they are flipped to the right orientation.

Fold the bottom edge up and hem using a cover stitch, twin needle or your choice of finishing. Also top stitch the neckband to the bodice if you prefer. Throw in a cute tag if you have it handy and the top is done.

Take one leg piece and match the inseams along the raw edges right sides together. Sew down the inseam. Repeat for the other leg.

Turn one leg inside out and slide it into the other leg so that they are right sides together. Pin and sew the crotch curve. Once done turn the pants inside out.

Measure and cut your elastic after giving it a good stretch. Sew the elastic into a loop overlapping the short edges. Sew the elastic to the raw edges of the waistband. If you are using a Serger for this step, remember to disengage the knife.

Folded the elastic and waistband down to the inside of the pants. This will enclose the elastic. Sew along the edges. I use my Coverstitch machine for this step. But a zigzag stitch works perfectly too. Just make sure to stretch the waistband slightly.

Repeat what we did for the sleeve cuffs in Step 6. Sew them to the pant legs, flip it down and we are done!

We have finished a cute little PJ set!

TextI hope this gives you an idea about what Rib Knits are and how to use them. Are you ready to give Rib knits a try? Here are a few other things I have made with rib knit fabric:

Hope this has given you more than enough inspiration to give rib knits a try and with the amazing range of uses with rib knits, you can't go wrong. If you haven't seen it yet, the current Custom Pre-order round over at Knitfabric.com have some of the cutest prints available on a cotton blend Rib knit base. I can't wait to get mine and make some cute onesies and Rompers for my youngest. Don't miss out.

Again, be sure to check out the quality fabric in our Rib Knit Section. Here are a few more things that other customers have made: