If you’ve been intimidated by sewing with knit fabric you will love the simplicity of The Bellamy knit nightgown pattern. An easy one hour sewing project for little girls (18 months -12 years old) that comes together to create a soft and feminine little night dress. Make one for every season with the 4 customizable sleeve and hem lengths! This post contains affiliate links.
You might also like our 8 in 1 princess apron pattern (FREE!) or my favorite 1 hour nightgown pattern for cotton fabrics. That one and this knit one are my absolute favorite nightgown sewing patterns.
Knit Nightgown Sewing Pattern
I love sewing for my girls, but generally work with quilting fabrics. I like sewing with knits, but don’t have near as much experience with them. And I don’t own a serger.
When Abby, from Sew Much Ado, was looking for pattern testers for her brand new Bellamy nightgown pattern I put my hesitation aside and dove right in.
Now I want to sew with ALL THE KNITS. This darling nightgown came together in a little over an hour. The step by step instructions were fabulous, the perfect quickie sewing project without ANY notions!
This nightgown is so soft and stretchy and Kaylee absolutely loves it. She likes the longer length and sleeves, but you can actually make this nightgown in a variety different variations in length and sleeve styles. If making Christmas pajamas is a tradition that your family has you’ll love this pattern and will be able to use it for years and years!
Made out cozy knit fabric and featuring a ruffled hem, this will be your little girl’s favorite new nightgown!
5 tips for sewing with knit fabrics
You don’t need a double needle or serger to finish the raw edge. A sewing machine and ball point needle work just fine.
- Use a ball point needle. A ball point needle has a round tip and won’t pierce or tear your fabric. This is important when working with stretchy fabrics.
- Use a long zig zag stitch. I made mine about as long as my machine would let me. It almost looked like a straight stitch, but if you looked closely you’d see a zig every few stitches, giving the seam a bit of stretch. I’ve learned this by experience. I made myself a maxi skirt YEARS ago and used a regular straight stitch. One stretch of the skirt and the entire seam broke and came apart. So, always use a zig zag or stretch stitch.
- Press every seam and use the steam function on your iron. This is my favorite trick working with knits. The steam really makes for a nice finished look and helps the knit maintain its shape.
- Do not stretch your fabric as you sew (unless the pattern tells you to). Let your machine guide the knit fabric through to avoid stretching and bunching. Again, something I’ve learned years ago by experience.
- ALWAYS pre-wash knit fabrics. ALWAYS. I used a 2-way stretch that I purchased at Joann’s. I bought an extra yard just to make sure that I’d have enough because knit fabric will usually shrink up a bit during the first wash. It definitely did, about a half a yard’s worth.
It isn’t very often that you find pretty nightgown for girls in the store these days. So many of them are plastered with licensed characters on the front. I love that I can make a lovely handmade nightgown in their choice of knit and get creative with pretty lace or ruffle hems if I want! I can’t wait to make more nightgowns for my little ladies!
Girls Knit Nightgown Pattern
You can get your own pattern for the Bellamy Nightgown for year long sewing!
Hello,
I just purchased the nightgown pattern. It looks great! I’m not sure how, but it was not until after I purchased the pattern that I realized it required knit fabrics. I have already purchased fleece and 100% cotton fabrics for sewing my daughter pj’s. Can this pattern still work with those fabrics?
Thank you!
Oh no! Because there aren’t any notions or elastic, it is a stretchy pull on type pattern so I don’t think it will work for those other fabrics. Another pattern that I’ve loved (and I think it’s under $5) is the Peasant pocket dress from Whimsey Couture (etsy). It comes with 3 sleeve options and I add length so that it hits the floor. My girls love theirs. Here is a post where I shared photos of the ones that I made. https://gluesticksblog.com/1-hour-nightgown/
Thank you!