Definition
Jersey is a single knit fabric with smooth columns of V-shaped stitches on the right side and small loops on the back, the classic T-shirt fabric.
Jersey is knitted on one bed of needles, which gives it two different faces and its characteristic behavior: light, smooth, drapey and stretchy, mostly across the width. It is named after the island of Jersey, where knitted garments for fishermen were made.
What to expect:
- Weight: usually 140 to 220 gsm; around 160 to 180 gsm is a typical T-shirt weight.
- Fibers: cotton, viscose, modal, bamboo viscose or merino, often blended with 3 to 8% elastane for better recovery.
- Stretch: about 20 to 40% across the width for all-cotton jersey, 50% or more with elastane.
- Curling edges: cut edges roll, which makes cutting and hemming fiddly. Pressing the edges flat, or a light spray starch, helps.
Jersey is the fabric of the T-shirt, the tank top, loungewear and fluid knit dresses. Sew it with a ballpoint or stretch needle and a narrow zigzag or stretch stitch, use a walking foot if the layers shift, and hem with a twin needle or a coverstitch so the hem stretches with the fabric.
Compared with interlock, a double knit, jersey is thinner, curls more and has a different back. For beginners, a medium-weight cotton jersey with some elastane is the most forgiving; see jersey knit for beginners.