If knits make you nervous, ponte is the fabric that will change your mind. It is thick, stable, and beautifully behaved: the cut edges do not curl, the seams do not ripple, and the finished garment looks tailored instead of slouchy. Here is what ponte actually is, why it is named after Roman bridges, and how to sew it like you have been doing it for years.
What Is Ponte Fabric?
Ponte, also sold as ponte di Roma or ponte Roma, is a thick, stable double knit produced on rib and interlock circular knitting machines. It is a weft knit made with at least two yarn feeds, looping on two sets of needles so that two fabrics are effectively knitted joined together. The result is firmer, heavier and far more stable than other knits, with a subtle sheen and a smooth, slightly polished surface. Like most double knits it is reversible, looking much the same on both sides.
It is medium to heavyweight, typically above 300 gsm, with moderate, comfortable stretch and good recovery. Modern ponte is usually a blend of polyester, viscose and a small amount of elastane, often with nylon; some pontes include cotton or linen. If you want the full story on the viscose in that blend, we just gave it a complete guide: What Is Viscose Fabric.
Why Is It Called Ponte?
Ponte di Roma is Italian for Roman bridge. The name describes the construction: the arrangement of interlocking loops in the double knit resembles the arches of a traditional Roman bridge, and just like those arches, the structure is where the strength comes from. The fabric was first developed by knitters in Italy, and trade press records show it in commercial use by the mid 1960s. Originally it came mostly in solid colors; printed pontes are a more recent arrival.
Ponte vs Jersey
Jersey is a single knit; ponte is a double knit. That single difference explains everything else. Ponte is thicker, firmer and much more stable, holds a cleaner silhouette, and its cut edges lie flat, while jersey rolls at the edges and shifts while you sew. Jersey is lighter, drapier and stretchier, right for tees and flowy dresses. Ponte suits fitted, structured garments and can even work in some patterns drafted for wovens. Think of it as jersey’s sturdier, far more beginner friendly sibling.
Ponte vs Interlock And Scuba
All three are double knits, which is why they get mixed up. Interlock is lighter and softer, the fabric of cotton tees and kids’ clothes, while ponte’s stitch design, similar to Milano rib but repeating over four courses, gives a denser, firmer hand. Scuba is usually all polyester with spandex: smooth, spongy and springy, almost like neoprene. Ponte blends in viscose, so it breathes better, sits more matte, and behaves more calmly in tailored shapes like trousers and blazers.
How Ponte Is Made
Ponte is knitted, not woven, on rib and interlock circular machines. At least two yarn feeds knit alternately on one set of needles and then the other, so two layers of stockinette are built together into a single double faced cloth. That is what produces the fine horizontal texture, the stability, and the flat, well mannered cut edges.
Quality varies a lot between manufacturers, and the blend is the tell. Rayon rich ponte (often rayon, nylon and spandex) has the softest hand, the best drape and the best breathability: the premium dressmaking choice. Polyester dominant ponte is cheapest and barely wrinkles, but it is the most prone to pilling with wear. You will also meet scuba ponte, a smooth techno crossover popular for workwear, and novelty pontes with metallic lurex or foil prints for occasion sewing. Weights run from lighter dress weight up to heavy legging and blazer weight, so check the weight and blend against your project before you buy.
How To Care For Ponte
Ponte is genuinely low maintenance: durable, wrinkle resistant and easy to wash. A few habits keep it that way.
- Prewash your yardage before cutting, at the same temperature and settings you will use for the finished garment. Warm water around 86 F removes sizing and reveals any shrinkage up front. Hot water shrinks it more, so wash at your real world settings.
- Dry by fiber content: tumble dry is fine for cotton blends, lay wool blends flat, and be gentler with rayon rich pontes.
- Press on medium heat, ideally while slightly damp, without stretching the fabric.
- Older ponte can pill, especially high polyester blends. Do not pull pills off, which can snag the knit; use a fabric brush or shaver.
Best Sewing Projects Using Ponte
Ponte shines wherever you want stretch plus shape retention. Fitted sheath, panelled and fit and flare dresses. Pencil skirts. Pull on pants, treggings and leggings. Blazers and unstructured jackets that look tailored but feel like a cardigan. Fitted tops and tunics with a smarter finish than jersey. It barely wrinkles, which also makes it the ideal travel wardrobe fabric, and its stability means it can even stand in for wovens in some patterns if you fit as you go and take the seams in a little.
Three of our free patterns that sew up beautifully in ponte:
Where ponte disappoints: anything meant to look light and floaty. Blouses and blousey dresses read bulky in it. It is also wrong for swimwear and serious activewear, which need high recovery and moisture wicking that ponte does not offer.
Tips For Sewing With Ponte
Tip 1: Ballpoint Needle, Always
Use a ballpoint or jersey needle in size 80/12 so the rounded tip slides between the loops instead of piercing them, or a stretch needle for pontes with elastane. Holes in a double knit are permanent, so never sew ponte with a dull needle or a sharp woven needle. Keep a pack of ballpoint needles with your knits.
Tip 2: A Stitch That Stretches
Sew seams with a narrow zigzag, about 0.5 to 1 mm wide and 2.5 to 3 mm long, a lightning stretch stitch, or a 4 thread overlock. Use good polyester thread, never cotton, which snaps under stretch. A plain straight stitch is acceptable only on garments with a zip where the seam never needs to stretch. Test on a doubled scrap first.
Tip 3: Let The Machine Do The Feeding
Loosen the top tension slightly (around 3 to 4), lighten the presser foot pressure, and use a walking foot or dual feed so both layers move together. Never pull or stretch the fabric through the machine; rippled seams are almost always stretched seams.
Tip 4: Cut It Calm
Prewash first, then cut with sharp shears or a rotary cutter and pattern weights, keeping the greatest stretch running the direction the pattern asks for. Do not let the yardage hang off the table edge while you cut. The good news: ponte does not fray and the edges do not curl or run, so finishing seam allowances is optional.
Tip 5: Hem With A Twin Needle
Press the hem first, typically 1 to 1.5 inches on ponte, then stitch with a twin needle for a coverstitch look that still stretches. Do not stretch as you sew. In fitted garments, stabilise shoulder seams, waistlines and necklines with clear elastic or stay tape.
Tip 6: Quick Troubleshooting
Skipped stitches almost always mean the wrong or worn needle; switch to a fresh 80/12 ballpoint. Bunching at the start of a seam is cured by lighter presser foot pressure, a slightly longer stitch, or starting over a scrap of tissue paper.
New to knits generally? Run a knit fabric stretch test before you commit a pattern to any knit, and browse the rest of our fabric guides in the sewing tips section. Ready to sew? The free patterns hub is full of knit friendly projects.
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