Comments on: Sewing SILK Fabric :15 problems solved

By: Marty a

Marty a — Thu, 16 Feb 2023 19:27:22 +0000

This was extremely helpful since my nephew gave me day project of sewing his silk ties into a quilt. I have had many questions answered by this article. Thamks!

By: Sarina

Sarina — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 02:20:03 +0000

In reply to Mary. Thank you Mary

By: Mary

Mary — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 23:21:03 +0000

The best trick I have found for sewing silk:
– Before cutting out your silk, mix 1/2 cup of water with 1 tablespoon of a washable white glue (like Elmer’s School Glue). If the mix has lumps, let it sit in a jar overnight.
– After cutting and marking the silk, lay each piece flat and use a small artist’s paintbrush to paint a thin line of the glue mix on the raw edge. (Wipe down your work surface with a damp cloth between pieces.) This keeps fraying under control while you are sewing!
– After the garment is finished, soak it in cold water for 10 minutes, then hand-wash.
– I don’t know if dry cleaning will remove the glue mix, because I only work with silk that has been hand-washed. Test a swatch of your fabric, of course.

By: Sarina

Sarina — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 18:56:28 +0000

In reply to Maureen. Hi Maureen, Have you thought of using Silk crepe de chine itself as it is usually used as a lining fabric, as it is lightweight and not very expensive like other silk. All other lightweight silks used for lining are slinky and may stick to skin. Rayon crepe is another option. Check out this post on lining fabrics

By: Maureen

Maureen — Thu, 28 Jan 2021 16:46:09 +0000

Please could you make suggestions as to which fabric would be suitable for lining a silk crepe-de-chine full skirt, so that the fabrics do not stick together ?

By: Sarina

Sarina — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 03:31:17 +0000

In reply to Marcie.

Hi Marcie
I would use a new needle on my sewing machine, and sew with polyester thread. Polyester remains the same but silk shrinks when washed so you may have puckering problem because of this – dry cleaning instead of wet cleaning can solve this, I think. You will be using a backing fabric underneath the ties, so you can match the interfacing to suit this. My thoughts. Best wishes.

By: Marcie

Marcie — Wed, 25 Nov 2020 20:26:33 +0000

Getting confused and need advice about making a memory pillow from a limited supply of neckties. Some are polyester, more are silk, and I will need to use both. Seeking recommendations about thread, interfacing, and base fabric (will use sew/flip method for piecing).

By: Dee

Dee — Thu, 29 Oct 2020 22:44:05 +0000

Great tips!

By: Anita Boggs

Anita Boggs — Sun, 09 Jun 2019 16:25:21 +0000

I am constructing a table cover using India silk material from older drapes. Does the cover need to be lined and should I use batiste or organza?

By: Siri Gottlieb

Siri Gottlieb — Sun, 02 Jun 2019 16:53:38 +0000

In reply to CCG. I always use a rotary cutter on a self-healing mat. Works great.

By: CCG

CCG — Mon, 01 Apr 2019 20:55:40 +0000

Hi Sarina.

Did you ever try using a rotary cutter and a self-healing cutting mat to cut the silk instead of using scissors? That would solve your problems.

By: Sarina

Sarina — Sun, 20 May 2018 01:21:37 +0000

In reply to Mona. Hi Mona Is it that you have a needle that is not sharp or it has a chip which creates the cloth to snag. Maybe you should attach interfacing on the back or keep a paper in the back as you stitch.

By: Mona

Mona — Sat, 19 May 2018 19:51:49 +0000

I am trying to at fringe to silk twill 14mm, but the minute I pull the needle out there is a vertical or horizontal line that shows up in the weave, it looks like a pulled thread. Do you happen to know how I can avoid that?

By: Ani

Ani — Sat, 24 Mar 2018 05:09:31 +0000

In reply to Sarina. True. Thanks a lot for this.

By: saroja

saroja — Wed, 21 Mar 2018 18:27:31 +0000

can you teach me how to sew a silk blouse with lining with a cotton lining meterial

Hi sarina madamme,
can you please teach how to sew silk blouse with a cotton lining cloth with measurements.

By: Sarina

Sarina — Wed, 14 Mar 2018 01:36:15 +0000

In reply to Kate. Hi Kate Thanks for your input. Wetting silk and manipulating it never occurred to me.

By: Kate

Kate — Tue, 13 Mar 2018 23:48:28 +0000

I don’t want to disagree…
The fabric pictured and some of the problems solved seem like synthetic fabric, not silk. As a natural fiber, silk fabric is pretty easy to work with as long as you treat it like what it is- silk. It’s not a “delicate” wrt washing as long as you use soap, not detergent, and never use bleach. Silk is strong when wet so iron or manipulate it damp. (rayon is weak when wet)

If it says to dry clean either the dyes are unstable- do a test with a scrap of fabric- or they lie- do a test with a scrap of fabric. Some people suggest pre-washing and “converting” it to a washable fabric. I’ve done that and been satisfied with the results.

The best silk resource is “The Silk Workers Notebook”. Unless someone studies the chemistry and mechanics of fibers specifically it’s unlikely they’ll access that level of knowledge of silk elsewhere. It’s an excellent read.

By: Sarina

Sarina — Mon, 12 Mar 2018 01:18:07 +0000

In reply to Valarie. Hi Valerie Glad I was able to help you. Thanks for the comment

By: Valarie

Valarie — Sun, 11 Mar 2018 20:37:12 +0000

Thank you for all the information you have given me, it was so helpful to me.