Making Items from Silk

Would you like to work with silk? It’s now more affordable than ever. Silk prices continue to fall, making it a great choice for making clothing or other items. Like other natural fibers, silk breathes, making it the perfect choice for any season. Its fibers dye beautifully, producing bright colors rarely seen in other fabrics. Silk has many characteristics depending on its construction. It can be delicate or heavyweight, smooth or nubby. Here are some basic types of silk, and tips for usage:

Charmeuse: When people think of silk this is the fabric that most often comes to mind. The fabric back is a flattened crepe while the front is a “shimmery” satin weave. With its drape, charmeuse works well for blouses, scarves and lingerie. Look for patterns that are loose and flowing or have soft gathers, but avoid pleats since the fabric is too soft to hold folds. Use a “with nap” pattern layout to help prevent color variation.

China Silk: China silk is a lightweight fabric with sheen and plain weave. It’s one of the least expensive silks and is commonly dyed in pastel colors for use in scarves, soft blouses and linings. China silk shouldn’t be used for fitted garments since seams can tear from the stress of wear.

Crepe De Chine: This is a lightweight fabric made by twisting some fibers clockwise and others counter-clockwise. The twisted fibers are then woven in a plain-weave pattern. The “pebbly” appearance results from the twisted fibers; both sides of the fabric look and feel the same. Crepe de chine drapes beautifully and works well for loose, bias-cut skirts, blouses and dresses. It doesn’t ravel as easily as other silks, but it still will tear if not handled gently.

Doupioni: Doupioni is a plain-weave fabric with slubbed ribs. It has a stiff, taffeta-like feel and is usually dyed in bright colors. Doupioni works well in semi-tailored garments because it will hold gathers and pleats. Often made into evening gowns, the fabric needs support at stressed seam-lines to prevent raveling.

Noil: This fabric is made from the short fibers left after combing and carding, so it doesn’t shine like other silk fabrics. It looks similar to cotton and has a soft feel against your skin. It drapes better than cotton and resists wrinkling, making it a perfect choice for travel garments.

Raw Silk: Raw silk is silk yarn or fabric that hasn’t had the sericin — the natural “gum” that protects the fiber — removed. The fabric is stiff and dull and the sericin can attract dirt and odors. Raw silk is used for silk flowers and for other items that don’t require flexibility or resistance to stain or wear.

Shantung: Today’s shantung is usually made from cultivated silk warp yarns and heavier doupioni filling yarns. Depending on the filler yarn, shantung can be lustrous or dull. Because of its firm, semi-crisp feel, shantung gathers and pleats into crisp fullness. It also ravels, so it isn’t appropriate for close-fitting styles.

Tussah: Tussah silk, also often called shantung, is made from the cocoons of wild tussah silkworms that eat oak and juniper leaves. Because the worm isn’t grown in a controlled environment, the moth hatches from the cocoon and interrupts the filament length, producing fibers that are short and coarse instead of long and lustrous. Tussah is difficult to dye and is most often available in its natural color, a creamy tan. Perfect for traveling due to its wrinkle resistance, tussah is appropriate for garments where shaping is produced by seaming rather than gathering or pleating. The ribs have a tendency to slip, so pin or baste well prior to stitching the seams.

Here are some tips for sewing silk fabrics:

• If the fabric is slippery, pin it to a sheet of tissue before cutting out the pattern.
• Use sharp scissors to limit fabric movement when cutting.
• To eliminate slippage while sewing, use a flat-bottom presser foot and increase the presser-foot pressure.
• Pin lightweight silks within the seam allowances. Be sure pins are sharp and free from burrs.
• Make sure your sewing machine is free of lint and oil.
• Sew with polyester thread.
• For lightweight silks use a new, sharp 65/9 needle; for medium and heavy weight fabrics, use an 80/12 needle.
• On lightweight fabrics, use a straight-stitch throat plate so the fabric isn’t pulled into the hole. If your machine only has a zigzag plate, cover a portion of the hole with clear tape.
• To avoid puckered seams and/or slippage, place tissue paper on the seam line on top and under the fabric before stitching.
• Mark lightweight silks with tailor’s tacks or dressmaker’s chalk.
• Finish seams with serging or use French seams to prevent raveling. Consider adding an extra 1/4” to seam allowances when cutting fabrics that ravel easily like doupioni, noil and tussah.

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