Natural silk, satin and chiffon are luxurious, flowing materials, products from which look incredibly sensual and expensive. However, when working, silk requires jeweler's precision: the fabric slides on the table, warps when cutting, and ordinary needles leave puffs and cut holes in it. In this guide, we have collected 10 professional couture secrets for working with slippery fabrics.
Guide Contents
- Secret 1. Cut in one layer on a cotton backing
- Secret 2. Microtex needles No. 60–70 and ultra-thin polyester threads
- Secret 3. Fixing parts with masking tape or thin pins
- Secret 4. French (linen) and Moscow narrow seam
- Secret 5. Delicate WTO: dry ironing without drops of water
- Couturier advice: using a water-soluble stabilizer
- Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Secret 1. Cut on a non-slip backing
Line the cutting table with a cotton sheet or flannel. The silk adheres to the cotton fibers and stops moving when cut with a circular knife.
Secret 2. Microtex needles
Use Schmetz Microtex needles with an ultra-sharp tip (Slim Set Point), which do not pierce, but delicately move apart the finest threads of silk weaving.
Secret 3. French closed seam
Seam allowances on silk products are never processed with a rough overlocker. A double French seam 4–5 mm wide is used with a completely clean back.
Secret 4. Moscow seam for the bottom of the dress
The edge is folded 3 mm, stitched 1 mm from the edge, the excess is cut off close to the stitch, after which the edge is folded again and stitched “line by line”.
Secret 5. WTO silk
Iron silk only on the “Silk” mode (up to 130°C) from the wrong side without steam, as splashes of water leave stubborn stains on the satin.
Advice from the Master
Sew silk items using a walking foot (upper feed) with a stitch length of 2.0–2.2 mm. And you can download proven patterns for silk dresses and blouses in the catalog ready-made patterns Vykroyka.com.ua.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
How to remove a puff on silk?
Gently pull the fabric diagonally at the tightening point so that the thread falls into place, or take the loose loop to the wrong side with a special thin needle with a rough end.
Can natural silk be washed in a washing machine?
We recommend hand washing only in cool water (30°C) with a special shampoo for silk without spinning.
Expertly designed patterns are the key to a perfect fit of any product. To be the first to learn about the intricacies of design, modeling and trends in the sewing world, subscribe to our video channel Pattern - Ready-made patterns.
