Does anyone know how to use or sew with pure silk fabric?
A friend gave me the most beautiful piece of pure silk fabric. She's had it for many many years. She told me who gave it to her, but she told me as she was handing me the fabric, and I was so overwhelmed with the beauty of this fabric that I didn't hear a word she said. Then in the next instant I realized she GAVE me the fabric because she said she'll never do anything with it.
The fabric is blue and gold and has a holographic look to it. One way you look at it, it's all a beautiful deep blue. You look at it another way, and just the flowers are blue and the rest is gold. The black of the fabric is a solid gold color.
A friend gave me the most beautiful piece of pure silk fabric. She's had it for many many years. She told me who gave it to her, but she told me as she was handing me the fabric, and I was so overwhelmed with the beauty of this fabric that I didn't hear a word she said. Then in the next instant I realized she GAVE me the fabric because she said she'll never do anything with it. 
The fabric is blue and gold and has a holographic look to it. One way you look at it, it's all a beautiful deep blue. You look at it another way, and just the flowers are blue and the rest is gold. The black of the fabric is a solid gold color. There must be 4 yards of this fabric and it's about 24" wide. I decided I would take a 24" square of fabric and try to fashion a beautiful scarf to go under a winter coat. The fabric is very delicate. I lightly ironed up a small double hem on each side and have it pinned.
My question is, should I use a sewing machine to sew the four hems, or should I do it by hand. Should I use silk thread, or another kind of thread? Has anyone had experience with silk?
4 comments:
it truly is beautiful. No advice on how to use it, but your smart quilter friends will have a solution.
Gail, it is truly beautiful fabric. Lucky you! Unless you are super-confident that your sewing machine can do a small rolled hem, I would hem it by hand. I've heard that to include silk in a quilt or quilt-like item, you can fuse some interfacing to it. That will make it less drape-y, and give it more body. Good luck, and let us see a photo of you in your new scarf!
If I were confident with my machine I would machine stitch it. Silk is quite a durable fabric.Depending on the weave, it may ravel a lot. In that case you will have to take the same cutting and sewing care that you do with loosely woven cottons. If using it in a quilt, fusing on a light weight interfacing, as MS suggested, is what I would do too.
Talk to LaVerne, she'll be able to advise you..
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