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Practice with silk I need a practice project
Megan21475 Member since 8/25/12 Posts: 1	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/25/12 10:38 PM I'm thinking of sewing a bridesmaid dress for next June. I've been sewing for about 30 years but have made mostly cotton pajamas, shorts, shirts and diapers. I've never really tailored anything or sewed with silk. Does anyone have a suggestion for a project that I could sew with silk that would need to be tailored? Thanks for your help. Megan -- Edited on 8/25/12 10:39 PM --
LarryD   Advanced Member since 8/8/12 Posts: 20	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/25/12 11:22 PM I am pleased you have given yourself a goodly amount of time to get in touch with the fabric. Sewing with silk can be fussy. You have been sewing for thirty years the silk has not. Any of the garment you have mentioned would be a perfect project to practice. plus you know how to put them together. Find a quiet time of the day to practice I like to experiment very late at night the house is quiet the phone has stopped you mind is yours. Pour a glass of wine! There dosen't that feel better. Get the same or simuliar silk close to what you will be using for the final dress. Play with it. A rotery cutter, the larger size is a very helpful tool for this. Make piping, button holes, facings with top stitching, rolled hem.....models of techineques you might be using for real. You might want to use a very light spray of an adhisive designed for sewing and put using it on tissue or an underling fabric to stabilize the fashion fabric. If you use an underling keep it in place. Go nline and find site dealing with fussy fabrics. You get it, dont you let it get you. Take charge it can't be the first time. Keep cool and carry on. Much sucess. ------ "Dr. Doodle"
Skaapie Intermediate SOUTH AFRICA Member since 3/26/09 Posts: 90	Login to reply to this post 1 member likes this. Date: 8/26/12 1:39 AM I don't really have any suggestions about what type of garment to sew, but (raw) silk is one of my favourite fabrics to sew with. It has more grip than its synthetic counterparts and presses nicely too. The first time I sewed with it I was also scared because it's pricey, but no more! I'd sew with silk any day! Finally, if in doubt, hand baste. It may take a little extra time initially, but once you sit at the sewing machine, things run so much more smoothly. And little machine stiches are so much harder to undo than basted ones. Good Luck, and happy sewing!
sarah in nyc Advanced NY USA Member since 1/8/05 Posts: 1593	Login to reply to this post In reply to Megan21475 << 1 member likes this. Date: 8/26/12 8:01 AM Saing sewing with silk is like saying sewing with cotton...there are many different weights and weaves and each handle differently. Some are no more difficult to sew than a aquliting cotton and others are a bear to cut out or to sew...so let us help you...tell us what sort of silk you will be sewing. ------ sarah in nyc www.sewnewyork.blogspot.com
Tina Rathbone   Advanced Beginner CA USA Member since 9/16/02 Posts: 73	Login to reply to this post Like this post Date: 8/27/12 3:55 AM If you're talking slippery (vs. "raw" or other, tougher silks), and you like to collect machine feet, the "jeans foot" is recommended for slippery fabrics. Tina in San Diego

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