Sewing Silk

Posted by Woolstitcher on January 19, 2009, 8:38 am

Hi, :)
I'm a fairly decent sewer, I have sewn everything from market bags to
complicated garments, however, I have never sewn with silk. A friend gave
me a small bag of 100% silk ends and left overs. I thought I could piece
them together to make the lining of a wool scarf. (I'm thinking that it
would have a stained glass effect)
I am concerned that the silk will pucker. I have seen other hand made silk
clothing and have noticed that there can be a lot of puckering. I have also
noticed that hand made silk fabric can develop runs easily, I'm fairly
certain this is a needle size issue, however I guess it could be the type of
thread used as well.
Can anyone give me suggestions on sewing silk, or lead me to a good website
that has good instruction? (I have googled around but haven't found what
I'm looking for.)
Thanks

Posted by Sharon Hays on January 19, 2009, 8:54 am

Woolstitcher wrote:

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OK. First off, what kind of silk are you going to be working with? That
makes a big difference in needle size and handling instructions. Like most
fabrics, the lighter and finer the fabric then the lighter and finer the
needle needs to be.

Look for this book:
http://www.amazon.com/All-About-Silk-Dictionary-Swatchbook/dp/096376120X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232372841&sr=1-2

another great book on fabric is:
http://www.amazon.com/Claire-Shaeffers-Fabric-Sewing-Guide/dp/0801978025/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1232373160&sr=1-3

Try your public library.

Sharon
--
Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of time and just annoys the
pig.

Posted by Woolstitcher on January 19, 2009, 10:01 am

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It's a bag of mixed ends. I'm guessing that most of the silk is medium
weight. It's all pretty slippery.
Thanks you for the references, I'll check today to see if my library has
them or will order them for me.

Posted by BEI Design on January 19, 2009, 3:45 pm

Woolstitcher wrote:
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Puckering may be caused by incorrect thread tension, or
improper needle size. It may also occur when two pieces are
joined on the straight vertical grain, and nothing much can
prevent that. It's not being "silk" which is the problem,
that may happen to seams in poly or cotton fabric as well.

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Unless this is knit silk, I don't see how it can "run". If
you mean that the edges ravel excessively, that should be
corrected by proper seam-edge finishing.

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Have you experimented with different thread and/or needles?
Whjat was the result? I would recommend silk thread for
sewing pure silk.

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http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-sew-silk-7177/

Beverly

Posted by Kay Lancaster on January 19, 2009, 5:42 pm

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Only if sewn with poor tension, poor fabric handling, letting plies slip,
or you try to cram too much thread into the seamline (aka "thread jamming").
If hand sewing, relax your stitches, and work with the piece on a table.
If machine sewing, relax the thread tension, use
smaller diameter thread, and possibly also tissue paper or other stabilizer
on at least the bottom of the machine.

http://www.syntheticthread.com/seampuckering.pdf

Oh, also: always wind bobbins at a moderate rate -- no high speed winds, no
fast/slow/fast winds -- it helps keep the bobbin thread from being stretched
when winding, and then puckering as it recovers its natural length.

Sharp needles for wovens, small diameter mostly for what I think you're
talking about, perhaps size 8/60 9/65 or 10/70. I prefer Schmetz microtex
needles for sewing silks, but any sharp will do. Ballpoints for knits.

If you don't want to use silk thread for sewing, for many lightweight silks,
I use polyester "bobbin thread" or "lingerie thread", depending on what I can
get hold of. My current favorite silk thread is Tire; the bobbin thread I use
is often Superior's.

http://www.superiorthreads.com/shop/category/bottom-line/description/
http://www.silkthings.com/understanding_thread.htm

It's fabric. You've got scraps. Relax and play and figure out what works
for you. Oh, and try washing some of your silk scraps. Hand wash with
shampoo, rinse well, dry. Small pieces can be plastered wet onto a mirror
or window and allowed to dry flat, no ironing needed. (Add a little vinegar
to the rinse water if you're in a hard or alkaline water area -- like wool,
silk is a protein fiber that likes a slightly acid pH.)

Some silks "needlemark" -- you'll need to keep any pins in the seam allowance
with these. Satins and other fine-yarn silks typically needlemark.

BTW, I often have beginners working on silk suiting scraps... gets the fear
of silk out of the way, and they've got a "luxury" product when done.

Kay

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