The Best Tips for Working with Silk

As a designer, I have a love for bridal fashion. With that love comes the challenge of working with slippery fabrics such as silk. It took trial and error and about a yard of gorgeous silk charmeuse before I found the right technique. Here are my best tips!

1) Use a Rotary Cutter. Silk tends to be a very lightweight fabric which means it will slip and slide when you go to cut your patterns. I made the mistake of using scissors my first time cutting silk and ended up with janky and uneven edges. Opt for a rotary cutter instead of fabric scissors for a cleaner cut!

3) Adjust Your Machine. Be sure to lower the tension and stitch length on your machine before you get started. Lightweight fabrics require lower settings. The standard settings of my Juki machine tore up my silk on the first go, so always check your machine first!

3) Use Silk Thread. This is where I went wrong my first time working with silk. I reached for my all-purpose Coats thread assuming it would work just fine. I was so wrong! A stitch line didn't form and instead, I was left with massive holes from the needle in my fabric. Once I switched the all-purpose out for silk thread, every stitch was lustrous and smooth and it worked like a charm!