Why are the most luxurious fabrics often the most difficult to work with?
I’m talking silk chiffon and charmeuse here. Not any more.
I found this great article on Threads by Susan Khalje on how to firm up fussy fabrics using a solution of gelatin and water.
In brief, here is what you do
1. Add 2 tsp gelatin to 2 cups of tap water. Let sit for 30 minutes
2. Add 1 quart (950ml) of boiling water to this and stir to dissolve completely
3. Put your fabric in the mix and let sit for 1 hour
4. Roll the fabric in a towel and squeeze out excess liquid
5. Let air dry
Voila! Less stress for less!
Silk chiffon before
Silk chiffon after
After its gelatin bath, the fabric felt like tissue paper and went right back to its normal drape after rinsing in water. I also tried pressing it, and there were no dramas at the ironing board – it pressed beautifully!
Now, setting in that chiffon sleeve doesn’t seem quite so hair ripping does it?
Relax and Enjoy,
Kat
Are you speaking of silk chiffon Or polyester or nylon etc? I Could not put 30.00 per yd fabric In water solution. Just Wondering?
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Thanks for this Kat, I am about to make a top out of some lovely silk I bought in the sale at Potters, but was holding off until I got more pattern weights, how stiff does the fabric get?
Hey Jenny! The fabric doesn’t get stiff, more than just firm…more easy to manipulate because it doesn’t shift as much. It doesn’t feel hard though. My best suggestion is to take a square and try it out yourself and see what you think! All the best!
That’s an amazing technique. And you’re sure it won’t damage the fabric? I bought just enough of a yummy polyester chiffon this weekend to make myself a new party dress for my high school reunion, and I’ve never worked with type of fabric before. I’m almost afraid to even cut into it. I’m looking to you for help with this project already my friend, and was wondering if you have a post or plan a post on hidden zippers. I have a severe zipper phobia.
Hiya! Well, Susan Khalje (the couture godess) posted it originally on Threads and it is an age old couture technique, so I do trust her. She did demo it with silk chiffon and charmeuse, which in my experience are more delicate than poly chiffon. My best advice would be to take a square of your fabric and try it out and see if you like the result. Congrats on the party dress! Working with chiffon is new to me too, but I’ll try to help as much as I can. For such a flimsy fabric I would definitely reinforce the zipper seam with some silk organza or interfacing or some sort. I don’t use invisible zips much, but there is an excellent tutorial on Threads for normal zippers http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/3728/sewing-in-a-zipper/page/all and on Colette for invisible zips http://www.coletterie.com/tutorials-tips-tricks/tutorial-installing-an-invisible-zipper. All the best and please keep us all updated!
Thank you so much! I can’t thank you enough. I bought another silky fabric for lining so I hope they work well together. I have a feeling a lot of this garment will be sewn by hand, but the fabric is just so gorgeous it will be worth the effort. Thanks so much for the links! I will definitely check them out!
Hey, no worries! Fine fabric deserves fine technique…and besides, it’s uber enjoyable. Hope you find them helpful!
Wow, I am definitely going to try this tip.
Cool, eh? Try it on a scrap first to see if you like it. I love it!
Definitely! I work with chiffon a lot and I have both poly and silk laying around.
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