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- Step-by-step instructions
- Helpful pattern templates
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Getting Started
Here are some helpful hints and tips about sewing with silk:
- Silk requires a sharp needle. Put a new needle on your sewing machine whenever you start a new project with silk. A dull needle can damage the fibers and create pulls or holes instead of piercing through them as a sharp needle will do.
- Silk pins, made for sewing silk, are super-sharp. Ball-point pins (for sewing knits), or regular pins that are dull from use, can mutilate the fibers just like a dull needle will. Use either silk pins or the sharpest pins you have, and keep them in the seam allowance, rather than piercing the main fabric, to protect the look of the finished work.
- Be sure you use fabric-only scissors when cutting silk, and make sure they are sharp. Sharp scissors will keep the fabric from slipping as you cut.
- Don’t oil your sewing machine before sewing with silk. Any oil residue will leave a permanent stain on the silk.
Clipping Curves and Corners
When you sew a pincushion inside out, all of the material in the seam allowance on a curve will bunch together when turned right side out. To help it find its own space and lay flat, snip about two-thirds of the way into the seam allowance in several places on the curve. This allows the fabric to overlap slightly where it was snipped and results in a smoother curve and seam on the right side (see figure 1).
The same is true of the fabric on a corner. When turned right side out, it will fold on itself to try to fit into the close confines of the corner. Before turning right side out, clip straight across the corner of the seam allowance, halfway between the stitching and the corner of the fabric. (In a project that will be stuffed, don’t cut too close to the stitching, or it will weaken the corner and be the first place to burst open under pressure.)
Skill Level
- Experienced Beginner
Materials
- Pear, apple, and banana patterns (found at the end of the instructions)
- Scrap paper for pattern
- 1⁄8 yard (11.4 cm) light green silk, 2 shades
- Dark green silk scraps
- 9" x 12" (22.9 cm x 30.5 cm) felt
- Thread, black
- Polyester fiberfill
- Wood-covered wire, 3" (7.6 cm) long (sold in craft stores)
Tools & Supplies
- Sewing scissors
- Measuring tape
- Hand-sewing needles
- Sewing machine
- Pencil with an eraser
- Knitting needle
- Wire cutter
- Hot glue and glue gun
| Copyright 2007 Lark Books | Acknowledgments & Disclaimer |
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