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silk crackling with static!

melanie | Posted in Fabric and Trim on

A friend has just had a first fitting of a dress in good quality silk she hopes to wear at a wedding but was rather taken aback by the amount of static.  Has anyone experienced this with silk? She has had many suggestions about how to avoid it – wear static free underslip, perhaps it was a reaction to the fabric of her tights, interline it, etc. – can anyone help? any ideas would be welcome.

Replies

  1. rekha | | #1

    Most dry places will cause static on synthetic clothes, silk, hair etc. The simplest way is to leave a bowl of water somewhere safe in the room you are doing this

  2. Teaf5 | | #2

    While it's true that static is worse in dry areas and days with north winds, you can't change the weather, so you have to change how you handle the garment, your lingerie, and your skin.

    A couple of hard snaps of the garment (like shaking it out) can release a lot of static before you put it on.  Absolutely avoid tumbling it in a dryer; if it's washable, thoroughly wet it, hand dry, and iron on low. 

    If you're not allergic to it, fabric softener (either liquid in the wash or a dryer sheet lightly stroked on the wrong side of the fabric) can reduce static. If you're allergic to softener, you can mist the garment lightly (if it's washable, of course) just before putting it on.

    Make sure your skin is well moisturized; after applying lotion, run your hands over the inside of the garment; the tiniest bit of lubricant will attract the ions and prevent new static from forming.

    Synthetics aggravate static, so try to find a natural-fiber slip to wear underneath, treating it in the same way to reduce static.

  3. woodruff | | #3

    I've had this problem, and fought it pretty successfully by rubbing a fabric softener sheet all over the pantyhose I was wearing underneath.

  4. victoria0001 | | #4

    I think there was a tip in one of the recent Thread magazines ......... put a small safety pin in the inside seam allowance of your shirt, skirt, pants or whatever .... it will stop static cling.  Haven't had to try it yet but would like to hear if others have tried it.

    1. damascusannie | | #5

      Just for kicks I looked up "silk" at Wikipedia and they say that the reason it tends to be static-y is because it's a poor conductor of electricity. Remember Ben Franklin and his kite? He used silk for the last bit of the kite string so that when it was struck by lightning, he wouldn't be jolted, too. The main kite string went to the key in the glass jar.

    2. fiberfan | | #6

      A couple of my slips have several safety pins around the hem.  I have less static problems with them than ones of the same material without the safety pins.  The safety pins may stop static cling in other areas but they don't in the western US desert.

      Joanne

      Edited 4/23/2008 11:00 pm ET by fiberfan

      1. victoria0001 | | #7

        We will have to look forward to further suggestions and advice.

        Nice to learn something new.

         

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