Working with crinkle gauze/crinkle silk
Hi,
Anyone good at working with crinkle fabrics? I am dyeing it and then sewing it into simple tops. Using a crinkle silk georgette 5mm.
There is a certain amount of shrinkage in the silk itself after it is dyed and washed and a large amount of width shrinkage when it wrinkles after washing. If I cut it out before dyeing it, just as it is after purchasing it, I am not too sure how much shrinkage to allow. Obviously, I can measure a sample yard before and after, but that is hard to translate into how much the width of a top will shrink. I wonder if there is something I wouldn’t think of to do. I like the look of the wrinkled finish, the casualness, traveling well, so the finished work will be left wrinkled, not pressed, so I need to anticipate what size it will be shrunken.
Also, serging the seams flattens the wrinkles too much, but I need to reinforce the seams, Would a small zigzag stitch, coupled with a french seam work better? It is not easy stuff to work with, it must not be too hard, there are lots of commercially made garments out there. I’m would guess they are not wetting the fabric, as I have to do in the dyeing process, but it does look very crinkly and wrinkled, unlike how it is when purchased.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Be well,
Kay
Replies
Hi Kay,
I have made crinkled garments in silk, however, I always make the garments first and use steam to set both the dye and the texture. All I did was to make the garment two sizes bigger than I wanted it finished, makinf sure that the armhole didn't end up too low.
Cath
Hi Cathy 2
Thanks, that is helpful - 2 sizes larger. And the part about the armhole is a good reminder, because the fabric doesn't crinkle vertically.
Be well.
Kay
I'm about to embark on several pieces of same, and we have been having a lively discussion over at PR. One gal starched all her seam edges and then sewed them with a straight stitch. I'm going to try that, but I also wash and dry a few times first and cut to FIT (I wouldn't know what I was doing cutting sizes larger), and sewing w a zznancy
Hi Dearborn,
What's PR?
Since you will be washing the fabric before you cut it, how will you manage the cutting out when the crinkles are wiggling about and it is not a flat piece?
Kay
PR is patternreview.comI only use a rotary cutter for cutting out.nancy
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