Silk Georgette Fabric
Semi-sheer silk georgette with a soft, grainy crepe texture and a floaty drape. A favourite for layered skirts, sleeves and blouses, and for printing.
- 27 colours
- 137 cm wide
- 100% Silk
- From $50.60 per metre
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Guide
Silk Georgette: Uses and How to Sew It
Why silk georgette is worth it, how it compares with our other lightweight silks, what to make with it, and easy tips for sewing it at home.
Why silk georgette?
- It breathes. Silk is a natural fibre, so it's comfortable against the skin, even in warm weather.
- A soft, matte glow. Georgette has a gentle crepe texture with no hard shine, and colours look deep and rich.
- Light, with movement. At 10 momme it's light enough to float, with enough body to swing as you walk.
- It takes colour beautifully. That's why georgette is a favourite for printing and dyeing.
Certified silk. All of our silk georgette is 100% pure mulberry silk, certified to two independent standards:
- GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard): the silk is organic, and traced from the farm to the finished cloth.
- OEKO-TEX Standard 100: tested for harmful substances, so it's safe against the skin.
Which lightweight silk?
These are our five lightweight silks. They're all 100% silk and 137 cm wide, but each one feels, falls and sews a little differently. Here's a quick look to help you choose.
| Georgette | Satin chiffon | Crinkle chiffon | Habotai | Crepe de chine | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feel | Springy, with a soft grainy texture | Soft and silky, with a gentle satin shine | Feather-light, with a soft crinkle | Smooth and soft, with a light sheen | Fluid, with a fine grainy texture |
| How sheer | Semi-sheer | Semi-sheer | Semi-sheer | Mostly opaque; pale colours show through slightly | Mostly opaque; lighter colours show through a little |
| How it hangs | Flows and moves | Falls softly against the body | Floats, with lots of movement | Light and close to the body | Drapes and swings |
| Great for | Floaty skirts, sleeves, blouses, printing | Draped and gathered styles, soft layers | Scarves, sleeves, easy layers | Linings, blouses, scarves, silk painting | Blouses, slip dresses, bias-cut styles |
| To sew | A little shifty | Trickiest: it's slippery | Shifty, but the crinkle hides small wobbles | Fairly easy | The easiest of the five |
| Weight | 10 momme | 6.5 momme | 5.5 momme | 8.5 momme | 16 momme |
New to silk? Crepe de chine is the easiest to start with, then habotai.
What to make with it
- Floaty skirts, sleeves and layered dresses
- Blouses with a soft, relaxed drape
- Scarves and wraps
- A base for printing, dyeing and nuno felting
Choose simple, generous patterns with few seams and darts: georgette looks best with plenty of room. It's semi-sheer, so plan a lining or wear a slip underneath.
Cutting
- Cut one layer at a time, on top of a sheet of paper, so the fabric doesn't shift.
- Use sharp scissors or a rotary cutter, and pattern weights or fine silk pins inside the seam allowance.
- Georgette frays, so finish the edges soon after cutting.
- Mark with tailor's tacks (a few loose hand stitches in a contrast thread) or a fine chalk pen. Avoid waxy chalk, which can leave marks.
Sewing
- Start with a fresh, fine, sharp needle (size 60 to 70) and a fine mercerised cotton thread. Polyester thread is stronger, but it can make fine silk pucker. Silk thread is lovely for tacking and hand sewing.
- Sew with a short straight stitch, 1.5 to 2 mm, to stop puckering. Hold the thread ends as you start so the fabric doesn't get pulled under.
- French seams look the neatest on a semi-sheer silk: the raw edges are tucked away inside.
- If seams pucker, sew with tissue paper underneath and tear it away after.
- Use a straight-stitch foot and a single-hole needle plate if your machine has one. If not, move the needle to the far left so the fabric is supported around it.
- Every so often, stop with the needle down and lift the presser foot so any ripple in the fabric can relax.
- Skip backstitching and topstitching, which can pucker georgette. Tie the thread ends by hand instead.
- Don't use iron-on interfacing. Where a collar, cuff or zip needs support, add a layer of skin-coloured silk organza instead.
- Put zips in by hand, or back the zip seam with a strip of silk organza first.
Hems
Let a skirt hang overnight before you hem it, as georgette can drop a little, then level the hem. A hand-rolled hem is the couture finish: it's fine and flexible, so it never weighs down the drape. For a quicker finish, the machine rolled hem below gives a similar look.
For a rolled hem, trim the hem allowance to about 3 mm, then roll it over to hide the raw edge and stitch by hand or machine. Keep a little finger pressure behind the foot so the edge doesn't stretch.
Pressing
Use a dry iron on the silk setting with a pressing cloth on top. Test on a scrap first.
Questions
Is silk georgette see-through?
It's semi-sheer: you can see light and shapes through it, especially in pale colours. Many dresses are layered or lined.
What's the difference between georgette and chiffon?
Georgette is a little heavier, with a matte, grainy texture and more spring. Satin chiffon is lighter and silkier, with a soft shine.
Is georgette hard to sew?
It's a little shifty, but its grainy texture helps it grip more than chiffon. Cutting on paper and a fine needle make a big difference.
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