Silk Jersey

What is silk jersey?

• A 100% silk knit. Soft and smooth, with the natural stretch of a jersey.
• A heavy, soft fall. At 140 gsm, it drapes and moves beautifully.
• 110 cm wide. Narrower than our woven silks, so allow a little extra.

Stretch silks side by side

Our silks with a little give, for fitted and easy-to-wear styles.

What to make with it

• Draped dresses
• Tops and camisoles
• Skirts and easy pants
• Loungewear

Cutting

• Lay it flat on a large table, without letting it hang off the edge, so it doesn't stretch out of shape.
• Use pattern weights and a rotary cutter, or very sharp scissors.
• Cut with the stretch going around the body.

Sewing

• Use a fresh ballpoint or stretch needle (size 70) and a good-quality polyester thread, which has a little give, so the seams stretch without snapping.
• Sew with a narrow zigzag or a stretch stitch, so the seams stretch too.
• Let the fabric feed through on its own: don't pull or stretch it as you sew.
• A walking foot, if you have one, stops the layers shifting.
• Stabilise shoulder seams with a strip of fine tape, so they don't stretch.

Hems

Let the garment hang overnight first. Silk jersey doesn't fray, so turn the hem up once, 2 to 3 cm, and sew it by hand with a loose figure-eight stitch so it can stretch. By machine, use a twin needle or a narrow zigzag. A strip of lightweight fusible knit tape inside the hem stops it rippling.

Pressing

Press from the wrong side on the silk setting, through a pressing cloth, with no steam, lifting the iron rather than sliding it so the knit doesn't stretch. Test on a scrap first.

Questions