Lightweight Silk Fabric
Lightweight silks by the metre: smooth habotai, fluid crepe de chine and soft sandwash satin, plus hammered satin. For blouses, slip dresses, scarves and linings.
- 8.5 to 19 momme
- Blouses, slips and linings
- Most 100% mulberry silk
Guide
Lightweight Silk Fabric: How to Choose and Sew It
How our lightweight silks compare, which one suits your project, and easy tips for sewing them at home.
Which lightweight silk?
Light, soft and close to the body, these are our everyday silks for blouses, slips and linings.
| Habotai | Crepe de chine | Sandwash satin | Hammered satin | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feel | Light and smooth | Fluid, with a fine grainy texture | Soft and fluid, slightly peachy | Soft, with a softly rippled surface |
| Look | Gentle sheen | Matte, with a subtle lustre | Satin on one side, matte on the other | Luminous, textured satin |
| Great for | Linings, blouses, scarves, silk painting | Blouses, shirts, slip dresses | Slip dresses, blouses, lingerie | Evening wear, bridal gowns, dresses, blouses, skirts, shirts and soft jackets |
| To sew | Slippery, but light | The easiest: it stays put | Slippery: take your time | Slippery: take your time |
| Weight | 8.5 momme | 16 momme | 19 momme | 19 momme |
Also in this range: midweight silk habotai, 15 momme, a little heavier for linings and evening wear, and satin organza, a crisp sheer with a satin sheen.
Looking for something else? See our sheer silks, medium weight silks, heavyweight silks or stretch silks, or all our silks.
Which lightweight silk for your project?
| Making | Silks to try |
|---|---|
| Blouses and shirts | Crepe de chine, habotai or sandwash satin |
| Slip dresses | Sandwash satin or crepe de chine |
| Linings | Habotai or crepe de chine |
| Scarves and silk painting | Habotai |
| Lingerie and sleepwear | Sandwash satin |
| Evening wear and bridal gowns | Hammered satin |
| Soft, unstructured jackets | Hammered satin |
Cutting
- Cut as a single layer, on a large, clean table. Laying the silk on paper or a cotton sheet stops it sliding.
- Use pattern weights, or pin only inside the seam allowance.
- Use sharp scissors or a rotary cutter, and mark with tailor's tacks or tailor's chalk, tested on a scrap first.
- Satins can look slightly different from each direction, so lay all the pieces facing the same way.
Sewing
- Use a fresh, fine needle (size 60 or 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 2 mm stitch to stop puckering.
- To start a seam, hold the needle and bobbin threads taut behind the foot, and turn the wheel by hand for the first stitch, so the fabric isn't pulled down into the machine.
- As you sew, hold the silk gently taut in front of and behind the needle, like an embroidery hoop, but let the machine feed it: don't pull it through.
- A walking foot, if you have one, helps two slippery layers feed evenly.
- French seams give a neat, soft finish inside blouses and slips.
- Try not to unpick on satin: needle holes can show.
- Let bias-cut pieces hang overnight before you hem them, as the fabric can drop a little.
- As a lining, cut habotai a little roomier than the outer fabric so it doesn't pull.
Hems
A hand-rolled hem is the couture finish for lightweight silk: trim the hem allowance to 3 mm a little ahead of your stitching, roll it under between your fingers and slipstitch it with a fine silk thread. On blouses, slips and linings, a machine baby hem is quicker: press up 1 cm, stitch close to the fold, trim the allowance right up to the stitching, then turn it once more and stitch again.
Pressing
Use a dry iron on the silk setting with a pressing cloth on top. Press satins on the wrong side, as they mark easily under a hot iron. Test on a scrap first.
Questions
Which lightweight silk is best for a blouse?
Crepe de chine is fluid and the easiest to sew, habotai is light and smooth, and sandwash satin gives a soft satin finish.
Which silk is best for lining?
Habotai is the classic silk lining: light, smooth and comfortable. Crepe de chine works well too.
What is sandwash satin?
A soft 19 momme silk satin that has been washed for a slightly peachy feel, with satin on one side and a matte finish on the other.
Is habotai the same as China silk?
Yes. Habotai is also called China silk.
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