Wednesday Sewing - Silk Fabrics

Okay - I've decided on the dress I'm making for my niece's wedding.  A few weeks ago, I wrote about the candidates from my vintage pattern collection here.  While I love the 50's vintage look, I'm going with the Belinda Bellville 1970s wrap dress.  And I've decided to make it from silk - so my next choice is what type of silk fabric?  I'm not sure if I'm going to dye it myself, but I ordered the silk sample pack from Dharma to get a feel for the different weaves.  Mmmm - it's heaven to thumb through all the different silks!  I cut several out of the running for being too sheer or for being velvet.  I love velvet, but not for this dress!  That left seven possibilities.

Silk Habotai 16 mm - This is the basic "China Silk" in a heavy weight.  It's very soft, lightweight, and lustrous.  This could have a nice drape for a wrap dress, but I'm a little worried about the "cling factor."  I'm not fond of having a fabric hug my body!

Heavy Crepe de Chine 30mm -  This has a soft sheen and a soft drape that seems perfect for this dress.  It's known to be a forgivable silk when it comes to sewing and it doesn't fray - big pluses.  Crepe de Chine has a slightly wavy texture from reverse twisted weft threads (one's twisted one way and one's twisted the other way).  I also got a sample of stonewashed Crepe de Chine that I really like the texture of, but it's thinner (16.5mm) - a little too thin.  If I could find a heavier stone washed one, it might work.

Silk Noil - This is thicker than the other silks and still has a good drape.  Silk noil is woven from the short fibers that are leftover after carding and spinning silk.  It's not supposed to be as durable as other silk, but I don't think that would be a problem in this case.  It's supposed to sew easily and resist wrinkling.  The texture is great - there are little nubs all over it.  On the down side, it doesn't look a lot like silk!  More like cotton - but it does feel wonderfully soft like silk.

Silk Dupion 19mm - This is shimmery silk with lots of texture - raised silk slubs and intermittent shiny threads. It's crisp, though - a little like taffeta.  I'm not sure this is the best choice for a wrap dress ... but it is gorgeous.  It also seems to ravel a lot, which would make for tough cutting and sewing.

Silk Satin - 12mm - This is a yummy, shiny, silky fabric.  Probably too much cling factor, though.

Sand Washed (sueded) Charmeuse 19.5mm - Another shiny, sensuous silk.  Probably great for lingerie, not for this.  Cling factor again! 

Silk Twill 12mm - This fabric has a smooth texture, but you can still see a diagonal twill weave.  I think that twill weave would make it a little too stiff for a wrap dress.

Hmmm .... right now I'm thinking a heavy Crepe de Chine.  But I am intrigued by the texture of silk noil.  And after savoring all these silk samples, I'm coming up with more silk sewing projects for the future!

Happy Creating!  Deborah