Silk Crepe de Chine ? Not a Problem !

Working with Silk Crepe de Chine is actually a pleasure because it is a tightly woven plain weave with alternating 'S' and 'Z' twist crepe yarns in both directions. 'Georgette' on the other hand is actually fabricated in the same manner but is loosely woven making it considerably more challenging to work with. Georgette moves around like cutting jello on a plate. Fortunately, there are a few super simple tricks to tame those tempermental fabrications.
 For all the pattern pieces that will receive fusible interfacing (collar and cuff)  I start out by testing a few different WOVEN fusibles to evaluate 'the hand'.   Crepe de Chine is a soft fabric and I want to make sure the collar and cuffs continue to look soft and feel pliable.  The 'crisp' look is better suited to linen and cotton fabrics in my opinion.  I prefer to use a woven interfacing as opposed to the all-bias variety because they will continue to roll on the bias areas (like the collar roll).  All-bias fusibles will 'lock' the grain movement from a natural roll.

Straighten the grain lines by pulling a thread or by tearing to achieve straight grain lines.  Warning:  Tearing the grain line may damage many fabrics.  Test on a small swatch first to see that tearing doesn't cause the fabric to have run marks.  Pulling a thread is always safer. 

Traditionally we have been taught to cut fashion fabric and interfacing pieces separately before fusing.  Unfortunately, lifting unstable fabrics like georgette from the cutting area to the ironing board for fusing shifts the grain and pattern shape.  You can compare any possible distortion by putting the pattern piece back on top of the unit before fusing.  This method is tedious to say the least.  I prefer 'block fusing' on small yardage to keep the grain lines perpendicular.  You can make use of the printed lines on the cutting mat to confirm the grain lines.  Fuse the interfacing to the fabric before cutting out the pattern units.

This collar component has a fold line.  Anytime I have a pattern piece with a fold line I use Pattern Ease or paper to create a full piece with no fold.   Pieces on folded fabric tend to shift when being cut causing a slight change in grain.


Do you waste more fabric with this method?  No, not necessarily if you plan well.  I will be able to cut out both cuffs in the middle !

Finding a light weight thread to match the fabric is actually pretty tough.  Thread that is heavier than the fabric most likely will affect the tension.  Time to peruse the thread options from Wawak ! The Mara 100 is similar to all those threads in our local stores.  The Mara 150 is finer.  Just look at the difference in the dimension of the two spools I photographed below.  

Also, if you happen to own one of the newer computerized sewing computers keep in mind their  default tension is factory set to work with 40 weight thread.  So, make those adjustments and stitch out a few test samples.  I found the Mara 100 to be too coarse on the crepe de chine. 

 (Tex 30 = 40wt.)  Tex 20 or 25 produces a smoother stitch on this weight fabric. 

I've been sewing on the Viking Epic for about 1 month now.  These sophisticated machines with all their fancy sensors most definitely sense variations with all the thread choices available today.  The machines in the 60's, 70's and 80's weren't quite as sensitive. Machines are factory set to work with cotton and 40 wt. thread.  After that you may need to make tension and pressure adjustments.  The manufacturer can't possibly know what fabrics or threads you will sew with.  I could put any thread in my Bernina 930 and it always had the most beautiful tension. I will never part with that machine!

I sewed the entire garment on the Epic with the exception of the buttonholes.  The stitch quality on the machine was beautiful after I made my normal adjustments to tension, stitch length etc. I had some issues with the buttonholes unfortunately.  I tested that walking foot for more than an hour. Although silk crepe de chine is very smooth it is not as slippery as charmeuse.  I couldn't keep those beads running totally parallel.   I ended up using my #3A clamp style buttonhole foot on my Bernina 830LE.  Perhaps fabric that has slightly more 'tooth' will have better results with a walking wheel.