Fear Not Silk
by Laurie Nienhaus
Silk. Sensuous and luxurious? Surely. A first option for vintage reproduction sewing? Certainly. Frightening to care for? Absolutely not!
And, one need not be enslaved to the dry cleaners! With a few facts within reach, you can confidently bid farewell to that extra errand stretching you to tardiness at either end of your day.
Madness you say? Not at all. Silk is not nearly as fragile as its hand would lead you to believe. Did you know that just a few trips to the dry cleaners noticeably dulls your silk? Hand washed silk, on the other hand, can be counted upon to continue looking its best, typically becoming softer over time.
While there are certain silks best dry cleaned, such as crinkled or brocaded silks, others, such as crepe de chine, charmeause, broadcloth, fuji, noil, habotai, and sueded or sandwashed silk, lend themselves well to home washing.
So how do you care for your silk clothing or yardage at home? Brief soaking in lukewarm water and a mild soap, such as Ivory Snow, Woolite, or Orvus Quilt Soap, is ideal. A mild shampoo (absent of additives) you would use on your hair is yet another option.
Rinse your fabric or garment and follow with a second rinse, to which a quarter cup of white vinegar per gallon of water has been added. This removes the soap residue that lessens your silk’s sheen. Rinse one last time so your nose does not detect any lingering vinegar smell.
Don't be alarmed if strong colors bleed. The excess dye will cease to appear after a few washings. However, you should wash your silks separately in case of color bleeding. Pre-washing before cutting and sewing is always strongly advised, but this holds especially true for intense colors, so that they do not bleed later and damage your garment.
Be sure you don't twist or wring your silk when hand washing it. Rather, gently squeeze and release and then place the silk flat between towels to dry. Iron on the wrong side of the fabric with a medium temperature while the silk is still damp. High temperatures are apt to create unwanted slick (shine). You may further consider using a pressing cloth.
Silk yardage can be successfully dried in the dryer, although it is advisable to remove it while still damp and to smooth it with your hand before pressing.
Silk possesses the marvelous ability to dye well but it's also prone to color loss. A little fading of the color over time cannot be helped, even when the fabric is properly protected from sunlight. This is one reason the insertion of underarm shields into your silk garments is so important. Our salty perspiration is acid, but it becomes alkaline upon contact with the air and can quickly change the color of the silk and weaken the fiber. Never spray perfume or deodorant directly onto a garment.
And what of the shrinkage question? Silk is a strong natural fiber, a protein actually, that does not itself shrink. It is the fashion in which the separate fibers are wound together during the weaving process that causes shrinkage. Silks that are highly twisted or very loosely woven will bunch up, as water will create a twisting energy within the fibers. However, silks of poor quality will also shrink at the dry cleaners. It is advised that you always purchase an extra 1/8 of a yard for silk sewing projects to accommodate any shrinkage during pre-washing. The maximum shrinkage you can expect is usually 5% to 10%, although some loosely woven silks could shrink as much as 15%. Again, pre-washing before beginning your project is very important.
We have been speaking of silk yardage purchased for sewing. What of purchased silk goods? The same rules apply, but one needs to exercise more caution. If you are unsure whether or not the garment was pre-washed before construction, or if your garment possesses a complicated construction, lining, or trims, you may still wish to dry clean, especially if you are worried about color bleed.
You can check for bleeding by performing a dye-run test: wet a hidden seam and, after a few moments, dab it with a white cloth. The white cloth will come away stained if the dye is bleeding.
The elegance and versatility of silk make it a perfect fabric for modern and vintage reproduction fashions. The fact that it absorbs moisture makes it a cool fabric to don in the summer and a warm one for bracing the cold. It is much easier to care for than you might first think. Fear not silk, my friends!
* If you prefer the crispness and high sheen of dupioni silk, we recommend you dry clean, as hand washing will soften the fibers.