World Wide Quilting Page

Question of the Week

Question for the week of February 10, 2003:

Our question this week comes Marisa M:

I have a number of scrap silks from kimonos and find it difficult to use them in quilt making because they move too much. Any tips on how to use them in patchwork?

Joan R. :
Use the lightest fusible web you can find and fuse to lightweight muslin. Cut pieces and sew as usual. Or use Sulky temporary spray adhesive; lightly spray to wrong side of silks; press apply to muslin. Cut pieces and sew as usual.

Eileen Gorzelic :
Use them in foundation piecing.
Crazy quilting works well with silks
too. You can mix them up with other
fabrics, cottons, satins, etc. And
embellishments are a nice touch--embroidery
beading.

Good luck.

Bettie :
I have made many, many Tie quilts and I use a product called Whisper Weft to stabelize my ties. Especially the silk ones. I have also use a fabric foundation to do a quilt. Good luck,

Lois Willingham :
I've used freezer paper to work the silk. Ive also used spray starch to stiffen it. When you clean the finished quilt, it will come out and the silk will be soft again.

Ruth/Quiltnut :
use an iron-on stablizer on your scrap silks. Happy Stitching.

Patty Miller :
I found when making crazy quilts with kimono type fabric that spraying them with sizing before sewing them to a foundation of muslin is very helpful

jan e. :
I have heard of putting tissue (read Kleenex or TP) paper between the layers you are sewing, use tiny stitches and tear out when stitched. Hope it helps.

colleen :
iron the fabric to freezer paper When you are done sewing you can just peel the paper off

Pat :
Foundation piecing is definately the way to go! Whe doing regular piecing I use lots of fine pins made for silk. I also use tissue paper. I place tissue paper on top of the pieces I am sewing, and on the bottom. I then sew through the tissue paper and tear it off gently when I'm done. This helps to stabalize the silk and keep it from slipping all over the place! I have used iron on interfacing but I find it leaves the pieces to stiff.

sunflower :
there is a fusable-iron on that you can use to stablize the silk so it doesn't shift-I have used it on silk ties-an acetate

Caroline :
Hopefully, your silk fabric is not loaded with tin, because any sharp creases and over time, the threads will break and fray. But the crazy quilt method is the way to go.

db :
Try a crazy quilt, done on a foundation fabric such as muslin.

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