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I bought a whole roll of expensive silk for a dress and it was a huge mistake
I saw this beautiful silk online and ordered a 10-yard roll for about $300. When it arrived, the texture was way too slippery for the structured dress I had planned. I tried cutting a pattern piece and the fabric just slid everywhere, ruining the shape. I ended up wasting over half the roll on failed attempts before giving up. Has anyone found a good way to work with super slippery fabrics without going crazy?
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robert646mo ago
Oh man, that "fabric just slid everywhere" part is so real lol. I had the same fight with some charmeuse. What finally worked for me was taping the pattern pieces right onto the fabric with painter's tape before cutting. I also started spraying the back of the fabric with a light starch spray and pressing it, which adds just enough stiffness to handle. It's still a pain but way less of a nightmare.
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white.grant4mo ago
The starch trick is smart but just a heads up, you want to be careful with the spray adhesive thing. I tried that once and it gummed up my rotary cutter so bad I had to stop and clean it mid cut. Plus if you use too much it can leave a residue that shows up after you wash it, especially on lighter fabrics. The painter's tape method is solid though, I do that with silk charmeuse and it saves my sanity every time. Just make sure you're using the low tack kind, regular masking tape can pull threads on delicate fabrics. And definitely press from the wrong side only, direct heat on the right side of charmeuse can leave permanent shiny marks.
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blake4326mo ago
Yeah, @robert64, taping it down is a game changer. I'll even put a big cutting mat on the floor and use weights on the pattern corners if it's a really slippery piece. That starch trick is smart, I've used a bit of temporary spray adhesive on the wrong side too, just a super light mist so it doesn't gum up the scissors. What kind of project are you using the charmeuse for?
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