Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
This video is about turning oddments of silk into scarves to dress up your classic wardrobe
Strategic use of scarves and squares will vastly increase your options
In reality it is about how to neatly finish edges on silk and silk chiffon
A badly chosen method can ruin the enjoyment of wearing this gorgeous material
The edging mustn't dominate the look of the scarf. We want to stop the fraying and increase
wearability
I am going to show you my favourite method
Firstly, I want to talk about some of the fabrics that I will be making into scarves
and squares
Silk is not nearly as expensive as you think
I bought most of these silks at sale time and some for less than £10 a metre
I will be making shirts or shirt dresses out of the longer cuts and kerchiefs out of what
is over
Patterns and plains combined, make lovely two sided squares
This is another option for a neat finish and I shall cover that in a future video
These colours will look stunning with my Blue Jeans Pattern
and it doesn't have to be real silk. Many of the man-mades are amazing
This fabulous devoré fabric, often called burn-out. Some of the fabric is 'devoured'
using chemicals, leaving solid and translucent parts of the pattern
Again patterns and plains in man-mades
So, back to the edges
I had about 2 metres of this chiffon and I ripped it in half lengthways for a scarf
The selvedge was fine left as it is and the ripped edge has rolled and is a pretty good
edge without further finishing but it may not last many washes
I frayed the ends, which is another good method but you need to remove a good inch of crosswise
threads to make the edge stable
We come to machine finishes
You see this a lot and it is horrible. Just plain overlocking
Here is a so called rolled hem. again using an overlocker
It's stiff and nasty in my opinion
This is hemmed using a Felling Foot. I don't like this finish much
A thin double fold and running stitch along the edge
Perhaps you can get away with it on a dress hem but not a silk scarf
No it won't do
Again, using the overlocker, a narrow rolled hem which is just not subtle enough
So I'm always looking for alternatives
This square has been through many, many washes. It was my favourite scarf for years to wear
with jeans, at the neck or as a headscarf
I still love this print though I'm not crazy for flowery patterns
This is my favourite finish, a twice round, narrow zigzag over the edge made on my old
5mm stitch width Bernina.
Most machines today are 7mm and my newer Bernina is a 9mm machine and needs a different technique
If you are lucky enough to have a 5mm machine, hang on to it!
It's not just about scarves. I use this finish on all lightweights where a hem is not wanted
This pretty evening blouse, again made in a man=made fabric, gets the treatment
It's perfect for ruffles. Lovely cuffs with Swarovski Crystal buttons
and a lovely finish to the jabot to complete this glamorous evening look
So, to start we want freshly cut straight edges
To straighten an edge in most woven fabrics, make a snip at the selvedge and pull out a
couple of threads
Pull up gently until you can see the disturbance in the weave across the complete length
This is your guide for cutting
Cut off the selvedge, we want the edges to be the same on all sides
So we are ready for the machining
I'm using an embroider foot which allows for a little more bulk under the middle of the
foot to cope with our edge stitching
My stitch width is set to half the standard zigzag width and the length is about a regular
machine stitch length
We are not after a satin stitch look here
Guide the edge into the middle of the foot, it will roll a little which is what we want
But don't worry if it's not perfect because the second time round will sort things out
You can even go around three times on some fabrics
Take care at the corners. Some machines behave better than others
Get as close as you can and make sure you finish with the needle down and on the left
and turn the corner
The fabric may need a little encouragement at this stage
A good trick is to use tweezers rather than fingers to keep the fabric taught as it approaches
the foot
So, continue all the way round tow the start, snip the threads and go round again
You will find the second round much easier as the feed dog has more to grip
So this is the finished result
This is a very organic edge. I feel it doesn't impose itself on the character of the chiffon.
If you are watching this on the YouTube Watch Page, please leave a comment below
I would love to know if you sew with a 5mm, 7mm or 9mm sewing machine
My next video will cover this subject using the wider 7/9mm sewing machines
So I hope you will be making scarves. The quickest way to add versatility to your clothes
Visit my site, angelakane.com for my own design patterns, in-depth sewing videos and instructional
eBooks
Thank you for watching