sewing with silk

I've discovered that the fabric flowers I was making last week can be made more like 'real' flowers if silk or fine polyester is used instead of the cotton. Here is a peony-type flower I tried from fine pink polyester fabric, and green lining fabric for the 'leaves'. The lightness of the material is good for curling into petals, and the effect is a bit more like one of those flowers you sometimes find on old ladies' hats.

I don't really like sewing with silk and other slippery fabrics. I feel nervous, then almost always make mistakes, and then it's so much harder to unpick. I've had an old piece of lily-printed silk for years- I remember buying it in my first year of university at a market on Cuba Street, Wellington. It's a vintage Hoffman design. I love it so much, and wanted to make it into something, so finally cut a bit off and made this bag. (Hmm, you can see our neighbour's construction work in this picture!) It's for a belated birthday present for a friend. It's just a simple sling-style bag, lined with a sage-green cotton. I saw some gorgeous bags like this on the internet (can't remember where), but made from vintage kimono fabric. They were beautiful, but I'll have to practice my silk-sewing-skills so I can try making some more!

Comments

[Helen]

That pink flower is gorgeous! Good discovery! I totally want to make some of these, now.

[rhiannon]

Lovely! I like both types. The others were more like windter flowers : )
How do you stop them fraying? Have you tried that spray on no-fray stuff? I've always wondered how well that worked!

[Rachael]

I was wearng a very beautful Melissa made flower today and I liked that the gold fabric frayed so that it looked as though I had glitter sprinkled on my vest. Getting them in the mail today did put a smile on my dial!!