The Voice of Experience

One recent mishap has prompted me to write the following.

When deciding how to embroider your garments, please take into consideration the fact that silk  ribbon embroidery, at times needing to be ironed, requires a relatively cool iron setting, compared to most natural-fiber fabrics.   All natural fiber fabrics wrinkle.  There's no way around it.  Cotton and linen require a very hot iron to get rid of them.   Putting silk ribbon embroidery on either of these two fabrics will spell disaster for your work, if the hot iron touches that lovely ribbon!!   That ribbon will fry, curl up, and turn a nasty color.

Please consider saving the silk embroidery for silk fabrics. 

Now, if you have no choice...as I didn't...may I suggest the following method for ironing?

After washing*, press the garment all around the silk embroidery, then hang it up to dry completely. 

You can then turn down the iron's setting to a cooler temperature and do your best on the embroidered sections. 

Now...one day, in 2004, I was asked to repair a silk gown...the fabric had started to disintegrate.

Yes, it was one I had made.  The problem was that the threads holding the seam together were very strong.  So strong that the fabric itself was raveling.  When I sewed the seam back together, well, you can see the damage the presser foot and feed dogs did:

Notice on the left side of the seam, the two stripes.  That's "damage".  It's two long holes in the fabric now.

My sewing advisor said to INCREASE the pressure on the presser foot when sewing fine fabrics.  WRONG!!!!!!!

Doing so destroyed the fine silk.  I can keep taking it in, but in all fairness, I'm replacing the gown with a cotton batiste gown, and returning this one in the best shape I could put it.  I feel terrible about the loss, but glad "Mom" could use it for two children, anyway.

Delicate fabrics take VERY delicate settings.  If you sew, or decide to repair, use very light, or even NO settings.  Just let your machine's needle go up and down, while YOU do all the rest of the work.  Those feed dogs can be a menace.  They're great for denim, though!

*Don't be afraid to wash your washable creation.  If it's going to fall apart, you did something wrong anyway.  If you use pencil to mark your embroidery, well... pencil marks take scrubbing.  I love those blue water-erasable,  fine-point markers.  The newer ones (made this last year or two ) are improved and don't leave any trace.  They do bleed a bit, so I don't recommend them for fine lines that must be followed precisely.   

The purple, air-erasables should be banned.  Mine are all in the garbage!  They most definitely do NOT wash out, wear out, or disappear at all.

What a heart-break. 

I am very interested in your thoughts about all of this, and any suggestions and "voice of experience" stories you may have.  Please email me, and share them with all of us.

Thank you, Anne for the following comments:

Dear Judy, Just curious , but have you tried using a Teflon sheet to
place over the ribbon while ironing. I know from past experience that it
has saved me from a few disaster's. When I do embroidery on the backs of
satin finish jackets a hot iron will burn a hole in it before you can
sneeze.
    With the Teflon placed over the area I am pressing. I can use the
hottest setting on the iron that I  dare use. It is a real time saver in
my shop. One small piece will last forever if you remember to wipe it
off occasionally with a damp cloth. It does get build up on it from
starch, and adhesives.
    I suggest an industrial strength sheet. You can buy sheets at
Joann's or other fabric stores. But the industrial is a lot thicker and
can really take the heat. It can be bought by the yard and is cheaper
wholesale.  I hope that this helps.  Anne/knitpickers

AND THIS:

Judy, don't want to sound like a know it all. But do you iron over the
purple markings? If you do they will not come out. Any heat will set
them permanently. I have one that must be at least 2 years old. I was
making a beaded purse the other day and tested it out on the silk
lining. It did disappear after a couple of hours. Which actually was too
quick, I had to do the markings all over again because I was side
tracked away from it.
    It's just a thought. But maybe the iron is what is causing the
problem with the air erasable.     Anne

March 11, 2000

Anne:  My project involved a doll's head, and her face went on and stayed.  It was sewn and stuffed, so I had no opportunity to iron.  Nope, I just pitched them right then and there.  Don't miss 'em, either.  :) 

I truly appreciate your comments!!  Thank you.

February, 2006

• When sewing with such fine precious fabrics as silk batiste, nelona batiste, swiss organdy, etc, I use my Viking 1 or 1+ or Designer SE and use a size 8 sharp needle. 
•  I go over to Martha Pullen's website and order the 60 weight 100% cotton thread . I use this thread in the bobbin when I am machine embroidering, and I use it on both top and bottom when I'm constructing the garment.
• I go to Gunold & Stikma's website and get some "Filmoplast" and use it in a way they don't mention.  I do not put it in the hoop and tear it away to reveal the sticky stuff - none of that.  I just take the area where the embroidery is going to be and peel the paper off the filmoplast, leaving me with the sticky stuff which I stick down on the wrong side of the fabric where the embroidery will be.  (It is OK to leave a little extra filmoplast so it will be larger than the design.
• I also go to Gunold and Stikma and order Solvy by the roll and use it on top of my fabric where I am going to be embroidering.  Think of it as a sandwich.  The bottom slice of bread is the sticky filmoplast adhering to the middle of the sandwich which is the garment fabric and the solvy is the top slice of bread, When I am hooping, I hoop the fabric (with the filmoplast on the back) and the solvy all as one piece.  I pull the solvy a bit tightly so it doesn't distort or make a little mountain for your embroidery to have to climb over.
• Use a lower needle tension (that's the upper tension adjuster) regardless of what your sewing adviser says.  You can also put the sewing adviser on "Light" - but you'll need a low tension for lovely embroidery. Using the 60 weight thread in the bobbin will help a lot.  Take the sandwich you built and put that in the hoop - making sure that you have premarked the areas so that you can line things up correctly.  Hoop the entire sandwich - fairly tightly, but not forcefully.
• Line up your needle with the dead center of the embroidery - so things will end up where you  want.
• Never embroider the cut out piece of the garment.  Use a piece of fabric more than large enough to accommodate what you will be making. 
• When you have finished your embroidery, remove the hoop from the machine and tear off the solvy (none of that gooey water stuff).  turn the hoop over and gently spritz with a spray bottle of water the filmoplast side.  Then, while everything is still hooped, you can easily tear off the filmoplast from underneath the embroidery.  If anything is a little reluctant to quit sticking - either use the sewing tweezers to help it change its mind or a spritz of water.
• Unhoop the embroidery.  At this point, it is up to you whether to wash the fabric with the design on it or not.  At least spritz it well. 
• Take a very clean, fluffy bath towel and lay the piece embroidery side to the terry cloth towel side, and press the back with a CLEAN iron - whatever heat the fabric can tolerate.  Notice I did not say "IRON", I said PRESS.  There's a difference. 
• As you press the fabric dry, try to make it the least distorted as is possible.  Embroidery takes up room and it takes up fabric - but you should not have a nice piece of fabric with a nice embroidery on it and a lovely circle of puckers all around the embroidery design. 
• If you have to prewash the fabric and press it dry before you mark it for the embroidery - go for it.  That way there won't be any surprise shrinkage when you wash it when it's out of the hoop.
• Now take your embroidered fabric, embroidery side up, and take your pattern piece, right side up and lay it on top.  Make sure the embroidery is where you want it.  Pin and cut.

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2009

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