How to cut silk chiffon

Chiffon made of natural silk is very beautiful and expensive, but also a moody material, it slides a lot when cutting. And the hem often behaves quite like the main fabric ...

Here are some useful practical tips for cutting this complex fabric.
Before you cut the natural silk chiffon, wet and dry it. This fabric, depending on the composition of the fibers, can give a very different shrinkage and, theoretically, it is impossible to calculate. After that, iron the chiffon with a slightly heated iron without steam.
Now, pin the top of the cut and the edge as often as possible with pins, spreading the fabric on a non-slip litter. The angle between the weft and shared thread should be strictly 90 °. It is also better to fix a fold of fabric with pins.
Now, in no hurry, observing the direction of the shared thread, lay out and prick paper patterns. Often control that the angle is still 90 °, it is most convenient to do this using a square.
It is better to cut the fabric with special sharp scissors (for example Prym) for sliding and silk fabrics or with a circular knife on the mat.
In some types of natural chiffon, the edge can be tightened or stretched due to the fact that other fibers are earned in it. Therefore, before cutting, it is advisable to cut off the stretched edge, and make notches on the strained edge every 5 cm.
It is better to cut the edge this way: along the entire width of a piece of fabric, pull the weft thread from one side and cut the excess so that the cut is perfectly even.
Tip: if the slices crumble strongly, they can be treated with starch diluted in water or a spray for starching collars.


We thank the participants of our forum for their help in preparing the materials.
Material prepared by Elena Karpova