Whatever you do, wear your silk often...

Whatever you do, wear your silk often, and don't be afraid to wear it out.

                                                                                                Kelly Doust
                                                                                            Life In Frocks

100% silk sateen. This is my first made wedding dress.

Silks have been considered the most luxurious fibre since ancient times and nowadays, thinking about an evening gown or just nice frock for everyday life we look at silk fabrics.
Silks come to out life in wedding gowns and different exquisite garments. They make perfect lining for lace dresses.

This lace dress has 100% silk lining.
It was a wedding dress as well. 

The main thing with silks is: they are different in terms of quality, density and durability. There is very slight difference in sewing some silks and cotton fabrics, but others are unbelievably capricious.

Dart on the blouse...

Blouse I've written about in the last post was made of the extremely demanding silk, and it required a special treatment with lots of hand stitches.

...dart on the blouse, inside. Edge finished with bias binding.

Collar is enforced with collar stays, which are visible from the back side only.

 What you should know before buying the silk dress or blouse:

1. Be ready to delicate hand wash with mild detergent. Schedule this personal treatment otherwise it will stay in your laundry forever. Let your garment lay in the water with detergent suitable for silk for half an hour, then rub the stains  carefully, you can use sponge for it. Rinse thoroughly and lay it flat without twisting. Iron with a small amount of steam when your garment is still wet.  Are you ready to perform all this on a regular base?
2. No water spray! If your silk is glossy, even a little bit, it is vital to avoid splatter. Clean water can leave stains after it got dry, and they will remain till the next wash.
3. Hand wash is not that effective as machine one, and some stains are very hard to remove. After you put your blouse on several times you'll get yellowish circles around armpits, and sometimes it is impossible to remove them.

4. 100% silk is not long lasting fabric. It will become less glamorous pretty soon... Actually the fabric that requires full attention when sewing, takes even more when wearing. If your sewing master asks for extra price because fragile fabric needs more time - think it over one more time...














Honestly speaking... 

100% silk from Italy. 

I'm washing my silk garments in washing machine and press with hot iron despite the care recommendations on the label.  They loose a bit of glamour after the first wash but then stay the same for a long time.  This exquisite blouse with floral print on semi-transparent delicate silk and Spanish cotton lace on the hem- and neckline went occasionally to drying machine after wash with other clothing and stood severe drying circle. When it came out it looked a little "boiled", but it was even better for everyday wear. I wore it very intensively during one year and then gave for charity. By the way I found it absolutely perfect for Australian summer - silk protects from the sun and from the chilly wind.

It was my first summer in Australia, and I found that my silk blouse reduced the heat and created perfect microclimate for my skin.

Orange lining is silk with viscose.
Worked perfect!

Silk trousers is also a great option for comfort and beauty. Especially those of casual look.

To prevent this really hard life you can give preference to mixed fibres. Silk + cotton or silk + viscose works beautifully. These fabrics are wonderfully pleasant to touch your body, and look exquisitely. These trousers are made of wool + silk fibre. It is one of the most comfortable and gentle fabrics I've ever worn myself.