(First posted January, 2016)
Frieda Anderson was the Guild’s Instructor and Lecturer on January 15-17 and offered many of her wonderful cotton and silk hand-dyed fabrics for sale. With no experience using silk, I had some questions which she graciously answered for me and our readers.
Frieda, I bought some of your gorgeous hand-dyed silk at our Quilt Guild meeting on January 16 but I have some questions about how to correctly fuse it into my art quilts. Could you help me with some tips?
Q: I see that the label says “Please wash before using.” What do you recommend?
A: Thank you for purchasing this very durable product. I wash this in my washing machine with the machine set on Color and use warm water and a mild detergent. While this product has already been washed and rinsed twice, I want to make sure that there is no residual dye left in the fabric before you start to use it in any of your projects. That is why I suggest you wash it again. AND then you will have the pleasure of ironing the silk and seeing all the beautiful possibilities of the colors while you are doing so.
Q: What fusible do you recommend using with silk?
A: I use the silk the same way I use cotton and I use the Pellon product WonderUnder #805.
I use a hot dry iron to apply the fusible web to the back of the pressed silk, following the manufacturer’s recommendations on the packaging.
You can also use Misty Fuse if you are using this in clothing or for a bed quilt. Misty Fuse is a softer, lighter fusible web.
Q: Can I mix silk with my hand-dyed or commercial cotton fabrics in an art quilt?
A: Absolutely, I do it all the time. Here is an image of one of my quilts that has three different types of fabric, my hand dyed cotton, my hand dyed cotton/silk blend, and my hand dyed silk. This “Woodland Secrets” quilt won an award in Paducah (see featured image).
Q: Will the silk work with any batting or should I consider a different kind?
A: I have used all kinds of batting and really any batting will work fine, but if you are unsure always do a test sample first.
Q: Are there any tips about quilting with fused silk? For example, how do I keep it from fraying?
A: I fuse all of my silk pieces and the fusing keeps the silk staple. If you are using it in a project that will be washed you should of course finish the edges with zigzag stitching or buttonhole stitching. I have absolutely no problems quilting on top of the silk. I often use rayon or silk thread to do my zigzag stitch and my machine quilting, but cotton, polyester, and monofilament all work well too.
Q: Maybe there are some questions I haven’t thought to ask. Do you have other tips for working with silk?
A: I usually leave the paper on the silk after fusing it with the WonderUnder when I cut out designs from the fused silk, as it gives it more stability when you are handling it, but other than that I don’t treat it any differently than I do my cotton. I think you will find that it will give your project a beautiful sheen and lusciousness that cotton doesn’t have and you will fall in love with the feel and look of the silk.
Thanks so much, Frieda. I can’t wait to use these beautiful fabrics in my next art quilt!
Mary Beth Donovan & Frieda Anderson