Mothers Day is Coming!

Last week I told you I’d share my Mothers Day project. She doesn’t know about this blog, or that I write for it, (yet), so I feel free to share it with all of you! I always make something for my mother for Mothers Day. She always loves whatever I make. I think sometimes she still views me as 5 yrs old and I drew a ‘pretty picture’ for her and she hangs it on the fridge for everyone to see! Lol oh I’m just kidding, but she does appreciate everything I make for her, which is a nice feeling.

This year, I wanted to make something very nice, that was easy and didn’t take a long time. Pretty high standards, huh? Well, in wandering around my favorite Idea Places (Pinterest, Craftgawker, etc) I saw a few silk scarves. And I thought, That’s it! It’s very nice (silk), easy (it’s a rectangle), and wouldn’t take too long. Perfect! And, since I’m a veteran bargain hunter, it would not be expensive! So, I started off at my favorite online fabric stores and started looking through their silks. I had decided to go with a solid color, rather than a print, because it would go with more things. I had to take into account what colors she usually wears and find something that went with those colors. (This is a lot easier if you live near your mother, and not 1000 miles away!) But I eventually ended up at Mood Fabrics (any Project Runway fans out there?). I’ve wanted to shop at Mood forever! Well, when I landed on their Silk Charmeuse page, they had every color under the sun and a few others! I was in heaven!

What is Silk Charmeuse? According to Emma OneSock it’s, “Silk charmeuse is pure luxury. It is soft, elegant, and surprisingly versatile. Charmeuse is a medium weight, woven silk with a lustrous appearance, rather like the surface of a pearl. And like the pearl which it resembles, it is an elegant classic!” If you ever want to know what a fabric is, or how to sew it or wash it, Emma OneSock has a very comprehensive fabric list.

The two pieces of silk

So, I found my two colors – ivory sand and coral. Perfect! I ordered a half yard of each one, making the cost around $20 (ish) for the scarf, which is NOT BAD!!!!  And, I was only going to use 1/4 yd of each piece, so I’d have some really nice leftover pieces for my doll clothes! And you know what, Project Runway fans? The fabric came in a Mood Bag!!!! I was thrilled – I emailed one of my sew/PR fans and said, “I got a Mood Bag!!!” lol She was just as excited as I was and I didn’t even have to explain it to her. Those kinds of friends are great Ok, on to the scarf! First, some finished pictures so you know what you’re making, then I”ll show you how I did it.

Scarf folded over

Hanging Straight

So, if you’re strictly a quilter and have never sewn with silk before, don’t panic! It’s not hard. I took pictures of each step along the way, and I’ll tell you exactly what I did.

The first thing i did is straighten the edges and then cut each piece in half, so it was 9" wide.

Once I had both pieces cut, I placed them right sides together and pinned one side together. You'll notice I did my pins 'wrong'! I placed my pins in the seam allowance so they wouldn't leave holes in the silk. It probably wouldn't happen, but better to be safe than sorry!

I sewed 1/4" seams along both sides. This is the second long edge, you'll see it didn't match up perfectly. I didn't worry about, I just took my 1/4" seam from the lighter colored fabric.

Now, we need to press those long seams open. Make sure your iron is set on silk, and test it on a scrap, before using it on your scarf.

Why do we want to press the seam open? When we turn it right side out, the edges of the scarf will press easier - you'll see. I also used a strip of Silk Organza as a pressing cloth over my seam, and I used a Sleeve Board to press, so that I could isolate each seam.

Then, sew one of the ends. Just one!

Cut off that selvedge excess

Cut off that corner, to reduce bulk inside the corner.

Press open the end seam as shown. Much easier than trying to wrestle the end seam onto a sleeve board!

The other end is still open. Before you turn it inside out, fold over the ends as shown, and press. This will make it so much easier close the seam, with a blind stitch.

I keep a good supply of silk thread on hand, it's wonderful for needleturn applique. It just sinks into the cotton fabric and disappears! But it's also going to work nicely on our scarft end. I picked a color tha matched the lighter fabric. I pinned the ends closed, and you can see that I have nice pressed edges to work with.

This is a blind stitch. You simply weave your needle back and forth INSIDE the fold of the fabric, and you'll never see a stitch on the outside.

And here it is finished - nice finish for the end of a silk scarf. And it's also done! Easy Peasy

So, there you go. Working with silk is not hard at all, in fact, it’s quite fun! I used a Schmetz Microtex Sharp Needle size 80/12 and some regular cotton thread for the machine sewing. I only used the silk thread on the end. Just pin the seams every inch or so, so it doesn’t wiggle away from you, pin in the seam allowance, and press with the iron set on silk and you’ll be in tall cotton before you know it! And actually, I could make another scarf with my other half of the fabric, but I prefer to use it for doll clothes. So, essentially you could get two silk scarves for about $20 (ish) – not a bad deal for something so luxurious!

What are you making Mom for Mothers Day?