Detail:
The name “charmeuse” translates from French as “charming woman”. Our Charmeuse in white is a lightweight, luxurious, soft, and shiny fabric generally used in evening-wear, lingerie and bridal or wedding gowns. This fabric’s gorgeous shine and soft drape make it ideal for bias cut gowns, skirts, and blouses. Charmeuse can also be used as a decadent garment lining fabric and as soft touch to home decor or bedding projects. It can be challenging to work with, but silk charmeuse is a unique and beautiful fabric that just can’t be duplicated. Our silk charmeuse is first quality and available in 97 colors.
Hand:
Face side of fabric has satin finish giving it a soft, silky handfeel. The back side is not as silky as the face but still smooth to the touch
Luster:
Face side of the fabric has a high degree of shine, and the back is more matte – silk charmeuse is almost always used with the shiny side as the face
Tips & Trick:
The high shine of this fabric makes every seam, pucker, and mistake more evident. It is more suited for garments with less structure (which is why it works so well on the bias!) and doesn’t lend itself to tailoring or extensive seaming.
Use with nap cutting layout (i.e. all pattern pieces laid out in the same lengthwise direction) so all pattern pieces reflect light the same way and shading is prevented.
Cutting charmeuse on the bias will cause the fabric to grow. Let your garment hang for at least 72 hours before finishing the hem so it reaches its full length.
The fabric tends to move when laid out for cutting. Layer the fabric between two sheets of tissue thin paper before cutting to stabilize. Hold fabric in place using fabric weights or fine, sharp pins (like our extra fine pins). Keep cut fabric pieces pinned to tissue paper until right before you’re ready to sew
Use tissue paper as backing when sewing seams together to help stabilize fabric – tear away once seam is secure
Use a new, thin needle when sewing this fabric to avoid snags– especially when machine sewing
Use silk or cotton thread to sew
Lower the stitch size setting on your machine to help prevent snags (8 to 10 stitches per inch is a good estimate, but it’s best to experiment on a test swatch before sewing)
The best finishes for charmeuse are French seams, very narrow hems (1/8” is best), or purl stitch
Care:
Hand wash with gentle detergent in cold water. Hang to dry and iron on “silk” setting w/pressing cloth. Dry clean if preferred.
Order by the Yard (Minimum order quantity is 1)
100% Grade A Silk Fabric
44/45" Wide
19mm
Imported Fabric
WE DO NOT GUARANTEE COLORS OVER THE INTERNET & STRONGLY ADVISE PURCHASING A SWATCH.
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