Sew Along: Working with Silk

Silk can feel intimidating, especially when you don’t see it often in your shop.

In this training, we talked through the realities of cleaning, pressing, cutting, and altering silk gowns, including what makes silk different from other bridal fabrics and why it requires a little extra care.

We covered practical tips for working with silk, including stain concerns, water spots, vodka misting, pressing with a press cloth, using the right pins and needles, cutting slippery fabrics, and why some seamstresses choose to take gown-cleaning education even if they don’t plan to offer preservation as a full service.

The second part of the conversation shifted into what bridal stylists and shop owners need to understand about alterations. We talked about sizing, sample gowns, large bust support, unrealistic promises, proportion changes between sample sizes and ordered sizes, and the importance of building stronger relationships between bridal shops and seamstresses.

If you’ve ever felt nervous about silk or wished bridal stylists had a better understanding of what can realistically happen in alterations, this replay is a really helpful one to watch.