Ironing a silk veil

lilya

Member
Apologies if this has been posted before - I think I remember seeing a thread, but I forgot to save it and I cannot find it anymore searching by "iron silk". I've managed to get away without ironing my silk veils so far (only performed with one once and it was new, no folds/wrinkles from storage), but seems that the time has come for me to learn how to iron silk - I've just bought one that will need some extra attention. The fact that it's white is a little extra scary, too.
Any advice on how to approach this ironing silk process :) or find info that may have been posted earlier would be greatly appreciated!
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Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
I've never had problems ironing a silk veil - just set your iron for silk, keep it moving, and Bob's your uncle!
 

Shanazel

Moderator
You can put a pressing cloth between the iron and your silk to avoid marks and possible scorching. Still want to keep that iron moving and on the silk setting but a pressing cloth is one more layer of protection for the silk and one more layer of peace of mind for you.
 

lilya

Member
Thank you, Zorba and Shanazel! Didn't even occur to me it may be a bit easier than a multi-step "standard operating procedure". :redface:
 
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Shanazel

Moderator
People are more scared of handling silk than they actually need to be. I've been pretty brutal with some of my pieces but only one has really given me fits, a length of raw silk dyed a gorgeous green that crocked like crazy. Found out later that the staff at the store where I bought it knew about the crocking problem but didn't bother to tell me. I'm still ticked about it fifteen years later. :lol:
I recently washed it yet again in hot water since nothing else has helped. The crocking has finally stopped but the silk looks pretty beat at this point. I will probably use it for fabric collage someday since I can't bring myself to toss it out.
 

Ariadne

Well-known member
So... I had to look "crocked fabric" up. If I got it right you mean that the dye in the fabric would bleed?
 

Ariadne

Well-known member
I thought bleed meant both. Guess I learned something new today. :)

I hate it when that happens, especially with my allergy to certain dyes; colorfastness really matters. I spent $80 on a pair of high quality jeans once that I couldn't wear because they crocked. I thought it would be fine because the pair I had before that from the same people were so colorfast it didn't matter what color they were. Boy did I learn my lesson.
 

Raqas8

New member
Definitely put a put a pressing cloth between the iron and your silk, that has worked wonders for me in the past!
 

Suzanne Azhaar

Active member
Sew for years and didn't know what crocked meant. I'd be pissed if fabric did that (reminds me of that arsenic green fabric). Use a pressing cloth, iron it, and done. Store carefully. (Do I store carefully? No. Which is why I end up ironing when I need one. :lol:.)
 

Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
Another, but unrelated, tip for veils:

Store them with a smelly candle - the kind of candle that is in a jar. That gives your veils a very faint scent, which adds to the Belly Dancer mystique in restaurants and other "intimate cabaret environments", and beats smelling musty at all times. Just make sure you like the scent!
 
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