Seams French

1. Prewash? 2. Underline with stabilizer? 3. Marking Choices? 4. Type of Batting? When starting any new quilt, there are many choices to consider and decisions to make regarding materials, designs and techniques. The above sample is testing background filler stitches. Working with silk creates it's own unique challenges. Although many quilters are choosing to work with silk today, resource info was scattered and hard to find, both on-line and in books. One invaluable source has been the book "Silk Quilts" written by Hanne Vibeke de Konig. Published in 2000, the information is well researched and still relevant today. 1. Pre-wash? Once the fabrics have been chosen, in my case it's a silk dupioni, the question of pre-washing must be resolved. Opinions in the quilting world vary on this, although my findings led me to believe most quilters choose not to prewash silk.  The draw back to this is that the quilt must then be dry cleaned if it ever gets soil...

Choosing and Prepping Materials Although I have quilted on silk in the past, never has it been on a scale like the 100" x 100" whole cloth quilt I am currently working on . There are  so many things to consider when quilting with less familiar materials like dupioni silk.  There's the question of  prewashing or not? Some say yes, others say never. Underline? When is it necessary? How will it affect the loft? Markers react differently on silk. Blue wash-outs can spread and must be washed out after the quilt is made, (you are then committed to pre-washing the silk).  Chalk marks easily and is fairly visible initially, but will rub off long before the large quilt is completed. What will show up the best on a dark fabric? Battings. Wool? High loft polyester? 80/20? Combinations of two? Partial combination, like trapunto style (see below). Which threads to use? Colour? Weight? Will it highlight the main motifs? Which thread disappears into t...