Sewing room essentials
10 must-haves for your sewing space: scissors, pins, needles, thread, and more. See our list.
Full articleProduct code 101-03-1002-R (5)
Similar in some ways to silk organza, crepeline is a sheer, stiff fabric with a slight sheen made of natural silk in a loose, plain weave. Used in restoration of historic garments but also as a lining, interfacing, and fashion fabric, our crepeline is the creamy color of natural silk.
Read moreShade: | ivory white |
Material: | 100% silk |
Width (cm): | 137 cm |
Width (inches): | 54 ″ |
Weight (mm): | 2 mm |
Weight (gsm): | 8 gsm |
Weight (oz): | 0.2 oz |
Drape: | stiff |
Care: | |
Availability: | while supplies last |
in stock 1 pcs
Silk crepeline is ultralight and sheer. It’s a stiff fabric with virtually no drape that really holds its shape, a quality it retains even after washing. Used widely in textile restoration to secure damaged areas and support fine, delicate fabrics and garments, it can also find any range of applications in your sewing studio.
This authentic textile conservator’s crepeline from a French weaver is slightly lighter and softer than our Bohemian crepeline but actually has a higher thread count. It is a truly “invisible” fabric, a characteristic prized by conservators restoring historical textiles. In ordinary dressmaking it is the very lightest, finest, most translucent fabric on the market.
French crepeline is not cheap, which is why we also carry an alternative Bohemian crepeline with a more down-to-earth price tag. However, the two fabrics are not interchangeable – Bohemian crepeline is a bit rougher and has a much looser weave than this delicate French beauty.
French crepeline is used mainly in textile restoration for virtually invisible fiber fixation.
In dressmaking it will play a role in places that call for a truly fine, transparent fabric that can magically hold its shape – sculptured ruffles, puffed sleeves, and the like. It makes billowy, layered skirts, like the one in Cinderella’s periwinkle dress in the 2015 Disney film. With crepeline you can conjure up diaphanous sleeves, extravagant new creations, and delicate accessories without even a magic wand.
Crepeline can be used to prop up more delicate fabrics like crepe de Chine and silk charmeuse by backing pattern pieces to help them keep their shape. When embroidering on delicate fabrics, use crepeline as an inconspicuous interface that you just stitch to the back and then trim to match the motif. Crepeline is also a practical underlayer for light, breezy garments where you want to maintain a featherweight airiness.
Compared with silk organza, crepeline has a looser weave and is sheerer, softer, and smoother.
This crepeline is produced in five-meter lengths. Thus, larger orders may be made up of multiple pieces. If this is the case for your order, we will contact you.
This fabric may be washed, but if you use it as an outer layer, we recommend dry cleaning at a reliable dry cleaner or very careful hand washing so that this delicate fabric is not damaged and keeps its good looks for a long time. If you risk hand washing, use lukewarm water and a delicate detergent for silks or woolens; do not wring or squeeze dry; block dry on a flat surface. Dry iron on a low setting (synthetics or silk).
Yes. Silk is our specialty. All fabrics marked as "silk" in our shop are always made of natural silk. You can rely on the fact that is always natural mulberry silk unless we say otherwise. If it is a different type of natural silk (e.g., wild silk), we will say so. We describe the many types of natural silk in full detail in our post on types of silk.
Washing is generally not recommended for silk – it belongs at the dry cleaners. However, as our big silk wash test has shown, some types of silk fabrics can stand up to a gentle wash program or hand washing without harm if you follow the procedure described. That said, wash silk at your own risk. We definitely recommend testing in advance on a small sample of the fabric – because silk is a natural material it's not 100% predictable. Never use an ordinary laundry detergent – use a special detergent for wool and silk or, if there's no other option, a gentle, silicone-free shampoo.
The fabrics in our core inventory, seasonal collections and limited editions are from repeated production cycles that we have quality-tested – given proper care their colors should not bleed. Fabrics that are on offer while supplies last are one-off products that have not been individually tested, so we recommend testing on a sample. Silk may lose some color when washed in water that's too hot or with unsuitable detergent. Always follow the recommended water temperature and use detergents designed for washing silk or wool. Washing silk, though it is often no problem, is always at your own risk. Read more in our post on How to wash silk.
If you are not going to dye the finished garment, we recommend a high-quality polyester thread for sewing silk. If you want to dye the finished garment, be sure to choose a silk thread (polyester does not take dye). The choice of sewing needle and thread depends on the type and weight of the fabric – for sewing particularly fine fabrics (chiffons, georgettees, light satins, light crepes) a thinner polyester or silk thread and a corresponding thin needle are suitable. Do not use cotton thread to sew silk.
Probably the best way to tell is the burn test. Silk burns reluctantly, leaving a black crumb that you can easily crush between your fingers and smells like burnt hair. Be sure to test threads pulled from both the weft and the warp. In addition to the burn test, there are a plenty of other tricks – check out our post on how to tell real silk.
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