Sewing curved hems – circle skirts and beyond
For a rounded hem, like on a circle skirt, a simple fold-over won't work. What to do? Master these simple tricks for finishing curves.
Full articleProduct code 101-34-0142
A crisp natural silk fabric in burgundy with a very subtle slub, quite similar to shantung, silk dupioni is a popular choice for formalwear and bridal fashions but also works well in everyday pieces and accessories.
Read moreShade: | burgundy |
Material: | 100% silk |
Width (cm): | 138 cm |
Width (inches): | 54 ″ |
Weight (mm): | 24 mm |
Weight (gsm): | 104 gsm |
Weight (oz): | 3.1 oz |
Drape: | slightly stiff |
Care: | |
Availability: | while supplies last |
Minimum order: | 0.2 m |
in stock 61.7 m
Fine silk dupioni is a popular choice for formalwear and bridal fashions. It has a slight sheen, a dazzling color palette, holds its shape well, and has an elegant, luxurious look. A comfortable, breathable fabric, it’s a godsend for formal dances or summer weddings. Dupioni also makes beautiful everyday wear – dresses, skirts, trousers, and jackets. It looks great in accessories like clutches, ties and kerchiefs, bows, and silk flowers. And it can bring color to an interior too – in pillowcases and lux window treatments.
Silk dupioni is immediately recognizable for its distinctive texture. Fine warp threads are interwoven with weft threads of uneven thickness, resulting in an irregular, crosswise, slubbed stripe. This surface texture is more subtle in our fine dupioni, which is quite similar in appearance to the even smoother shantung silk or the more papery taffeta. If you have a rustic look in mind, try our classic dupioni.
Dupioni holds its shape and works well in structured garments. For simpler items such as a summer skirt or dress, try using it without a lining. Otherwise, dupioni pairs well with silk linings such as habotai or silk serge.
We recommend dry cleaning this fabric at a reliable dry cleaner. Hand washing will make this fabric lose its stiffness and shine and can cause creases that cannot be ironed out. Dry iron on the lowest setting. Avoid water droplets.
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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