Help, I think I ruined my silk!
 

I have always washed my fabric before cutting it to put into a quilt. Recently I was given some beautiful Dupioni silk for a crazy quilt and of course I washed it. Now it's very wrinkled and I can't completely iron out the wrinkles. I bought some liquid fabric softener and thought I'd try that, but before I do I thought it best to bring this problem to the Quilting Board to see what you would recommend. I hope I haven't ruined my silk! Help!

i washed dupioni once. it didn't go well.

i learned to like the new crepe-ish texture, but i was never happy with the colour.

sorry :(

aileen

I found this:
http://www.ehow.com/how_8231600_wash-dupioni-silk.html

I had always heard that you should wash silk in shampoo, as the fiber is similar in quality to hair!

Edit: Also found this online:
https://texeresilk.com//main/cms/sil...eaning_washing
which mentions that dupioni silk changes texture and sheen when washed.

here is some more info......http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/load...tml...I've used it in crazy quilts, but have never washed it.

I too washed some as it was very musty and with my allergies it was that or toss it. *gasp* It is crinkled and textured but I find I love the effect in a crazy quilt. I didn't check out the links but at this point you might have nothing to lose if you want the sheen and flatness back.

piney

Further down in the second link there is mention of how to get wrinkles out of silk. Do try to hang the material in the bathroom and run the hot shower. The page mentions that humidity helps to get wrinkles out.

Keep in mind that the quilt is likely to be washed (isn't it? Unless it's a wall hanging you are making). So, whatever the end result of washing the silk maybe you should just go with it, since the quilt owner is unlikely to treat it the same way you do, if you do something special for washing it.