Working With Silk - Circle Skirt

There are plenty of great circle skirt tutorials here on instructables and all over the web in general, so this will just be a few quick tips for how I make mine, as well as for working with silk.

1. Do the math! I love the app from By Hand London it just makes everything so much easier.
2. Get the right equipment! Especially when working with silk.

• You need, and I mean it seriously, you need high quality bridal silk or lace pins. They are much finer, usually shorter and wont leave great marks through your silk like standard pins will.
• Super sharp, clean, free moving scissors! No snags! I keep a pair just for working with silk and chiffon!
• New! as in brand new every time you start another project with silk! Machine needles in a very fine point, most brands make ones just for silk.
• Iron cleaner! Yup, clean it before you use it! There is a whole world of nasty that lurks on your iron that you never know about till you work with a very fine fabric.
• Feet! either a zipper foot or an invisible zipper foot. I wouldn't recommend an elastic waist on silk...
• High quality 100% silk or 100% cotton thread... Poly blends just don't end well.
• Pattern paper...cut all your pieces first then pin and cut your silk, try to avoid chalking as it is a pain to get off the silk.

3. A very clean working surface! Just in case you didn't get that from all the new, clean stuff mentioned above!
4. Quality material. I am a little pedantic and like to buy from smaller chains and stand alone stores because I feel they care more about the quality of their fabrics. If you are in Sydney, Australia these are my two favorites; The Remnant Warehouse & Tessuit's.
5. Time and patience. Think twice, measure twice, cut and sew once!