Technique for Sewing with Raw Silk

Making garments out of some types of woven garments is a challenge...especially with loosely woven raw silks.  Check out this page for information on how to stabilize the seams of these challenge fabrics whose threads unravel before you can even get them near the sewing machine.  http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/30097/a-trick-for-working-with-raw-silk/page/all

From the article:
Recently, I purchased some raw silk for a spring jacket, even though I knew that it was problematic to sew. The issue with this kind of silk is with raveling – the seam allowances practically jump apart once you cut.

Here's an example of what I'm talking about. To demonstrate what happens, I just cut this piece out, and shook it gently for a few seconds. Look at the raveling! It's a nosebleed to sew!

I did a little experimenting before I began, and figured out this trick to keep the seam allowances intact. Know that this will use a little more fabric in cutting, but the results will be worth the fabric you'll waste in preparing the garment sections.

After placing your pattern onto the fabric, thread trace the cutting lines through both layers of fabric, leaving large thread loops above the fabric. Here's a close-up of the loops of the thread tracing. See what to do next at  http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/30097/a-trick-for-working-with-raw-silk/page/all