d'Italia - Designer fabric store, French lace, Wedding Dresses and Dressmaking

We all have different needs for different types of clothes. Maybe sometimes we need something strong, sturdy and resistant to use while working in unconventional environments, while other times we just want something light and airy to wear for a walk on the beach. One thing is for certain, though, when making clothes we always want them to be as comfortable as possible. These fabrics are some of the softest out there and cover a range of budgets and uses.

The best way to iron silk is to not iron silk. That sounds like an obvious contradiction, but this most delicate of fabrics is incredibly sensitive to heat, light, water, and chemicals. Silk wrinkles easily, and if it is stained or spotted, it is likely that the marks will never be successfully removed.

As different fabrics require different care instructions, such as the way it needs to be washed (dry cleaning or hand washing) or the way it needs to be hung - we look into the different fabrics and the way they should be cared for.

Melissa from d’Italia gives advice on how to care for your fabrics – covering different kinds of fabrics such as silk satins, wool, jerseys, wools, silk and linen blends, cashmere and silk chiffon.

There are numerous ways how to cut and tear silk satin. Majority of the time it’s always best to tear silk satin. But in the case of silk burnouts which is usually a satin and a then a sheer part of the silk, it’s always best to cut it - and you can cut it along the straight grain. When cutting silk satin, the first thing you do is to measure out the desired length.

This is a video on how to correctly cut and tear silk satins easily and without harming the fabric.

I’m setting out to dispel that myth that silk clings. Time and time again, we have ladies walking in, terrified to go near silk, thinking that it’s going cling and show off all those lumps and bumps. This is actually not true. There is a bit of truth in it that cheap silk will cling. Cheap silk fabric behaves like polyester so it will go static, and clings when you don’t want it to."

This video explains the myth of silk clinging, and shows some great example with tips and hints.

• Beaded fabrics and most silks need to be specialist dry cleaned. This ensures the fabric is refined and preserves its natural fibres.
• Some silk can be hand washed when handled with care. It is best to use a mild gentle hand wash detergent and lukewarm water. After rinsing do not wring, use a towel and press the fabric gently blotting away the excess water.
• Once a silk garment has been made do not store in plastic. Silk is a natural fibre with a protein base. The plastic traps moisture leaving mildew and yellowing. 
• When ironing place tissue paper under darts, folds and seam to avoid imprinting in garments.

Floral fabric prints, bright colours and light, trendy styles. These characteristics mark the onset of the summer season for Australia. For woman all over, full-fledged Spring and Summer are seasons to go all-out, fashion-wise. Throwing off thick winter coats and boots and donning bright colours and sexy designs are reason enough for a woman to get excited about the hot, sizzling months that are to come.

Petroleum or old water bottles – which would you prefer on your body?

Recent independent research shows that up to 90% of mainstream women’s clothing contains polyester or fleece – both being synthetic fibres formed upon a chemical reaction between an acid and alcohol. By definition, polyester is a type of plastic originally derived from coal, air, water and petroleum. As a clothing fabric, it is cheap, quick, and easy, and so most commercially-sold clothes are now made of this man-made material.