Chiffon Fabric

Yes, because chiffon is a lightweight, loosely woven sheer fabric, the raw edges are highly prone to fraying as soon as they are cut. To prevent your garment from unravelling, you must finish the seams carefully.

For dressmaking, we highly recommend using enclosed French seams. If you are making costumes or quick crafts, finishing the raw edges with an overlocker or a narrow zig-zag stitch will also prevent fraying.

Because chiffon is a sheer, translucent fabric, it is almost always used as an overlay rather than a standalone garment fabric. If you are making a dress or skirt, you will definitely need a lining fabric underneath for modesty.

We recommend pairing chiffon with a lightweight satin, a breathable cotton lawn, or a smooth poly-lining in a matching or complementary colour to allow the chiffon to drape beautifully over the top.

Chiffon’s beautiful, fluid drape also makes it notoriously slippery under the sewing machine foot!

To prevent the fabric from shifting and puckering, try placing a piece of tissue paper or tear-away stabilizer underneath the seam as you sew. This gives the machine’s feed dogs something to grip. Once the seam is sewn, you can gently tear the paper away.

Pinning generously with ultra-fine silk pins also helps keep the layers together.

Chiffon can be ironed, but you must be extremely careful. Most modern chiffons are made from polyester blends, which can melt or scorch easily under high heat. Always set your iron to the lowest possible setting (usually the “synthetic” or “silk” setting). Importantly, always use a dry pressing cloth (like a scrap of plain cotton) between the iron and the chiffon to protect the delicate fibres, and never use steam, as it can cause water spots.