It would depend on how heavy the silk is. The last project I stitched on silk fabric was on a thin piece of silk so I put a piece of plain cotton muslin behind it to give it more weight and stitched through both pieces of fabric. A few silks, such as those made for upholstery or curtain are heavy enough to not need a backing.

Most of the fabrics I like to stitch on are the weight of cotton broadcloth. You can find that easily at most fabric shops so you can compare weights.

I prefer to use silk threads on silk fabric but you can use cotton threads if silk is not easy to find.

One of the biggest cautions is that many silk fabrics and threads are not washable so you should keep your piece clean while stitching. Use a hoop or a frame to keep the embroidery area straight and cover the edges so you don't handle them much.

I think that embroidery with cotton DMC is best, cheap and convenient

You can contact us if you want a nice embroidered product: http://www. Embroideryviet.com

I have never tried silk embroidery. I am a cotton person and silk embroidery is bit challenging for me.

I agree with Amy! Are you talking hand embroidery? I have troubles enough keeping dish towels or cotton to stay put in a ring! I would think silk would slide around everywhere!

If you're talking machine embroidery, I have no idea!

With embroidery hoops, you can wrap the inner hoop so it has more grip. Mary Corbet has a tutorial at https://www.needlenthread.com/2009/07/tutorial-binding-embroidery-hoop.html

I prefer working on a frame so that the fabric keeps a constant tightness and I put the frame on a stand of some kind, either a lap stand, sit on it stand, or a floor stand, depending on how big the piece is. Some people use thumbtacks, I use a stapler to attach the fabric and any backing. With silk fabric the method of dressing a slate frame is probably best: https://www.needlenthread.com/2008/07/dressing-slate-frame-for-embroidery.html

I've done hand embroidery with everything from wool, cotton, rayon, metallics, and both twisted and untwisted silk on everything from needlepoint canvas to silk fabric. My favorite is Au ver A Soie twisted silk on a smooth weave fabric - cotton or linen are nice. While it can be a little fiddling, the sheen is lovely and the color choices are great. With flat, untwisted silk, the sheen is even nicer, but untwisted silk can be a nightmare to work with!

Mary Corbet has a ton of information about working with all kinds of threads and fabrics on her web site and reading her blog is a university level education in embroidery.