playsilk questions please?

[eden/averymum]

Are play silks just regular silk? Are they something special? how do I make my own? Or else where can I get inexpensive ones plain?

[OTMomma]

They are usually Haboti silk. THey come in lots of sizes, but the traditional ones are square, and a pretty good size square for a child's size. I get plain ones form www.thaisilks.com and dye them with koolaid. I just gave directions for dying them in another thread, so if you search playsilks, you should find lots of info.

[candipooh]

OTmomma, thanks for the web site.

What size do you like best? I am thinking of getting 4
of the 30 x 30
4 of the 35 x 35 and
one of the huge 44 x 44 one

That is just over $26 with shipping.

I hope to get them and dye them before christmas.

[OTMomma]

I think the "best" size depends on the child's age. I remember reading in a thread somewhere here with age/size relation- like a 12" square is best for babies, 24" for age 1, 36" for age 2, I'm not sure. My dd enjoys having a variety of sizes, though I think that now at 3 she'd really like to have a couple of big 44" or 56" squares to add to her collection. Since they are so light weight, a child can handle one that's huge compared to his/her size.

Good luck with your project.

Laura

[candipooh]

Thanks Laura.

I looked and looked but cannot find the "how to" use kool-aid. The site I had saved is no longer up.

Could you point me in the right direction?

Did you find that using kool-aid would cause the clolors to run?

[OTMomma]

I can't find the threads with the directions I use either. The trick to making sure your colors don't run is to make sure to use enough heat. And if you discover its running later, you can put it in a baggie with water and microwave it some more.
Here's the method I used:
soak playsilk in cold water to get it wet all through (at least 10 min)
In a ziplock bag combine: 1 Pk. KoolAid, 1TBS Vinegar, 1 Cup water, disolve koolaid.

Put playsilk in bag. Slosh around to coat playsilk. Put in microwave for 1 min, then use pot holders to slosh around playsilk. Repeat a couple of times. Watch the playsilk while microwaving, it could catch fire, though my only big problem has been if the bag gets too full of steam and explodes.
Slosh around and repeat until the water is clear or almost clear, then let it cool in the baggie. Rinse in cold water until water runs clear.

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...silk+microwave This thread has some other directions.

Good luck! I hope this helps!

[JenniferC]

You may also want to check out Dharma Trading - http://www.dharmatrading.com, they have good prices, and sell dye and dye supplies as well . Have fun!