Playsilks

[kaspirant]

Is there something special about playsilks that makes them better than just buying some silk material and hemming it up?

I have one blue playsilk and my 10 month old LOVES it. We play peek a boo and he loves waving it around. I want more but they seem expensive and I think I can find silk and make them cheaper...TIA

[Mackenzie]

If you can do it yourself, then go for it. The only reason taht I would consider buying them is if they were really pretty (the color farm has AMAZINGLY beautiful ones!).

[alegna]

We buy blanks and dye them with koolaid.

I get blanks for around $3 each.

-Angela

[kathirynne]

More info, please!

Originally Posted by alegna

We buy blanks and dye them with koolaid.

I get blanks for around $3 each.

Where do you buy them?! (And what is the process for dying with Kool-Aid?)

My son desperately wants some playsilks, but they are just too spendy!

[kaspirant]

Originally Posted by alegna

We buy blanks and dye them with koolaid.

I get blanks for around $3 each.

-Angela

Where do you get blanks from?
If I can get solid colors for $5 would it be worth my time to make my own? I am a full time working single mama

[alegna]

I get the blanks from www.thaisilks.com/ but I know a lot of moms get them from dharma trading too. Dying with koolaid is embarassingly easy The acid is already in the koolaid, so you just need water and heat. The easiest method for solid color is to mix the koolaid and water and boil with the silk in (either in the microwave or on the stovetop) But I've done some other variations now, like wetting the silk and sprinkling the koolaid before heating in the microwave.

-Angela

[kaspirant]

Originally Posted by alegna

I get the blanks from www.thaisilks.com/ but I know a lot of moms get them from dharma trading too. Dying with koolaid is embarassingly easy The acid is already in the koolaid, so you just need water and heat. The easiest method for solid color is to mix the koolaid and water and boil with the silk in (either in the microwave or on the stovetop) But I've done some other variations now, like wetting the silk and sprinkling the koolaid before heating in the microwave.

-Angela

wow...that's a lot to choose from...is there a certain kind you get?

[alegna]

These scarves:

http://www.thaisilks.com/store/merch...gory_Code=3010

Mostly I do the 36x36 but I've done other sizes once in awhile as well.

-Angela

[kaspirant]

Thanks SOOOO much!!!

[alegna]

Random silk/koolaid dying tips:

reds don't work well- they run and wash out- and are always on the orange side
orange washes out
blues work quite well
greens are hit and miss
purple (grape) stays well, but is a bit muddy
yellow washes out

Anyone with others to add?

-Angela

[aprons_and_acorns]

We have had great luck making our own playsilks. We used dharma trading company blanks and kool-aid. It was so easy and fun. I couldn't find really detailed instructions anywhere, but once I started doing it I could see why. It really wass pretty foolproof for us. Easy and fun! We also used regular old food coloring and vinegar for some of the silks.

So far we have had good luck with all of the colors, although we haven't laundered them yet (just rinsed them occasionally) and they are used mainly inside (so they aren't out in the sun a lot.) I guess when they start to fade we'll just try to dye them again. Maybe it will work and maybe not But I knew it would be eons before we could afford to do it any other way, like with fiber reactive dyes, or storebought, so we did it the cheap and easy way!

There are pictures of them on my blog here (scroll down about halfway)

Edited to add permalink to our playsilks.

[zansmama]

We love http://www.atoygarden.com for playsilks, they're the cheapest ones I can find, and very sturdy.

[Erinok]

what exactly is a playsilk, and what is it used for?

[ma2maya]

Originally Posted by Erinok

what exactly is a playsilk, and what is it used for?

Playsilks(playcloths etc) are squares/lengths of silk that are used as an open ended toy. They basically can be whatever your child would want to imagine them to be...dress-up, a fort, a carpet, etc etc.

Kathy

[Staceyhsmom1]

I soak my playsilks in vinegar first, it helps to even out the dyeing. I have a bunch I made with kool-aid for my dd, and they are still vibrant, orange, purple and red.
Some people use koolaid and other drink mixes, some professional dyes, and some natural dyes.
I use special craft inks(regular ones bleed) too to stamp words and images on them.

I first found out about playsilks when I was homeschooling my ds and visited a waldorf winter solstice event. Most in the waldorf community use muted, natural dyes, and some use cotton gauze for a sheer look(cotton would also be vegan, where silk comes from the silkworm).

So I first saw them on wooden playstands as a canopy. then I learned all about them. Dress up: scraves, hats, capes, dresses, wings, for your nature table they become landscapes, rivers, meadows, oceans, dolly blankets, dolly slings. I've used them as natural gift wrap on occassion, especially to my own dd, lol They also make great fashion for us adults! There are some that are more see-thru than others, great for infant/toddler peek-a-boo.

[guestmama9911]

Originally Posted by Staceyhsmom1

I soak my playsilks in vinegar first, it helps to even out the dyeing. I have a bunch I made with kool-aid for my dd, and they are still vibrant, orange, purple and red.
Some people use koolaid and other drink mixes, some professional dyes, and some natural dyes.
I use special craft inks(regular ones bleed) too to stamp words and images on them.

Do you rinse out the vinegar before dying?

[Flor]

I did these with Koolaid:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1...r/DSC02882.jpg


I didn't really like the purple, a little "muddy" as a PP said, but other than that, I haven't had any problems with them washing out or anything. Beautiful. I used blanks from dharma. I did all of those in about 45 minutes. The blanks were 2.50 each, so ABSOLUTELY worth it. For a friend's dd bday, I 'm going to dye two blanks and make her a fairy cape.

The blue is nice, but does anyone know of a deeper blue color? More "night sky" and less "tropical water" ?

[naturallyspeaking]

Thanks for the info. sub...

[E.V. Lowi]

Originally Posted by Flor

I did these with Koolaid:

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c1...r/DSC02882.jpg

The blue is nice, but does anyone know of a deeper blue color? More "night sky" and less "tropical water" ?

Hi, Flor!
I all of love them! The purple looks like a night sky-can you mix some of the lighter blue with it?

[Kari_mom]

Originally Posted by alegna

Random silk/koolaid dying tips:

reds don't work well- they run and wash out- and are always on the orange side
orange washes out
blues work quite well
greens are hit and miss
purple (grape) stays well, but is a bit muddy
yellow washes out

Anyone with others to add?

-Angela

My experience has been diffferent. I do always add vinegar to the koolaid mix rather than just rely on the citric acid in the koolaid mix.

My favorite dyes are Wilton cake decorating colors. You MUST use vinegar with these, they have no other source of acid. But the colors are much more intense, so you aren't opening 6 packets of strawberry watermelon for a good rich red. The violet color is my favorite for purples, it ranges from a soft lilac to a rich royal blue that is perfect for a night sky. Wilton's also has some more subtle colors premixed, making it easy to get different shades.