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Playsilks - Page 8

post #141 of 211
11/21/07 at 8:47pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sora View Post
Where do I get koolaid? I'm in Canada. Is it non-toxic dye?
I wonder why playsilk. Can we use nylon scarves, receiving blankets and so on?

Koolaid contains food grade dye, so despite making little ones hyper with colorful lips it is non-toxic. Any koolaid beverage type mix will work. Also, Wiltons frosting dyes work too.

Food grade dyes classified as acid dyes which will dye protien(animal) fiber but won't work on cellulose(cotton etc) fibers.

Funnily though Nylon will dye with acid dyes. So you could conceivably use koolaid or the like. However, b/c it is a syntetic fiber you might get different color outcomes than you would with silk or wool.

Quote:
i havn'et had a chance to read the whole thread...but where is the cheapest(including shipping ) for silk blanks?
Dharma Trading and Thai silks are the best resources. Both are comparable price ways.

Kathy
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post #142 of 211
11/23/07 at 1:46pm
Thank you all for the info...I've considered playsilks because my daughter loves playing with blankets, scarves, etc., but the expense has been daunting. A dying project sometime next year when she's a bit older and can participate sounds like fun.

But looking at the Thai Silks and Dharma Trading pages, there are lots of materials listed under "silk". Which material works best for the best price? Here's Dharma's page: http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/3273-AA.shtml ...which category should I be looking under?

Thanks!
post #143 of 211
11/23/07 at 5:22pm
under Dharma, i got the Habotai Scarves for the normal/big sized ones... and for the 11" size ones, there were under silk accessories as lady hankerchiefs
post #144 of 211
11/28/07 at 3:49pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KJoslyn78 View Post
under Dharma, i got the Habotai Scarves for the normal/big sized ones... and for the 11" size ones, there were under silk accessories as lady hankerchiefs
I just ordered some. You can only get the 11" ones by the dozen? : I don't know if we'll need that many! I can't wait to dye them!
post #145 of 211
11/28/07 at 4:11pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrsAprilMay View Post
I just ordered some. You can only get the 11" ones by the dozen? : I don't know if we'll need that many! I can't wait to dye them!
yeah - but it's under $6... and i used the 11" to test my dying on... since i would have some to spare

plus i think i'm going to give a few away as gifts too in that size
post #146 of 211
11/28/07 at 6:28pm
yes, they make great gifts!!
Kathryn
post #147 of 211
11/29/07 at 9:40pm
I've used the Dharma habotai in the 35x35" and the 22x22" sizes, and I like the bigger ones better. They're more versatile.
post #148 of 211
11/29/07 at 9:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by sora View Post
Where do I get koolaid? I'm in Canada. Is it non-toxic dye?
I wonder why playsilk. Can we use nylon scarves, receiving blankets and so on?
Silk is soft, warm, natural, durable, and beautiful. I have other play cloths, but the silks are by far our favorites. They also take food dyes and natural dyes (which are readily available) more easily that synthetics or even cotton.
post #149 of 211
11/30/07 at 12:03am
Just ordered my first ever playsilks from dharma. I cannot WAIT to get started!! I'm a cake decorator, so I have tons of colors!! They're gonna be for 3 y/o dd for Christmas!
post #150 of 211
11/30/07 at 12:59am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mallori View Post
Just ordered my first ever playsilks from dharma. I cannot WAIT to get started!! I'm a cake decorator, so I have tons of colors!! They're gonna be for 3 y/o dd for Christmas!
I'd love to see how some of the other colors come out!!!

i love the seasons silks in magic cabin esp... so i'm trying to figure ut how to match those colors
post #151 of 211
11/30/07 at 8:04am

Do they have to be colorfast?

O.k., this is probably a really dumb question - but do the playsilks *have* to be colorfast? I dyed some building silks for my dc (using Wilton food colors) - and I think if I threw them into the washing machine I would lose some color (or a lot, depending on the color). When I was rinsing them, at least one - orange - just would not rinse clear. I absolutely love the colors I have, and I don't want to risk losing them.

We have silks that we have had for years (professionally dyed), and I have never washed them. Is it only a problem if they get wet or need to be washed??
post #152 of 211
11/30/07 at 5:05pm
I've dyed some of mine and got some very interesting colors - Iwill have to take pictures and post.

After a run through the washer (I couldn't seem to get the excess out myself) mine are color fast and I had played with some of the gentle bleach from clorox (I had a sample) and it muted some of the colors - it took a purple, from straight grape, and made it a lightish navy color and a lime dyed square went to teal/ turqouis.

I needed mine to be color fast DD is still young enough to mouth everything, the first test silk I gave her (orange) wasn't colorfast - she had dye around her mouth and all over her hands. : This is how I found out that I apparently wasn't getting the excess out.

I've only played with the smaller squares, can't wait to do the bigger ones. I tried to combine colors for a tie dyed look or a transition from one color to another but didn't have any luck, anyone else?
post #153 of 211
11/30/07 at 8:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ubelle View Post
After a run through the washer (I couldn't seem to get the excess out myself) mine are color fast and I had played with some of the gentle bleach from clorox (I had a sample) and it muted some of the colors - it took a purple, from straight grape, and made it a lightish navy color and a lime dyed square went to teal/ turqouis.
Just a heads up. Sodium hypochlorite(your common household bleach) should not be used on silk. It destroys the silk fiber. So I don't recomend using it to discharge or mute/alter the colors of your silks.

Safer options(for you and your silk!) are hydrogen peroxide or sodium hydrosulfite(i.e. RIT color remover).

Kathy
post #154 of 211
12/2/07 at 6:44pm
Does the Gentle care (I think that's what it's called) bleach use the same chemical?

I had a sample so I wouldn't have used it except it was around.

But thanks for the heads up - the packaging said that it was gentle anough to use on your silk clothes - I took them at their word - Silly me.
post #155 of 211
12/2/07 at 7:06pm
Looking at their site the Ultimate care gentle bleach is still sodium hypochlorite.

BTW-Do you recall how thick it was? I amalways looking for a better option than electrosal gel to do discharge(color removing) stamping on cottons. This clorox product might fit the bill. Was it the consistancy of say shampoo?

I would also suggest running your silks in a wash with some OxiClean to neutralize the bleach. Despite washing and rinsing sodium hypochlorite can still hang around and continue to eat away fibers slowly unless neutralized.

FYI-don't ever use an acid like vinegar to neutralize bleach. This is a common misconception unfortunately. The reaction between the two chemicals produces chlorine gas. Not so good!

Kathy
post #156 of 211
12/4/07 at 6:15pm
It was almost as thick as shampoo, I want to say it was a little thinner but not by much. I am trying to compare it in my head - but my shampoo gets poured onto my hand and the bleach went straight into the dispenser. I think that this product was a bit thicker than the clorox 2 color safe, which is thicker than the straight bleach. HTH

According to the company it is thick so it can be placed directly on a stain and not effect any colored portion of your garment that is adjacent
post #157 of 211
12/7/07 at 11:16pm

kool-aid dyed playsilks run?

hi all- dyes a bunch of silks with kool-aid and they all turned out great. EXCEPT the black cherry and raspberry ones. i've been rinsing them for days in cold water and the color keeps bleeding. what did i do wrong? or is that something particular to the red kool-aid dyes? any ideas?

thanks!
post #158 of 211
12/8/07 at 12:03am
even though kool-aid has some acid in it - did you use vinegar as well? i did with mine and i have had bleeding after the intial rinse and washer wash
post #159 of 211
12/8/07 at 6:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by p&e View Post
hi all- dyes a bunch of silks with kool-aid and they all turned out great. EXCEPT the black cherry and raspberry ones. i've been rinsing them for days in cold water and the color keeps bleeding. what did i do wrong? or is that something particular to the red kool-aid dyes? any ideas?

thanks!
i had a bunch of trouble with the red as well. i kept rinsing and rinsing- i even washed the darn thing on cold in the washing machine- and just finnally gave up. i looked into it and it seems that silks take dyes a little differently than wool does and red is one of the colors that gets funky w/ ka. if i did it again i would probably try using a pinch of red procion dye and a bunch of vineger!
hth!

oh, fwiw, we still use our *red* playsilk and it doesn't bleed or do anything funny- it's just not quite red.
post #160 of 211
12/8/07 at 9:30pm
I finally dyed some silks! Pictures are here on my blog and include the normal Kool-Aid colors plus a pretty blue one that I dyed with plain old food coloring. I used a LOT of white vinegar in the pre-soak and didn't have any issues with rinsing, they all rinsed clear within minutes. Very vibrant colors! Such a great and easy project.