Playsilks - Page 11

[Roar]

Thank you Beth. I will try it. I'm also wondering if ironing might help speed up that process.

[GreenGranolaMama]

So glad to have found this thread! I saw 'peekaboo' silks for infants in the Nova catalogue I just got and they are so cute, but I would much rather try and make my own...

[tanjarine]

wilton's icing dye playsilks

I made a picture tutorial on my blog for the silks I dyed for the holidays :
http://sewfunky.wordpress.com/2009/1...ons-icing-dye/
I'm happy with how they turned out. I also did one with coffee and it turned out a lovely golden colour.

[denaliWWT]

Can anyone tell me where to find cotton scarves for making playsilks? My son and I are vegan so silks are out! I know dharma has cotton ones but there have been complaints that the fabric isn't sheer enough.

[Pam_and_Abigail]

My first thought was old bed sheets cut up, or some gauzy material from a second-hand shop, but the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't grasp the idea. I don't want to come off poorly, and I completely respect your vegan lifestyle, but I'd be willing to bet that a lott of insects and rodents are harmed or killed during the farming of cotton crops. I'm just wondering if cotton is truly better.

[RollerCoasterMama]

Originally Posted by denaliWWT

Can anyone tell me where to find cotton scarves for making playsilks? My son and I are vegan so silks are out! I know dharma has cotton ones but there have been complaints that the fabric isn't sheer enough.

Dying them will be different, but have you looked at getting a length of cotton gauze from the fabric store and then just cutting hemming the edges? Even if you don't have a sewing machine it's pretty simple. And if you don't sew AT ALL...it would be a simple job for a friend/relative...trade a favor -- baking or babysitting or something. Linen might be another option. Fabric-store.com is a good place to look for sheer linen that's pretty inexpensive. And linen is STRONG even when it's gauzy. I've used this particular stuff for sewing and it is really nice. (It's stiff when you get it, but pre-wash it and all of the stiffener washes away, then it just gets softer and softer as time goes on.)

[denaliWWT]

Originally Posted by Pam_and_Abigail

My first thought was old bed sheets cut up, or some gauzy material from a second-hand shop, but the more I thought about it, the more I couldn't grasp the idea. I don't want to come off poorly, and I completely respect your vegan lifestyle, but I'd be willing to bet that a lott of insects and rodents are harmed or killed during the farming of cotton crops. I'm just wondering if cotton is truly better.

No you're right, organic cotton or hemp would be better.

[denaliWWT]

Originally Posted by RollerCoasterMama

Dying them will be different, but have you looked at getting a length of cotton gauze from the fabric store and then just cutting hemming the edges? Even if you don't have a sewing machine it's pretty simple. And if you don't sew AT ALL...it would be a simple job for a friend/relative...trade a favor -- baking or babysitting or something. Linen might be another option. Fabric-store.com is a good place to look for sheer linen that's pretty inexpensive. And linen is STRONG even when it's gauzy. I've used this particular stuff for sewing and it is really nice. (It's stiff when you get it, but pre-wash it and all of the stiffener washes away, then it just gets softer and softer as time goes on.)

Thanks for the reply, I found a pretty sheer cotton today at the fabric store so I'll wash it and see how it works. Unfortunately most gauzy materials are synthetic it seems. I'll check out fabricstore.com Thanks!

[EmFriend]

Hi everybody!  I am new here and I found this forum while searching the net for play silks.  I promptly ordered some silks from Thai silks and dyed them with the kool-aid dyeing instructions from thepiper.com.  I don't know what I'm doing wrong, but my colors don't set.  I let the first one dry completely and then did a test to see if the color had set by dampening a corner and pressing it between two paper towels and the color bled A LOT!  I rinsed it for a second time and it seemed a little better, but I was just wondering....does it ever really permanently set?  I mean, the next time I wash it will even more color come out?  I dyed an orange, a red, and a purple using habotai silks...the orange was my favorite. It was gorgeous! Then I tried dyeing a larger silk chiffon scarf, but I can not get any color to set!  I first did orange and almost all the color rinsed out until it was a really light peach. So then I did it in red and the same thing happened.  The color never stops coming out while rinsing! It is a pinkish color now.  Despite all this I found that I love the whole process of dyeing silks and I plan to do more.  Does anyone have any pointers for me?

[treehugz]

Just read through this entire thread and dyed my first kool-aid silks!  Lots of great info here!  I have two questions for those of you with more experience...

1. My silks ran completely clear when I rinsed them with water... but when I tried to wash them with dish detergent, the color would bleed.  Does this mean the dye did not in fact set?  Do I NEED to wash them with dish detergent after?

2. Anybody know how to get those fine wrinkles out of the silk?  I've tried ironing on low when damp and hanging them in the shower to steam, but no luck.  Wrinkle-free would look nice for the ones I'm giving as gifts.

[FarmerBeth]

I actually don't wash mine in dish detergent after kool-aid dying (or plant dyeing) and they seem fine.  I've had the best result with no wrinkles by not wringing out the excess water at all and immediately hanging to dry with the silk spread out completely.  Personally, I think the little fine wrinkles look OK though, and give the silk some charm!