How to make a rainbow play silk?

[operamommy]

I've dyed silks before with kool-aid, so I'm familiar with that technique. What I want now is a really really long silk to drape/hang across the top of our play area. I found the material at dharma, but I have NO clue how to get a rainbow effect. I googled and found a painting technique, but that also involves buying several bottles of paint, which I'd rather not do. Has anyone managed to kool-aid dye a rainbow silk? Thanks!

[*Robin*]

I am looking for the same thing. I've done the kool-aid dyeing before also. I have been debating about different ways to do a rainbow. I thought about 'dividing' the silk into 6 sections and using the microwave method listed here: <http://www.thepiper.com/fiberart/koolaid/dyeingwithkoolaid.pdf> to dye it in different colors. I think you'd have to be careful of the squishing around of the dye so you don't get the colors on the wrong spots. I don't know how it would work though. I haven't tried it yet.

[RollerCoasterMama]

I've got the big silks to make canopys, but haven't been brave enough to try for a rainbow yet. I am going to try making a night sky though--with just Ritt dye in my washing machine and then fabric paint for the stars. I'd also like to try for a light blue sky with clouds if I can find a good "resist" that will wash out. I figure I can paint the clouds with the "resist" so that they don't take the dye up then koolaid dye the rest a pretty sky-blue!

I'll watch the rainbow dying with interest though! They're so pretty!

[*Robin*]

Here is a site I found about it, but it doesn't use koolaid for the rainbow dyeing: http://saras-toy-box.blogspot.com/20...lay-silks.html

[FillingMyQuiver]

I would use the cold pour method described in this article leaving a small space between the colors to allow for some wicking and bleeding. Remember, even in a rainbow, there's some transition between colors. (BTW, dying wool and dying silk are pretty much the same, that's why I'm using this article).

OR, you could dye each section individually, heat set the section, rinse, etc, then move on to the next color. It would take longer, but you'd have more control over the colors shifting.

[operamommy]

Thanks mamas! I'll do some more reading before I decide for certain. Though, now I'm thinking perhaps I should just buy 6 of dharma's 21.5 x 21.5 inch silks and kool-aid dye them red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. I'd end up covering more of the sloped ceiling of our play nook that way, plus I already know how to do it!

Decisions, decisions....

[dalerose]

I am a little late to reply to your question, but my first dying project was just this. Although I used a cotton muslin.

I bought three packs of hot dye, because it is quicker. So I get a dark pink, a bright yellow and a nice madonna blue. Red would work fine, but a much softer effect is acheived with the pink.

I prefer the stripes to run the length rather then the width of the fabric. I fold the 12meters and run three tacking stitches to mark and to hold the fabric. Check they are running the right way, twice. Because it is so annoying when you get it wrong.

I prepare a diagram marking how the colours will be blended.

Blue / pink (purple)
blue
blue / yellow (green)
yellow
yellow/ pink (orange).

I dampen the cloth, prepare the dye and begin. The tricky one is the pink split over two sides of the cloth. The colours bleed up into the next colour just enough, but you have to judge it, and sometimes you lose a clour. As soon as one bath is finished, I rinse and was the cloth, the colour will wash away from the places where it has not been heated, so does not muck up the rest of the cloth.

A whole cloth will take as long as a football (soccer) match with extra time and penalty shoot out. (the last one I did was during the world cup).

It is not as tricky as it sounds. Try with muslin cotton first, silk may be harder to handle.