Have you ever wanted to dye your own playsilks? It is fairly simple, and a very enjoyable process! We have had these silks for 3 years, and they have held up great.
As a budget friendly option, we also made these out of flour sack towels. They are a lot more sturdy, but still have that light whimsical feeling.
Materials
– 100% Silk Habotai Scarves. I used silk fabric and rolled the edges myself. I would NOT recommend this method. Next time I will be purchasing blanks that are already hemmed.
– Natural Dyes of your choice (more information below).
– A dye pot. I use an aluminum pot found at Goodwill. You will want to dedicate a pot specifically for dyeing, which you will not use for cooking. Aluminum pots will produce different colors than stainless steel, so feel free to thrift a few and experiment.
– A mordant. We used vinegar and alum.
Preparing the Fabric
Flour Sack Towels – Wash with soap and let air dry.
Silk – Hand wash with soap in the sink, let air dry. Silks should never be machine washed.
Natural Dye Colors
Red – Madder
(This step is optional): Mordant with alum to make a deeper red. Place your silk and water in the dye pot with 1.75 tsp of alum. Let simmer for 1 hour. Let cool. Rinse. Then dye with instructions below.
Boil the madder in water. Your ratio will depend on preference, so feel free to experiment. I used a 1:1 ratio, meaning I used equal weight madder to fabric. This is about 3-4 tablespoons of madder per yard of fabric. Boil and simmer for at least 1 hour. Once you have a strong dye, strain the madder from the dye. Keep your madder and dry for later use. It can be reused, but it will produce a different color.
Add the wet fabric and dye to the pot. If you would like a varied shade like shown above, add the silk to the pot while it is dry. Simmer for at least 1 hour. Mix the pot periodically. Once you are happy with the shade, place the dyed fabric in the sink. Let cool and rinse well. Air dry.
Cream of Tartar will produce orange shades. Experiment with different mordants to achieve different shades.
Yellow – Turmeric
(Optional) Mordant your fabric with alum. Dissolve 1 tsp of alum in warm water. Soak for at least 1 hour.
Add a pot of water and 1 tsp of turmeric over medium heat. Remove pot from heat. Add your silk to the dye. Place the lid over the pot to trap in the heat. Let soak for at least 1 hour, mixing periodically. Rinse. Hand wash. Air dry and iron.
Soft Brown – Coffee
(Optional) Mordant your fabric in vinegar. Use 1/4 cup vinegar per cup of water. Soak for at least 1 hour.
Brew a pot of coffee. Add your fabric to the mixture. Soak until desired shade is achieved.
Green – Matcha
(Optional) Mordant your fabric in vinegar. Use 1/4 cup vinegar per cup of water. Soak for at least 1 hour.
Make a large batch of matcha. Soak fabric for at least 1 hour. Rinse.
There are so many natural dyes you could make! We have made so many, but I hope you enjoyed this small introduction. While you are at it, check out my tutorial on how to dye wood with natural dyes.
How to Dye Wood with Natural Dyes
