Home-dyeing Project: Silk Scarf

Ornella

I'd like to dye the silk scarf and would appreciate any advice. You can see the scarf on one of my old threads here.

It's beautiful piece of textured silk in the shade of lavender, but the truth is I don't reach out for it as much as I'd like because it simply does not match most of my wardrobe. But it survives every wardrobe editing (guess, what I'm doing today ) because it's very pretty and if it was the right colour it would be great as cover-up or even a statement accessory for when I need to dress up.

Colouring it deep rich shade of red is my first option, black being the only other colour I consider. Have you done similar thing yourself, if yes - can you please let me know what should I be careful about? Can I expect good outcome with red, given the current colour being the base I'd start with?

I am still to embark on the search for the dye suitable for silk, but in the meantime I'd appreciate any pointers and advice from you.

Thank you in advance.

10 years ago

General

10 replies

Latest reply was from tulle

Word Lily

Veteran

Great scarf!

I've dyed silk scarves, yes. I've not dyed silk with existing color, though. (But I have done wool that way.)

I don't think red is probably a realistic outcome; the red dye applied to blue/lavender will likely come out more purple. Black would definitely be doable.

Professional acid dyes are what I would use to dye this scarf. I've got personal experience with Dharma and Jacquard brands, but there are several others. It doesn't take much.

Good luck!

I'll add a pic of some of the silks I dyed if I can find one ...

10 years ago

Word Lily

Veteran

Here's a photo of the silks I dyed.

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10 years ago

Jeweled

Veteran

Hi Ornella! Great idea to keep the scarf but change the color to work with your wardrobe.

While I have never dyed a silk scarf (nor anything else made of silk), in the past I have dyed loads of cotton items - tops, sweaters, jeans, baby onesies, pillowcases, etc.

So this is based on my experience with dyeing cotton items:

You're right that you'll need to plan for a darker color if you're dyeing over another color. A rich red would probably cover the lavender nicely - but the underlying lavender may affect the exact hue of red you get - it may be a purplish red. The lavender probably has blue and gray in it as well as a bit of red, so that is likely to affect your final color. The paler your lavender is, the less it will affect your final red color.

Most dyes work best on natural fibers. So silk and cotton are good candidates. But if your scarf is a silk blended with a non-natural fiber (like polyester), you'll get a different effect as the silk takes up the dye and the other fiber may take up little (if any) of the dye. That can still be a beautiful effect, though!

If you have a choice between powdered dye and liquid dye, go for liquid. Powdered dye can be futzy. If it isn't completely dissolved before you add your fabric to the mix, your finished scarf can wind up with undesirable blotches of darker dye.

Be sure to follow the dye package instructions exactly. Most say to have the garment thoroughly saturated with water before adding it to the dye pot. If that's part of the instructions on your dye, be sure to do so - it will help your piece turn out evenly colored.

Also if the instructions say to stir or agitate the garment for the full dyeing process, be sure to do so. It will help your finished dye job turn out more evenly.

Part of the fun of dyeing things is seeing how they turn out! It's best to be open to the color result and not expect an exact hue.

Good luck, Ornella, and I can't wait to see your scarf after its makeover!

10 years ago

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Thanks Lily. How did you dye yours - in the sink or any special container?

Also, do you think it might be worth trying red first and if that does not work out go for black? I actually would not mind nice shade of purple either (I love the colour btw), although red is my preferred option as mentioned before.

ETA: WOW, I just saw the stash. It makes me want to steal it all

10 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

Another consideration: silk is a protein, like wool, unlike cotton. I've dyed silk and wool with Kool Aid in the microwave. The advantage is you don't need a mordant. The disadvantage is your item will smell like Kool Aid.

10 years ago

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

Jeweled :: thanks so much for your thorough response!

I have dyed some things in the past, cotton and linen, and the happy (wearable) outcomes are what gives me the inspiration to maybe "branch out" to silk. The good news is the scarf is 100% silk, so there should be no differences in how the colour is taken up.

I'll attempt dyeing in September earliest as I'm leaving on two-week vacation next week. In the meantime I'll start search for the dye, especially given the super-useful guidelines for liquid vs. powder dye.

10 years ago

Ornella

(website)

Veteran

JAileen :: I don't have a mw, so it will need to be done with other means.
And I had to look up Kool Aid I have no idea what the equivalent product here in Germany is, but in any case seems like there is no fear of my outcome smelling like Kool Aid

10 years ago

Word Lily

Veteran

I dyed these in the microwave, in a disposable plastic (not for food after being used with dyes) container.

And yes, if you're OK with a purple-ish red, going for red first would probably be fine. As Jeweled said, especially if you're not an experienced dyer, it's best to be open about the color, because it's not that easy to predict.

Also seconding what she said about synthetic fibers.

The ones I did aren't terribly uniform in dye coverage, but that was intentional in my case. Completely uniform color will be tough to get.

And all those scarves? Aren't mine. The ones that remain in the house are my son's playsilks (I think he'd let me wear them if I wanted, though); the rest were gifted to a friend's children and my nieces and nephews. I do have one rectangular one that I plan to dye for myself, but I haven't figured out what color(s) I want yet.

10 years ago

Word Lily

Veteran

I see you don't have a microwave; I've also dyed in a slow cooker / crock pot (but again, with professional acid dyes it's a vessel set apart for dyeing, not used for food again after that). You can dye on the stovetop, or in the oven, as well.

If you're looking for food-safe dyes, you can also use icing dyes (a big brand here at least is Wilton's) or the dyes in Easter egg dyeing kits.

10 years ago

tulle

Veteran

Ornella, I would avoid black. Home dying rarely gives a true deep black; you could end up with an ugly purplish gray. A rich berry or wine red could work, if you can find a good quality dye. Any warm red, like tomato or russet, would be grayed by the lavender base color. A deep periwinkle (mix royal blue & violet) could be beautiful, too. Teal (mix true blue and dark green) is another possibility. One problem with dying silk is the need to keep the temperature lower to avoid damaging the silk (it shrinks easily, and could pucker out of shape.) The best, deepest colors come from using hotter water, but you may be able to compensate by leaving the scarf in the dye bath for a long time. Be sure to wet the scarf thoroughly before dipping it in the dye bath, and stir often to expose every part to the dye. Good luck!

10 years ago

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