photo: RV Waldorf school
they look stunning over a playstand canopy...
leaving the hands of excited children, they magically float through the air, tossing their colors around and around..
A rainbow is a celebration of every color!
It's hard to select a favorite color, don't you think?
I officially declare that my favorite color is....rainbow!
Dyeing silk is a favorite hobby of mine...I love the endless possibilities of a blank piece of fabric...I also kind of enjoy the stains on my hands for the next day or two!
Plant dyeing is something I am very interested in. I am hoping to learn more about attaining true jewel toned colors during my early childhood waldorf teacher training this summer.
For now, I dye my silks (and wool!!) with Kool Aid (and black tea). It is budget friendly, non toxic, and easy! I'll bet a lot of you have dyed with kool aid before and have found that it yields fantastic results!
I would also love to learn the art of silk painting using Jacquard dyes, and I am sure that I will one day soon! Budget wise, it's just not possible at this time. But that's more than ok!
Here's how I created a Rainbow Silk using Kool Aid and the stovetop method:
Prepare your first color: Red (or purple!). I used one packet of cherry kool aid and a little bit more than 6 inches of boiling water in my dyeing pot.
"Scrunch" up your silk and immerse a small section of the end of your silk into the pot. Secure the silk into place with the help of 2 clothespins.
*Be careful doing this step! The rest of your silk will hang down outside of the pot. I sometimes use another clothespin to secure the tail end to something stationary on my counter...we have an electric stove, so I don't have to worry about an open flame...this may be the only thing an electric stove is good for!! Do not leave unattended!!*
Keep the fabric immersed for about 3 minutes. Rinse well with warm, then gradually cool water.
Follow the same step for your next colors, "scrunching" into dyeable sections and using clothespins to secure safely. (length of the sections depend on the total length of your silk.)
Rinse well.
Congratulations! You just created a beautiful silk while working on a budget! Rainbow silks retail for more than $20.00...what was your project cost? Mine was $4.55 for the silk, and 20 cents a piece for each color...! The above photo was my very first attempt at dyeing a rainbow. I think, with practice, my results will get better and better:)
I created this rainbow silk using an 8" x 72" silk scarf, rather than a 30" x 30" piece. This would be a great beginner project, as the silk is smaller in width; thus making the sectioning a whole lot easier!
Most importantly, your child will see that you have created something beautiful and meaningful for them with your own hands. That's....priceless!
Ah ha! I've been trying to figure this one out and there it is, easy as pie. Thank you! (:
ReplyDeleteGorgeous. I've done some kool aid dying too on silk - fun.
ReplyDeleteThe rainbow silk looks great! I know what I'm going to do with our playsilk blanks. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat turned out so pretty! hey can be very pricey. I can't wait to try this.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful results! My daughter and I have dyed wool with KoolAid, tea, coffee, and turmeric (the best color, a rich deep mustardy shade). Other colors can be obtained using onion skins, berries, red cabbage, flowers... lots of things that can be found in the garden or in your fridge. Thanks for sharing your rainbow!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this. I'd love to try it, but I can't get Kool Aid where I live. I might need to do some experimenting with alternatives, I think. Your rainbow silk is just beautiful and I'm feeling quite inspired.
ReplyDeleteoh my friend!! You are so great..thanks a lot for the tutorial..C's birthday is coming up and I really want to make a rainbow silk!!THANK YOU!!
ReplyDeleteBlessing a hugs for the precious little boy : )
What an absolutely beautiful rainbow silk and yes, I bet it's even more beautiful for a child to have some idea of how such an almost magical thing was created. A lovely clear tutorial too - thank you so much.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely! I love to paint wool in rainbow colours. You can have a look on my weblog (http://atelierbarbara.blogspot.com/2010/10/regenboogkleuren.html) to see how I do this. Maybe silk can also be painted this way?
ReplyDelete♥ Barbara ♥
SO lovely. I've done this before too (amazing how being on a budget can lead to creative feats), but used a different method. I love the way the colours of yours have blended into each other. The swoop of the green band is so lovely. Yay to Koolaid and creativity!
ReplyDeleteBlessings and light...
So beautiful! I love your quick and budget friendly Waldorf posts. It can so easily get so expensive, and you are so great at reminding us that money isn't what matters in Waldorf either! Can't wait to try some cool aid dyeing! Thank you!!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I've been wanting to buy some rainbow silks for my daughter for a while but have found the cost prohibitive. Thank you so much for this tutorial - it's perfect. Now I can make some without spending a fortune! :)
ReplyDeleteHow fun! It gives such a unique look. I can't wait to receive mines :)
ReplyDeleteI'm sure you'll produce wonderful silk with some practice
This is lovely! You've inspired me to have a try at one of the these for my son's 2nd birthday. Just wondering where you got the silk? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThank you for leaving a comment on my blog. You have a wonderful space here. Beautiful silks. Nice that you made them yourself. I think it is a bit silly to think that certain products have to be purchased to be authentic Waldorf. Aren't the commercialism and commodification of childhood something that Waldorf advises against?
ReplyDeleteI really want to try this.
ReplyDeletelovely world, I do agree with you!!
ReplyDeleteOoooh, I've been dyeing with kool-aid as well, but have never tried making a rainbow silk myself. Thank you for tutorial! I really want to learn how to dye using plants as well. I hope you'll share tips after you learn this summer
ReplyDeletehugs, Marina
I love dying silks, and I've tried dipping them in several colors too. Cami's painted silk using food coloring & kool-aid. I'd like to explore more with her, but at the age she is and with the results it produces, I'm pretty happy with it.
ReplyDeleteI love how you say your favorite color is rainbow. That's totally Camille. She wants everything rainbow. Today she pulled me outside to show me her chalk drawing and at the center was of course a rainbow. :-)
This is a really helpful post. I love these play silks and I enjoy the type of imaginative play they inspire but they are rather expensive. We just have a couple at home but I would love some more in different colors so this is just perfect.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
This is a wonderful post! Thank you! If I would've known it was that easy, I would've bought some silk awhile ago! You did a lovely job on that rainbow!
ReplyDeleteLive & Light
Great job! I think I read somewhere that you can use those little condiment squeeze bottles filled with the kool-aid dye to carefully squirt a streak of color where you want it. One could scrunch the scarf up into a long, rectangular strip before squirting and see what effect that might have. Something I've been planning to try, also.
ReplyDeleteI love that your favorite color is rainbow. Thanks for the great tutorial. Where did you get your silk? Thrifting or a supplier? I definitely want to try this! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous. Koolaid is so handy! I love natural dyeing. Nettles and beetroot are probably by favourite dyestuffs for silk and for wool. I love your enthusiasm to embrace new crafts and learn all the time.
ReplyDeleteI must try this, it is certainly on my list. We don't have kool-aid here but I think I can get it on ebay. Thankyou for the inspiration and all your amazing images and ideas :)
ReplyDeletethis is beautiful. i would love to try it too. do you buy your silks online? would love a recommendation where to buy it.
ReplyDelete