I See a White Scarf and I Want to Paint It All Colours
May 1, 2019 8:18 AM Subscribe
Given that I've been unable to find a scarf that I like in a very specific colourway to go with one particular outfit, and I always have trouble in general finding scarves that I like, I've concluded that I ought to experiment with hand painting my own scarves. Fabric hand painters of MeFi, what are your favourite hand painting resources? I'm looking for recommendations for the best online and print tutorials, project ideas, and inspiration, online and Toronto-area supply stores, and any personal advice and tips you care to share.
Came in to recommend Dharma.
If you’re going to do silk painting, you’ll need to make sure you have a way (and a place) to stretch the entire scarf while you’re painting it. I did a YouTube search for “silk painting” to confirm that there are a ton of tutorial videos available, and there are; I’d watch a handful of those first to get an idea of what the process is like.
There are two different ways to get color onto fabric: dyes and paints. Dyes bond with the fiber of the fabric on a molecular level, while paints are particles that adhere to the fiber with a binder. Paints are usually a little easier to work with and “fix” to the fabric, but they alter the hand of the fabric (albeit sometimes only slightly) because of the binder. Dyes will leave the fabric as shiny and soft as it was when you started, but they’re a little harder to control, they can be messier, and they need stronger efforts to make them permanent. Despite all that, I’d recommend dyes, because it’s a learning curve either way and the colors with dyes are much brighter.
It has been a long time since I did any silk dyeing, but I would start with the Jacquard Silk Colors Green Label dyes. They can be set either chemically or with heat/steam; heatsetting gives brighter results but requires a specialized setup that you probably don’t want to get into right away. The chemical setting option will let you learn what you’re doing without having to drop $$$ on equipment.
One thing with dyes to be aware of is that different kinds of fibers need different kinds of dyes! Protein-based fibers like silk and wool use different dyes than cellulose-based fibers like cotton, linen, and rayon. Nylon dyes with protein dyes, but polyester won’t dye with anything except crazy industrial dyes — if you want to work with polyester, paints are your only option. The dyes I mentioned above are silk/wool dyes.
posted by KathrynT at 9:42 AM on May 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
If you’re going to do silk painting, you’ll need to make sure you have a way (and a place) to stretch the entire scarf while you’re painting it. I did a YouTube search for “silk painting” to confirm that there are a ton of tutorial videos available, and there are; I’d watch a handful of those first to get an idea of what the process is like.
There are two different ways to get color onto fabric: dyes and paints. Dyes bond with the fiber of the fabric on a molecular level, while paints are particles that adhere to the fiber with a binder. Paints are usually a little easier to work with and “fix” to the fabric, but they alter the hand of the fabric (albeit sometimes only slightly) because of the binder. Dyes will leave the fabric as shiny and soft as it was when you started, but they’re a little harder to control, they can be messier, and they need stronger efforts to make them permanent. Despite all that, I’d recommend dyes, because it’s a learning curve either way and the colors with dyes are much brighter.
It has been a long time since I did any silk dyeing, but I would start with the Jacquard Silk Colors Green Label dyes. They can be set either chemically or with heat/steam; heatsetting gives brighter results but requires a specialized setup that you probably don’t want to get into right away. The chemical setting option will let you learn what you’re doing without having to drop $$$ on equipment.
One thing with dyes to be aware of is that different kinds of fibers need different kinds of dyes! Protein-based fibers like silk and wool use different dyes than cellulose-based fibers like cotton, linen, and rayon. Nylon dyes with protein dyes, but polyester won’t dye with anything except crazy industrial dyes — if you want to work with polyester, paints are your only option. The dyes I mentioned above are silk/wool dyes.
posted by KathrynT at 9:42 AM on May 1, 2019 [2 favorites]
Came here to tell you to start with Dharma. They have not only supplies but also links to other resources.
posted by oblique red at 10:05 AM on May 1, 2019
posted by oblique red at 10:05 AM on May 1, 2019
G&S Dye (on Dundas near the AGO) is a great little shop with all kinds of silks (including scarves) and other fabrics, and both times I've been in the staff was knowledgeable and helpful. Their website has a shop but my impression was that the store itself carries much more than they show online.
posted by phlox at 12:26 PM on May 1, 2019
posted by phlox at 12:26 PM on May 1, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
Good luck with your project!
SandPine
posted by sandpine at 9:20 AM on May 1, 2019 [4 favorites]