A while back, I had the great fun of a play day with friends to do some eco printing on silk...we used a solution for boiling the fabric while it was rolled up with various foliage inside. We had mixed results but always got color. I felt the silk needed more so days later when at home, I wrapped the silk in some rusted items and a vinegar solution and left them "batch" for a while...probably overnight and had some great results.
I had 3 different types of silk....above is organza which is very sheer. It is also doubled so you don't get the right effect....but it is easy to dye and rust and do other surface design techniques on. It gives a very different look than many other silks because of the sheerness. I use it a lot, especially in layering techniques in quilts.
The piece above is a crepe du Chine and one of my favorite silks. It has a beautiful texture and takes a dye beautifully along with anything else you choose to do with it.
And a detail where you can see the paleness of the eco printing and the boldness of the rust. The touches of blue (upper left) are blueberries which were one the things rolled up in the silk when boiling it.
And last is the China or Habotai silk which is a very popular silk used in scarves...not the best quality nor my favorite, I must say, it takes a dye extremely well and comes in different weights.
I didn't have enough of any one kind to make an entire scarf so I pieced 3 together and made it into an infinity scarf. It's very light and fun to wear.
Til next time...stay safe and happy
