We dyed playsilks using Kool-aid using three different methods.
Blue – 4 packets berry blue
Green – 4 packets Lemon Lime
Pink – 3 Packets Pink Lemonade
You can vary the darkness of the shade based on how many packets you use.)
First you will need to purchase blank playsilks. I purchased these Habotai scarves from Dharma trading in these sizes:
21″ by 21″ (which is the smaller pink one- great for babies) and 35″ by 35″ (which is a great general size for a playsilk).
While you wait for these to come in the mail go buy some unsweetened Kool-Aid and some vinegar. (Gloves would also be a good idea! If you don’t have gloves then do what I did… put your hand in a ziplock bag)
Pre-soak your play silks in water for 30 minutes and add a 1/4 cup of vinegar.
How to dye play silks:
I tried three different methods to dye the playsilks.
First Method:
Using another silver container (like the one I used to soak the playsilk in) I added 3 packets of pink lemonade and added boiling water(from my kettle). I made sure to mix it in and then placed my silk scarf in. The pink scarf measured 21″ by 21″ so it fit appropriately in the container.
I left it in for a few minutes until the water it was soaking in turned clear. (Maybe 3-4 minutes). I then rinsed it out and surprisingly no color ran. Laid it out to dry and it looks great.
Its the perfect size to play peek-a-boo with Aaliya.
Method Two: On the stove.
Add 3 Kool-aid Packet to pots.
Add a little bit of hot water to mix the color in. Let it simmer for a minute while you wring out your play silk from the pre-soak.
Add in your play silk and hot water to cover the silk. (Its important to remember that the more water you add the lighter the color will be. You will need enough water though to make it dye evenly).
Turn the heat down to medium and mix every so often.
When the water turns clear-ish (after about 20 minutes) and it looks like the play silk has sucked in all the color you can take it out and rinse it until the color stops running. (Again, mine didn’t run at all)
Hang to Dry.
As you can see the green didn’t dye evenly, it took on a bit of a tie dye look. A lot of people prefer it that way since it looks pretty.
Me? I’m not really sure which look I like better…
The dye took on a tie dye approach because the silk was scrunched up when I put it in the pot. If you like it like that then use a smaller dish/pot. If you want it even then use a bigger pot or add your play silk slowly making sure to get even coverage.
Method Three: Maybe this should be called method one and a half since the only difference is that I used a large cookie sheet…
Anyway,
Since I wanted the blue to be more even(after dyeing it on the stove) I added one more packet of berry blue to a large cookie sheet, added some hot water(enough to cover the silk) and I placed the playsilk evenly in. (It was sort of flat like how you would fold a blanket).
It dyed beautifully and very even. The light spot in the pic above on the blue is the sun.
(I’m sure this can be done without using the stove like in Method One).
There are many different ways this can be done. One of which is by using the microwave. I plan to try that in the future since I ordered A LOT of play silks and have many colors to try.
Have you made playsilks? I’d love to see so we can get ideas on colors 🙂
Deborah (Teach Preschool) says
This is perfect timing for me! Those colors turned out beautiful. I have been wanting to make some colorful silk scarves to use in my conferences with some of my songs. Thanks for the detailed instructions. Who knew You could use Kool-Aid as a dye.
nopinkhere says
I actually did 3 different playdates in a row with my mom's group for dying playsilks. I did the soak in hot water/vinegar on the stove sort of method. We didn't actually dye on the stove. We would pull out some of the hot, vinegary water into a bowl and make that a particular color. We used off brand Kool Aid and food colors. The neon food colors make some great ones. We had a very tie-dye effect because we were dying in the bowls. Some of us even put the powder directly on the wet playsilk for a really blotchy look. We also did two color effects with part of the silk in one color bowl and part in another. Diagonal is good for that or grabbing it in the middle. It's addictive and they make great gifts. I'm glad you had fun!
Lemonade Makin' Mama says
Just stopping by to thank you for visiting me on my SITS day and leaving some blog love!
Blessings,
LMM
Rebecca says
I love the bright colors!!
TrueBlissPhotography says
What a fun project to share with the kids!
Angela says
That is soo awesome. I am going to have to try that but not in my good pots. LOL
Missy says
Great project!
Kelsey says
This looks like a lot of fun. I will have to try that with my kiddos thanks!
Zenia Photography says
OOoh how neat! Thanks for sharing!
Adele says
these are awesome, well done! Any idea where we can get the silks in Cpt, SA?
Nadia says
you can try to order from overseas?