Dyeing Silk Tussah or Mulberry Combed Top

[karenbigskyfiberarts]

Hello,

I just tried dyeing mulberry combed top.   I watched this you tube video from Beautiful Silks, and I followed the directions:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKrFNNwxc1s

They did not have you soak the mulberry silk in synthrapol first. Instead, you put the silk in a pan, add a little water, add the dyes.  You steam the silk in a bamboo steamer for 30 minutes.  Let it rest over night before rinsing.  I thought mine came out a bit tight looking.

Is this the best method? Is there an easier method?  For example, can you dye silk tussah or mulberry silk in the microwave?

Thank you!

[halay]

Karen, I dye silk in a glass bowl and use microwave (5 minutes medium power). Before applying dye, I soak it well in water with vinegar. Then I drain excess water (not thorougly), apply dyes and cover silk with a cling film leaving some openings on the side so that the steam can escape. I let it cool down and then rinse it. I guess there are many ways and methods, so just stick to the one that suits you.

[karenbigskyfiberarts]

Halay,
Thanks so much! I'm going to give this approach a try as I think I handled the silk too much previously.  I appreciate your tips!

[Pandagirl]

Karen, I haven't used the microwave only because I haven't wanted to dedicate mine to dyeing. I use the steam method and like Nada do a vinegar soak first. I've found the mulberry silk rarely gets very dark and because it floats it doesn't always always get dyed all the way thru. You could try putting it in mason jars covered with liquid and steam them. I also haven't used a bamboo steamer. I either use jars, a bath or wrapping it in plastic wrap to steam. There are plenty of variations, it's just important you find what works best for you with what you have available to use.

You can always overdye it to try to get a deeper color, too.

[MTRuth]

With the silk, it helps to let it soak for a long time (30 minutes to an hour) in the vinegar water before dyeing. I do use a little bit of soap in the soaking water which helps the silk soak in the solution. Otherwise, if it isn't all wet and some is still really white and lumpy looking, the silk won't accept the dye.

Otherwise, my process is similar to Marilyn's and Halay's.

[Shepherdess]

I use a similar method when using acid dye but I also use the fiber reactive or MX dyes. I modified teh low water immersion method I use for silk scarves. Its on Paula Burches site. link. that is how I did theses silk hankies. link silk top always seems looks a bit messy when its done, no mater how carful you are.  Give it a gentle pull/snap when its dry and it will look better.

[karenbigskyfiberarts]

This was so helpful!!! I feel so fortunate to be able to ask a question, and receive so many tips! I will use your tips this evening (I'm having a wild Saturday night of felting.lol). Thank you!

[zed]

I do it a similar way too, Karen. I soak in vinegar water for a while first. I add my dyes directly to the silk/fibre like they did, but steam it wrapped in cling film. sandwich bags work too if they don't stick to the metal steamer

I don't get excess dye though. I put my packages of fibre in the sink in lukewarm or cold water, let them cool, unwrap and rinse, there is rarely any dye in.

You said yours came out a bit tight looking? Theirs probably did too, silk isn't the prettiest looking fibre when it's been squeezed out. Give it a bit of a shake to loosen it. This is mine after dyeing:

Tussah Silk by zedster01, on Flickr

[karenbigskyfiberarts]

Yours look lovely!  These are really helpful tips!  My next round went better. The tip to give the tussah a good shake made a difference! Thanks so much for all the informative responses.

[zed]

Thanks
All my dyed fibres look a bit ugly once they dry, but a few shakes, a bit of teasing and they don't look so bad!

[penguin]

Your fibres look great Zed. Mine usually end up a stringy mess so thanks for the tips. I used a vinegar soak with MX dyes on a bit of chiffon yesterday and got a much richer colour than I used to without the pre-soak... Also wasted a lot of dye, but that's because I was trying to paint it on and forgot how thin chiffon was! Doh!

[penguin]

Oops, I meant acid dyes.

[zed]

I tried dyeing a few cellulose fibres last week and they looked awful while they were drying! The viscose and bamboo staple fibres looked ok once they were dry, but the Hemp didn't look good and the Banana top separated into about 6 strands which all twisted. I think I'll stick to the finer fibres and staple fibres!

[Shepherdess]

For people that don't know you can used the fiber reactive( mx or procion) dyes as acid dye. The colours aren't as good as when used as fiber reactive dye but they do work