Yesterday I washed the 4 silk panels and an extra scarf panel in synthrapol, and then rinsed them in cold, warm, and finally hot water. I then put them in the washer on rinse and spin cycle to make sure all detergent and water was removed. I love how they come out just damp and ready to iron flat again!!
I took a few pictures to show the set up and how the panels turned out. First, the silk panels were soaked for about an hour in 3 gallons of water that had 1 and 1/2 cups of soda ash in it. Then they were squeezed until mostly just damp. Next, they were dyed in a Procion MX Cerulean Blue dye bath and I actually thought the silk would be darker blue than it turned out to be in the end. However, the color is very even and it has a nice soft hand thanks to the filtered water that I used.
By the way, I discovered an inexpensive spin dryer product that I am really excited about and want to share with you! I can't wait to have one, so I can dedicate its use exclusively to my silk artwear. Here is a picture and a link for the spin dryer.
So, this is where the project stands for now. Next post about Blue Diva #3 will be winding the panels onto polls with string and scrunching them to prepare them to be pleated and steamed.
(Originally published 11 February, 2013) Edited 9 August, 2023