The Evolving Homemaker

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Remember not so long ago, I dyed playsilks for the first time with a friend of mine? You can read that post here. Well, this weekend I took to task playing catch up with so many of the projects that had been cluttering up our living space.  First on the list?  Finishing up those playsilks I had yet to finish.

This time? Some tie-dye!

We got a pretty groovy system going that was very efficient.  First, two big pots on the back of the stove.  One for the hottest of tap water, and one for simmering water.  After I had soaked the plain silks, I would dump that water into the simmering pot in which I had just taken hot water from.  It worked great to keep the train moving.

1-Fill one about half way with the tap water and pour a bit of vinegar in, I did about 1/4 C.

2-Get the next one simmering on the stove full.  I started with super hot tap water to speed things along. No vinegar.

3-Soak the playsilks you are getting ready to dye for about 15 minutes in the tap hot water.

4-Place the simmering water into a bowl for one color projects, or ball jars, or Bhakti Chai jars as we did, for each color desired.

5-Add a 1/4 C vinegar to a bowl project, a dash to a ball jar tie-dye project.

6-Dump in your Kool-Aid packets.  Three for a bowl, one or two for a jar.  Lemonade isn’t that dark, so you will need more.

7-Drop in your project to a main color and continue to move it around.  OR, for tie-dye, rubber band clusters of fabric together, I did two or three bands per cluster and dip them into the ball jars one at a time, using different colors.

8-Wring them out, and dry them out on a clothesline or in your bathroom and you are done!

I have to admit, I LOVED the tie-dye ones WAY better.  They turned out beautifully and the kids went crazy over them.  Not to mention they looked lovely blowing in the wind on Saturday!

Our reflection in the grape Kool-Aid!

Putting the playsilk in the grape dye.  I wanted to show you how the water looks from beginning to end.

This is the water after just a couple minutes!  The silk absorbed all of the grape Kool-Aid!

A ready to go silk with seven jars of colors behind! Here we go…

I was so nervous, but there was really no reason to be!  It was super easy and they turned out so cool. It is an amazing thing when intention and reality actually meet.

My sons tie day silk!

This color turned out to be our favorite!  Black Cherry.  I suggest you get some because the color was so stupendously vibrant and beautiful!

Isn’t it striking?  Who new this about Kool-Aid?

Ahh…our efforts blowing in the wind as if calling us to slow down and take it all in.  An invitation back to the moment.

My favorite photo of the day.

Try some of these at home!  It was really fun, and they tuck away nicely in the living room in a basket with a lid found at the thrift store with a pile of clothespins added for creativity sake!