Hand Painted Silk Scarves? 102 Most Correct Answers

Can’t tell your eggshell from your satin? dr Dulux demystifies paint jargon forever.

Q: Hello Dr. Dulux, I’m renovating but I’m a bit confused by all the different color types and finishes. I know what matte and gloss are, but what is the difference between Satin, Eggshell, Silk and Sheen and which type is the best? With thanks, Maggie, Cheshire.

A: Choosing the right gloss level can completely change the look of your walls, so make sure you consider different finishes to create the greatest impact in your space. Here’s a little guide to help you with that:

The matte emulsion is smooth, velvety and helps conceal imperfections on less than perfect walls.

Many people don’t even want to get started with silk painting because of the difficulty of using gutta (a type of liquid gum) to hold the colors together and prevent them from running together as new colors and shapes are added to the design.

Some artists have overcome this problem and this video shows how Urvashi Gupta manages to produce some beautiful works without using gutta.

The key to how she achieves this is twofold. First, she uses very little paint on her brush, and second, she often lets her work dry before moving on to the next painting step.

For the flowers she paints, she first paints a very simple, basic, circular shape (on wet silk) to represent the flowers. Then she makes the background look like the leaves. This is painted on dry silk. It divides the background area into four areas; Use a different shade of green for each one to add a sense of depth and tone to their leaves.

Lastly, she returns to her flowers, adding details in a bolder color. With her work completed, she sews beads into the center of the flowers to add even more dimension and interest to the blooms.

If you don’t like gutta, why not try this method? It still looks beautiful and should give you a lot of pleasure.

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLqhE6Y7k9Q

Silk paints are made from insoluble particles of dye suspended in water and combined with a fixative that is set by ironing the back of the painted fabric. The paint is very fluid and specially formulated to simulate dyes. Silk dye brands available on George Weil’s website include Javana Silk, Deka Silk, and Jacquard Dye-na-flow.

Silk dyes can be used with a variety of mediums to create different effects on the fabric.

primer

Silk fabrics are very absorbent and the liquid color spreads quickly over the fabric. A primer or anti-spreading agent is used to treat the silk fabric in a way that inhibits paint flow, allowing for freehand watercolor painting techniques. Stretch the fabric and pin it onto a frame before applying primer with a wide brush. Allow to dry before painting.

Gutta Outliner

Outliner is thicker in consistency than paint and is used to create a barrier to prevent dyes and colors from running together when painting on silk. Outliners are available in pipette tubes with applicator tips or in jars that can be transferred to applicator bottles. Draw your design with an autofade pen and trace the lines with the outliner. Make sure the border penetrates through to the other side of the fabric and that all borders are complete, i. H. when you draw a leaf, the outline should converge so that the color doesn’t overflow the outline. Outliners can be clear or come in a variety of colors.

Click here to browse our range of primers and outliners.

This Katherine Barney silk painting was created using H Dupont silk dyes. The fabric was first painted pink and then the flower outlines were traced with a clear Gutta Outliner. The artist then painted the other colors over the pink base, using the gutta outlines to pick up the colors.

A butterfly sketched with an autofade pen and traced with a clear gutta outliner. Notice how each line is connected to prevent the silk color from spreading beyond the borders.

opaque white

This color contains a higher concentration of pigment and is used to emphasize areas in a painting, such as B. the crest of a wave or a ray of sunshine.

Mix white

Combine mixed white with silk paints to create pastel shades without loss of color tone. The colors are more opaque than those produced with thinner or water.

Deka clear medium

Stains diluted with water become more transparent and contain less fixing agent due to the dilution. The clear medium helps to spread these diluted colors and fix them on the silk fabric.

effect salt

The large salt crystals absorb wet silk dye and create interesting patterns on the fabric.

Water(!)

Use water to create transparent tints (see Deka Clear Coat above), drip onto wet paint to make it migrate outwards, or dampen fabric before painting to help color spread further.

Please visit our silk painting section to see all of these amazing products!

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Stop fraying! Pick a fight with fabric that frays and you may end up with a disheveled seamstress. Learning just a few tips on how to prevent fabric from fraying will help keep your nerves intact and keep you from unraveling. Don’t let that special piece of fabric disappear before your eyes!

Pin stop fraying

stop fraying

Some fabrics tend to fray more than others. Sheer fabrics, as beautiful and exotic as they are, can give you the worst fight before you even start sewing.

(Read Sewing Sheer Fabrics)

Then there are the stronger but loosely woven fabrics which also tend to fray due to the texture of the fabric. Burlap, canvas, and some linens fall into this category.

The following tips will help you focus on the fabric and not the fraying. They can be applied to all fabrics, but the first few are better suited to curtains and the last few tips to burlap and canvas.

Pin stop fraying

How to stop fabrics from fraying

There are 9 ways to stop fabric from fraying

Enlarge seams French seams Interfacing Pinking shears Zigzag stitch Hand stitch Overcast Bias tape Fraying solutions

1. Expand seams

Cut sheer fabrics with a wider seam allowance.

For example: Adding an extra ⅜” (1cm) and changing the seam allowance from ⅝” (1.5cm) to 1” (2.5cm) will allow for some ragged edges.

2. Sew French seams

Create a French seam with a wider seam allowance. A French seam is a method of closing the seam allowance on the inside of the garment.

This means you can sew frayed edges and then trim them without affecting the stitching.

3. Use interfaces

Using iron-on foil around the edges works very well to prevent fraying.

Pre-cut 6 mm (¼ in) narrow strips to add to the raw edges of the seam before sewing. This will prevent the fabric from fraying. I

If you still want to use a French seam, cut off the ironable facing before turning the fabric and sewing the second step.

4. Pinking shears

Pinking scissors are scissors with a zigzag serrated edge. Because it cuts the fabric at an angle, some fraying is prevented.

Pinking shears to stop fraying work best on cotton and strong fabrics with a tight weave. Loosely woven fabrics can still fray, so you may want to try a different method.

5. Zig Zag Stitch

A simple machine zigzag along the edge also works well on cotton fabrics. Try a width 3, length 3 zigzag and see how that looks and if it stops the fraying.

A three step zigzag is also a good stitch to stop fraying and flatter the edges.

If you’re fraying jeans edges and want them to stop at a certain point, a zig zag stitch around the leg a few inches from the raw edge will prevent fraying all the way to the leg. This allows you to control the amount of fraying.

6. Hand stitch

On thicker fabrics, stop fraying by using an overcast or cover stitch.

We all know that hand sewing is time consuming, so this method works best for really thick fabrics like canvas that won’t go through your sewing machine easily.

Pen

7. Use a serger

Raw edges can stop fraying with the use of a serger. This is indeed a primary purpose of the serger.

Your finished edges will no longer fray while looking professional at the same time.

Some regular sewing machines may have an overlock edging foot and a stitch feature that will produce a result that looks very similar to an overlock machine.

This works just as well, but the main difference is that the raw edge is not trimmed before sewing. You can do this manually with sharp scissors before sewing. Minimize the amount you touch the fabric before sewing.

Continue reading

8. Bound edges with bias tape

Two raw edges sandwiched in a bias tape strip are also acceptable to stop fraying, but tend to be bulky.

Bias-bound edges work well for hems and other tricky edges and are commonly used in jacket construction.

There are 2 main methods of binding a frayed seam with bias tape

Pin stop fraying with bias bound edges

9. Fabric glue and fray stop

For bulkier fabrics, fraying liquid can help, or even fabric glue or mod podge brushed onto the edge of the fabric being cut.

There are numerous brands of fray stopping liquids including –

Mrs Stoppa

Fray check

Dritz Fray Stop.

The liquid or modge podge prevents these threads from dissolving. Some brands have a squeeze nozzle and some have a spray nozzle. The pinch nozzle is better for more precise applications.

Clear nail polish may be substituted if stitching and item are not washed regularly.

Make sure to trim the edge just before applying any of these products to avoid catching flying threads.

Intentional fraying

Your other option is to relax and let it fray!

There are always exceptions to the rule and sometimes the frayed look is part of the garment.

Frayed jeans and woven fabrics can look good with strategically placed frayed edges.

Read my full article on fabric fraying.

Stop Fraying – Bottom Line

The truth is that messing with fabric isn’t the solution to those frayed edges. Use any of the tips provided to prevent fabric from fraying and stay at peace with the fabric you are working on.

Stop Fraying Today!

More sewing items

Many people don’t even want to get started with silk painting because of the difficulty of using gutta (a type of liquid gum) to hold the colors together and prevent them from running together as new colors and shapes are added to the design.

Some artists have overcome this problem and this video shows how Urvashi Gupta manages to produce some beautiful works without using gutta.

The key to how she achieves this is twofold. First, she uses very little paint on her brush, and second, she often lets her work dry before moving on to the next painting step.

For the flowers she paints, she first paints a very simple, basic, circular shape (on wet silk) to represent the flowers. Then she makes the background look like the leaves. This is painted on dry silk. It divides the background area into four areas; Use a different shade of green for each one to add a sense of depth and tone to their leaves.

Lastly, she returns to her flowers, adding details in a bolder color. With her work completed, she sews beads into the center of the flowers to add even more dimension and interest to the blooms.

If you don’t like gutta, why not try this method? It still looks beautiful and should give you a lot of pleasure.

Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLqhE6Y7k9Q

Silk painting has become a very popular art form and a great way to express unique fashion styles by painting scarves and other garments. When painting silk, colors get extra vibrancy as the surface appears to reflect the color.

Although it sounds daunting, painting on silk is actually pretty easy. When you apply dyes to the silk, they flow naturally, allowing the colors to spread smoothly, creating beautiful results. As with any craft skill, the key to successful creation is gaining confidence through practice and experimentation. As your confidence increases over time and you start to fully enjoy this technique, you will be able to develop your own unique painting style and come up with great new designs.

Basic materials for silk painting

1. Silk material

For beginners in silk painting, it is best to start with inexpensive pieces of white silk, such as habutai. You can also choose from silk chiffon, silk georgette, silk satin, silk taffeta, and silk twill.

Habutai is plain white silk with enough body to absorb the color and comes in three weights – fine, medium and heavy. Medium weight is best for beginners and also very affordable.

2. Dyes

Silk dyes are very concentrated and need to be mixed with water. In general, there are two main types of dyes: steam-set and iron-set dyes. Be sure to buy the same type of gutta and dye.

Steam fixed dyes

they dry quickly and give a smooth background color when diluted with alcohol

Colors flow easily on silk and spread well

They gain extra color and vibrancy when muted

works well with salt

must be steam set before washing

Iron-Fixed Dyes

quick and easy to use

You paint them, let them dry, iron and wash them

works well with salt

can also be used on cotton, linen and some synthetics

is best used for designs that are divided into small areas

only miscible with water

do not flow as easily as steam set dyes

silk lose some of their softness and luster

3. Gutta

Gutta is a color that draws, flows and separates colors. It has a honey-like consistency and is used in a dropper. It can be colorless or metallic and is gently pressed onto the silk to create outlines for the design. It creates lines that separate dyes and prevent colors from bleeding into each other. It will wash out after the finished design is fixed, except for metallic gutta which needs to be iron fixed. There is water-based and spirit-based Gutta.

4. Pipette

It’s a clear plastic bottle that contains gutta and you have to squeeze to push and pull gutta out. To get a nice, even line and build confidence, you can purchase an eyedropper with a screw-on tip and wire.

5. Frame

Silk must be stretched tightly so that you can freely paint and draw on it. You can use an old picture frame or stretcher that holds silk pins. Canvas should always be about 7 cm above the table so that silk does not touch the work surface.

6. Tape

Masking tape is used to cover the edge of the frame to keep the paint from getting into the wood and staining the next work piece. It must be replaced after the completion of each piece.

7. Silk Needles

You don’t want your needles to poke holes in the silk, so you must use special three-legged silk needles to attach the silk to the frame.

8. Brushes

Any brush can be used to dye the silk, or you can purchase special silk painting brushes at a craft store. Chinese brushes are a good choice because they can reach small areas and hold large amounts of dye.

9. Pallet

A regular white plastic palette is a good choice for mixing dyes.

10. Water bowl

11. Pencil or embroidery pen

A regular 2B pen can be used to sketch a design on silk, but sometimes it doesn’t wash out. A better choice would be a felt-tipped embroidery pen, also known as an invisible pen because the ink fades when it comes into contact with water.

12. Dropper

To transfer the dye to the palette you will need an eyedropper. It is preferable to use separate droppers for each color.

13. Dryer

A great way to dry gutta lines and fix dyes to stop spreading. is the use of a regular hair dryer.

Start the painting process

You can’t really cut silk in a straight line, so you’ll have to make a small cut in the silk and then tear sharply until you get the size you want. Since silk is sensitive to acids, you should always use acid-free card stock when mounting silk pictures. Also keep your silk paintings away from direct sunlight as it will slowly destroy the silk threads.

When you have all the necessary tools, prepare your work surface.

1. Fill pipette with gutta.

2. Wrap the masking tape around the frame.

3. Draw a design on your piece of silk by placing the silk on top of tio and securing with tape. Use a 2B pen or an embroidery pen to transfer the design onto the silk.

4. Pin silk onto frame before using gutta. Stretch it on the frame as smoothly as possible and use lots of pins to get the best results.

5. Have enough bowls of water on hand for mixing and thinning, and for rinsing brushes between paints.

Next I will be covering some silk painting techniques and I hope you will give this beautiful way of treating fabrics a try. If you do, please share your work by tagging me on your social accounts or by emailing me. I would love to see your creations!