Tutorial on making Silk Strings

[Dawn]

I'm really lucky, I have a space that's 18x22 with a double sink, wood floors, cabinets, a place to sew, a couch to watch tv, my torch setup, and a place for what can only be described as "other." I'll do more velvet cords when it's a little closer to Christmas (wouldn't want to do them too far in advance, I really love that Oh s***, I only have a week feeling). I'll post them then.

Originally Posted by Bead_bug

Hey Dawn I would love to see a photo of the velvet ones if you have one. I may have to try some.

My kitchen lookes so much like a mad scientist lab latley it led my hubby to be more serious about me needing a sink in my studio. In the new house I will have a studio sink. He says he hates to come home to a craft blow up! I told him he knew before he married me that it would always look like that in my path.

[Jamn!]

Tracy
Love the way you finished the ends! I especially love that last one!! Very nice!

[Beadbug]

Thanks I actualy have more finishes, I made up a cute board to show all the finish ideas for the show in Grand Rapids.





If you are looking for a great way to display the ribbons I used a silver pant hanger that would hold 4 pair. Cover a large dowel with black strechy velvet from Walmart super cheap, then screwed black rubber coated hooks through the fabric and into the wood. Then just stick the poll into an umbrella stand covered with the velvet. It looked very nice and didn't take up any table room this way. This also made it impossible for them to be walked off with since I looped them onto the hanger. I guess I should take a photo of this it would make more sense. If you do this I would suggest taking the rubber section off the hanger it would have made the ribbons slide on and off easier.

[Megan]

For those of you that purchased from Dharma.. Did any of you buy the Bias Cut ribbon or did you purchase the Woven silk ribbon? I like the price and size much better on the bias cut ribbon but it says about fraying.. Are the edges not finished at all?

I did my first dying of my own handmade ribbons but I think after all is said and done, it would be cheaper to just purchase from Dharma.. And I am not too keen on the only silk that Joann Fabrics carried and its the only fabric store in our area now that John Hancock has closed down.

[Beadbug]

I have seen the ribbon you are talking about and the fabric is sewn into a tube and then cut so that it is one long piece sometimes with seams. I don't think that they would take much wear and tear if your bead where strung onto them and let to move but if you knotted them into place it might be ok. They wouldn't be as sturdy as the finished edge or the woven edge. If you want a heavier look try of putting several of the thinner woven edged ones together for one necklace.

[Jackie]

So, I'd like to hear from people who purchased the woven silk ribbon - is it heavy enough? are you happy with the results? how does it compare to the hand made ribbon with the rolled edge? I kind of like the idea of not having the rolled edge but if the ribbon is not heavy enough and will wear to easily then it is not worth it. I don't want to get a serger if I can help it. I was an avid sewer until I started making beads. Also Tracy can you explain how you do the adustable size with 2 beads? I'm not understanding it! Would love to see a picture of the display.

[Beadbug]

To make the adjustible necklace thread the ribbon through two beads with one end going to the left of the set and one end going in through to the right of the beads, Simply tye knots in the end of each ribbon and slide the beads to the size you would like. The beads need to have a hole large enough to slide but not so large that they are sloppy.

[Jackie]

Thanks Tracy - so simple don't know why it didn't make sense to me!

OK - let's hear from someone who has used the pre-made silk ribbon (not cut bias - the other one). I saw pictures but no comment on whether you felt they were heavy and sturdy enough.

Thanks,
Jackie

[Jamn!]

Originally Posted by Jackie

So, I'd like to hear from people who purchased the woven silk ribbon - is it heavy enough? are you happy with the results? how does it compare to the hand made ribbon with the rolled edge? I kind of like the idea of not having the rolled edge but if the ribbon is not heavy enough and will wear to easily then it is not worth it. I don't want to get a serger if I can help it. I was an avid sewer until I started making beads. Also Tracy can you explain how you do the adustable size with 2 beads? I'm not understanding it! Would love to see a picture of the display.

I am not happy with the ribbon I bought maybe someone else has a different feeling but to me it was too thin without the edges on it.
What kind of silk did you want to dye? Maybe you can find a roll of ribbon somewhere else.

[zen-mom]

Originally Posted by Jamn!

I am not happy with the ribbon I bought maybe someone else has a different feeling but to me it was too thin without the edges on it.

Uh Oh...
I wonder if I can do an overlock stitch down the edges?? Poop.
Haven't gotten my order yet, I might wind up exchanging it for something else.

[Jackie]

Jamn - that's exactly what i wanted to know. So I won't waste my money on the ribbon. Guess I'm going to look for a used serger!

[Jackie]

Hey Tracy - hope you are still reading this. What model White serger do you have? Does the Speedylock have enough flexibility or is the Superlock better?

[Jamn!]

I think you can pick sergers up on Ebay pretty cheap!
The ribbon fabric itself would be fine if it had the rolled edge on it but that would just be silly. lol

[Beadbug]

I have been out of the sewing world for the past 5 years. I know that sergers can be wonderful or just a piece of junk you want to throw out the window. I have a Husquvarna serger that is about 15 years old. The older ones are much better built than some of the new ones. Right now there is a Husquvarna Hobylock for sale and it is bidding at around 30.00. This has the basics for a rolled edge and will be all you need.

http://cgi.ebay.com/VIKING-HUSQVARNA...QQcmdZViewItem

I would purchase a White, Viking or Babylock brand. These will normaly be good running. If you can get a used one from your local Viking Husquvarna dealer they will give you classes on how to thread and run them for free normaly.

Here is another link but this is way more machine than you will need.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Husqvarna-Viking...QQcmdZViewItem

[Megan]

Does anyone know of a good place online to purchase the silk fabric from? Unless I drive 45 minutes out of the area, the only place I have is Joann Fabrics and the sick I got from them I really am not happy with.. Also, what type of silk should I be buying, like is there a name to the silk.

My first attempt at dying didn't turn out so hot..

[Jamn!]

I like dharma's silk! I bought 10 or 12 mm of a few of them and then tested to see which ones I liked.
http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/en...bric_silk.html

[Beadbug]

If you call Darma she may send you some samples. I know the silk I ended up liking the best was a bit heavier than the stuff I started out with. I think it's called silk shantung?

[Purity]

Tracy, Do you mind if I ask a question? Over here in Australia, the Shantung Silk is actually called Dupion Silk, and we have to buy it from Bridal Stores. Is it just plain white silk that you get to dye your silk strings?

[Emily]

Silk shantung (which I think is similar to silk dupioni, or maybe the same thing) has a texture. There's a slub that runs through it randomly, so I don't think it would be what you'd want for ribbons. You'd have blobs here and there. They're nice on a larger piece of fabric, but would be weird on a ribbon, and would be messy on an edge.

I've gotten some silk habotai scarves from Dharma, and they were thinner than I think you'd want for ribbons. I think the thickest I've had were 10mm. Dharma has 16mm habotai, so you might want to get a sample swatch to see if that's heavy enough for you. You might also want to try the crepe and/or the crepe de chine. Somewhere on the website it says you can order sample swatches -- like 4x4" pieces for 25 cents each, or something like that.

[aimee]

I use the dupioni silk for mine and I like the texture. Gives them a earthy feel.

[Purity]

well for me to get some thing from dharma trading, it will cost be about 40 dollars postage so im trying to get stuff in Australia. Aimee, did you just use white silk?

[JulieV]

Originally Posted by chrisdd

I have absolutely no desire to dye and sew my own. Where can I buy them? Tracy, do you sell your strings?

What chrisdd said!!!
I have no time, no desire, no patience!
How about someone putting a whack of them in the garage sale??:wink:

I'm pmming ya, Tracy....

[Beadbug]

Purty, Yes I believe it may be the same thing. It is a bit thicker than you may think it should be but it holds up real nice.

The silk I have does have some small slugs and thicker strings in them and it gives them a very interesting look when you dye them. I will try to take a close up photo. The slubs end up running across the ribbons when you cut them. They arn't big enough to change the serged edge.

[Jamn!]

I am not making the bright colors that Tracy is but more muted earth tones. So if you wouldl like some more muted colors I will sell some of them. If you want a picture pm me or I can try to get a picture in here today.

I have lavender and purple shades, soft teal green, and soft mint green , browns, ecru and other blues colored ribbons plus others.

[aimee]

Purity, yes I use the white.

[Teri.p]

I realize I'm coming late to this party, but I know a little about dyes from my yarn-dyeing days.

Wool, silk, alpaca, cashmere, angora etc..... all are animal fibers. Acid dyes work best with these. By acid, I mean vinegar or citric acid. Even Kool-Aid or Easter egg dyes will work just fine with these fibers. Acrylic, polyester and nylon fall into the acid-dye category as well.

Cotton, hemp, flax and other plant-based fibers need a different type of dye.

Rit or other general-purpose dyes are made by combining both sorts of dye in order to cover all possibilities. So if you use Rit to dye a cotton shirt that has wool patches, it'll work just fine.

If anyone is interested, I can post links to loads of dyeing tutorials. They focus on yarn or unspun fibers, but the process to dye silk strings would be the same.

Teri P

[Beadbug]

Thanks for the help. I know nothing about dye but haven't had much of a problem. Then again I didn't expect my ribbons to come out an exact color and was happy with my results. If you have links that would help please feel free to post them here they will be welcomed.

[Teri.p]

Here's a fun tutorial on dyeing wool with Kool-Aid. Doesn't have to be KA brand; any of the unsweetened packaged drink mixes will work. When reading these instructions, just substitute 'silk' for wool/yarn and you're good to go. Oh - one other thing... taking care with temperature isn't as crucial with silk. When dyeing wool one has to be careful not to agitate the yarn or shock it with sudden temperature changes as these can cause the wool to felt.

Along the same lines, here are instructions for dyeing with Easter egg dyes.

More on using KoolAid or Easter egg dyes.

Wilton icing color works as well.

One major advantage of using these food dyes is that you can use your everyday pots and pans and spoons. They may turn colors, but will be safe to use again in your kitchen. If you choose to use the professional acid dyes, it's highly recommended to use dedicated cookware.

Like I said before, don't let the acid thing worry you. We're not talking Etch Bath, just vinegar or citric acid.

Now I'm itching to play with colors and the dyepot again. I placed an order with Dharma last night, and have already gotten the message that it's on the way. I ordered silk fabric, a reel of the woven-edge ribbon, and a reel of the bias-cut ribbon, as well as some samples of several of the silk fabrics. Can't wait!

Teri P

[Teri.p]

Whoops, got kind of excited and forgot the other half.

Dharma's instructions for using acid dyes.


Oven-dyeing, with pictures. ETA: Link no longer active.

For those of you interested in a more in-depth article, check this out.

Or how about going organic? .

And yay Wikipedia! Acid dyes on Wiki

Ahem. I suppose that's enough to start with, eh?

have fun!! I know I will

Teri P

[Beadbug]

WOW, thanks for all the great information Teri.