Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Handmade Holiday: Kid-Painted Silk Scarves

For the grandmothers and granmotherly types and, ahem, the Mama, the boys painted silk scarves with Kool-Aid, just like we did at their birthday party.


I took a bunch of bandana-sized silk scarves from Dharma Trading (Kool-Aid will only work when dying animal-based fibers like silk or wool, not cotton), put them in a pot of water with a few glugs of white vinegar and brought the water to a boil. I mixed packets of Kool-Aid powder with a small amount of hot water and vinegar, laid a hot, wet scarf onto some big paper, then let the boys go at it with Kool Aid and brushes. They tried different effects with brushing, blotting, splatting and dipping. 

After they were done I hung them out to dry (above), then rinsed them in cool water to get the vinegar and Kool-Aid smell out, dried them again and ironed them to make them soft again (they get kind of stiff from the Kool-Aid, but soften up with use).

3 comments:

  1. Wow, I love this project. Were they well received? These seem like a really thoughtful gift. By the way, I hope all is going well in Colorado.

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  2. These are gorgeous. I don't know where you find the time and energy.

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  3. Thanks!

    Mary Beth--the ones we've given so far have been well received. I don't know if anyone will actually wear them or not, though. If I'd planned better, I would have gotten longer scarves rather than the bandana size.

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