Sparkle Craft: Hand-Dyed Playsilks
Imagination is a beautiful, wonderful thing. With a bit of imagination and a few simple tools, you can do virtually anything!
In this week’s Martin & Sylvia: Saturdays! story, “Super Silks,” Momma and Daddy show Martin and Sylvia that all they really need for their play – even with bugs and squirrels as characters – are a few playsilks (and a little imagination).
And with this fun little DIY, you can make one (or a whole collection) of playsilks for your own family. Then you, like Martin and Sylvia, will be armed with your very own set of super silks – ready to become whatever you need them to be!
You Will Need
White Playsilk
(If you’re not familiar with “silks” or where to find them, here’s a lovely online resource: Sarah’s Silks. It’s a family-based business that offers silks and all sorts of lovely toys for imaginative play!)
3 half-pint mason jars
glass pie plate (or similar)
vinegar
Kool-Aid packets (3 different varieties)
spoons
colander
What To Do
Start by soaking your playsilk in a light vinegar solution – 2 tablespoons of vinegar to 4 cups of water. Let soak for about 30 minutes.
Next, prepare your dye. Mix up a new vinegar solution – this time ⅓ cup vinegar and 2½ cups water.
With the mason jars positioned inside of the pie plate (there will be spilling!), add two Kool-Aid packets to each jar. Fill halfway with vinegar solution. With separate spoons for each jar, mix until the powder is dissolved.
Holding your playsilk on a diagonal, twist it tightly (or don’t). Twisting it will give a tie-dyed look to the finished project.
Holding your playsilk at the center, insert the center portion into the mason jar holding the color you’d like to be at the center of the finished product.
Taking each end of the playsilk, add them to the remaining two jars.
Fill each jar to the top with the remaining vinegar solution.
Microwave for three minutes on high.
Without removing the silk from the dye, let it cool.
Once the playsilk has cooled, carefully transfer it to a colander and rinse with cold water until the water runs clear.
Hang your playsilk out to dry.
Explore More & Make Connections
Kool-Aid is an easy to find, inexpensive, non-toxic way to dye your playsilks. Can you think of something else that might work? Give it a try!
Now that you’ve got one – or more! – playsilks, it’s time to play! What can your playsilk help you to become?
About the Authors
Andrea Folsom
Andrea Folsom describes herself as a writer, editor, creative maker, and eternal optimist. She is passionate about learning and sharing new creative techniques, making beautiful spaces, and talking about the social-emotional benefits of creativity and art. She runs Crafting Connections - a website providing inspiration, practical advice, and projects for creative families - with her close friend Danielle Reiner.
Danielle Reiner
Danielle Reiner describes herself as a creative, a maker, and a mama. At the heart of her story is creativity, though that hasn’t always been the case. She rediscovered her deeply hidden creativity early in adulthood – with a ball of yarn and a couple of knitting needles – and hasn't stopped since. Danielle also runs Crafting Connections - a website providing inspiration, practical advice, and projects for creative families - with her close friend Andrea Folsom.
