Handpainted Silk for Quilting

Materials and Tools:
design sketch transferred to drawing paper, outlined with a black marker.
fabric pencil
100-percent silk crepe de chine
stretching frame with hooks or thumbtacks
silk dyes, assorted colors
dye dilutant (according to manufacturer's instructions)
small containers for mixing dyes
watercolor brushes (No. 10 round brush, 1" flat brush)
2 jars of water
blending brush (Surikomibake)
2 inch wide foam brush
4 oz beeswax
6 oz paraffin
electric deep frying pan
natural bristle brush (sumi brush)
cloth towel for wiping brushes
paper towels
newspaper
embroidery hoop
silk steamer

For a visual graphic of the layering of dye and wax as described in steps 7, 11, 13, 15 and 16, please see on www.lindagass.com.

Steps:
1. Pre-wash the silk to remove any sizing or other fabric treatments, iron it to dry.

2. Stretch the silk on the stretching frame, making sure to make it as tight as possible.

3. Lay the design under the stretched silk and trace it onto the fabric with a fabric pencil.

4. Stretch a small piece of silk on an embroidery hoop for testing dye combinations.

5. Mix desired colors of dyes, test them on the silk in the embroidery hoop and wait for the dyes to dry to see their true color. Most dyes should be mixed with a small amount of dilutant according to the manufacturer's instructions. Safety Note: Wear gloves when working with silk dyes as many of them contain toxic chemicals and should not come in contact with your skin. Avoid inhaling the dye fumes as much as possible.

6. Brush a wash of clean water onto the stretched silk using the foam brush.

7. Brush your first layer of dye onto the wet silk using the watercolor brushes. Before the silk begins to dry, blend the dye into the silk using the blending brush.

8. Wait for the silk to dry completely.

9. While the silk is drying, put the beeswax and paraffin in an electric deep frying pan in a well ventilated area and set the temperature to approximately 250 degrees. The wax should melt but it should not be smoking. Getting the wax to the exact temperature in your electric frying pan requires some experimentation so allow time to figure this out. The perfect temperature for the wax is hot enough so that the wax paints onto the silk without forming a whitish border yet isn't so hot that it begins smoking. Test the wax on newspaper. Safety Note: Paraffin is a petroleum product and the fumes are toxic. Keep a cover on the wax pot when you are not using the wax and make sure to work in a well ventilated area or use a respirator.

10. Dip the natural bristle brush into the melted wax and swirl around in the wax for 2 minutes. This prepares the brush for painting the wax smoothly onto the silk. Do not leave the brush sitting in the wax pot—this will burn the bristles and ruin your brush. Always hold the brush in the liquid wax and avoid brushing it along the metal of the pot.

11. Once the silk is completely dry and the wax is the correct temperature, paint the wax into the silk in the desired areas to create a resist to the additional layers of dye.

12. When the wax has cooled, apply another wash of clean water to the silk using the foam brush.

13. Brush another layer of dye onto the web silk using the watercolor brushes and blend them into the silk using the blending brush.

14. Wait for the silk to dry completely.

15. Apply another layer of wax to the design.

16. Continue applying layers of dye and wax until the desired effect is achieved.

17. Allow the silk to dry overnight and then steam set the dyes according to the dye manufacturer's instructions.

Linda Gass' Dyed Silk Quilting Tips

• Use nylon monofilament for quilting this fabric to allow the dyed fabric to shine. For extra sparkle, try rayon thread.

• Use high-loft batting for heavier quilting.

This dyed-silk quilt by Linda Gass was inspired by an aerial view of California agriculture.