Re: Indian scarves.
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Posted by Catherine Cartwright Jones on September 06, 1999 at 22:57:44:
In Reply to: Indian scarves. posted by Amy C on September 06, 1999 at 21:19:18:
Silk scarves like this do several things....as they flutter, the meanings (prayers and auspiciuous symbols) of their patterns are dispersed into the air...or if they have lots of shiny things and tassels attached, they distract the evil eye so it cannot cast its malevolant gaze on the mother and child....or they create a sacred space. This is off topic, but it's something I've done a lot of research on. So.....pardon me if I rant a bit.... Want to make such yourself? If you're on this forum, you likely enjoy drawing...so....here's how to make such! Link below to an excellent source for pre-fab, ready to dye silk scarves. To make wonderful patterns on them: 1) heat parafin in a crock pot or simmering potpourri thingie until the wax is transparent 2) stretch the silk scarf on 4 bamboo tomato-stakes pounded into the ground....and keep the silk very taut by attaching rubberbands and safety pins from the stakes to the corners of the silk cloth. 3) paint the wax onto the silk with a sumi brush....going back and forth quickly because the brush must have HOT liquid transparent wax at all times, so the design you paint on the silk will be translucent wax lines. Paint the same designs that you know and love from doing henna! 4) When you have these wax resist lines painted in, then use Deka Silk paint, or Dynaflow Silk paint to color in the inbetween areas. (Sumi brush again) This is like batiking a cloth or an Easter egg, but a damn sight easier! Putting the colors in will be just like coloring in a coloring book! These dyes are at the link below, too. 5) When all the colors are dry....throw the scarf in your dryer for 10 minutes, or iron it on a couple of old towels. The wax won't hurt your dryer or your iron. That will heat set the dye. Then, just rinse the silk in hot water with detergent. The dye is very permament and does not run. All the lines you painted will be batik white and the spaces in between will be whatever color you painted them. All done.
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