what kind of fixer do I use in dyeing silk with natural dyes?
Name: Mara Message: I was looking for information on dying with natural dyes, but on silk. I know you can get silk scarves at Dharma Trading, and I was curious about dying with tea, coffee especially, blueberry (and any other berries), etc. (things that normally stain quite excellently), and how to fix those so they don’t fade out. A lot of people’s sites cover cotton, wool, linen, but not silk. One site had a lot about dying with coffee and tea, but recommended vinegar (it was the only one) and I noticed you didn’t recommend that. Do I boil silk, or not? What kind of fixer do I use for these kinds of natural stain/dyes? I’m not a dyer, and the internet is such a great wasteland of incomplete information, but you seem to know a great deal about dying. Help? Silk is easier to dye with natural dyes than cotton is, though wool may be easier still. You can use the same dyes for silk as for wool, since both are protein fibers. The general rule in natural dyeing of silk is to simmer the (pre
