Thread: getting wrinkles out of silk veils

i'm not sure if it's ok to iron silk veils? i don't have access to a steamer...just an iron. i really want to get the wrinkles out of my new veils for my photoshoot tomorrow. any ideas?

I've used an old fashioned and time consuming way. I wet an old towel or rag then lay it on top of the veil, then iron over it, but not too hot. This will get the wrinkles out but it takes a little time.

I am a lazy bum. I throw my veil into the dryer with a damp towel for a few minutes. It comes out lovely, but I'm sure it's probably not good for the silk in the long run. (though some of my veils are many years old now, and they're surviving!)

Originally Posted by Fotia

I've used an old fashioned and time consuming way. I wet an old towel or rag then lay it on top of the veil, then iron over it, but not too hot. This will get the wrinkles out but it takes a little time.

won't the veil get wet?

lauren i don't have access to a free dryer :(

Originally Posted by Lauren_

I am a lazy bum. I throw my veil into the dryer with a damp towel for a few minutes. It comes out lovely, but I'm sure it's probably not good for the silk in the long run. (though some of my veils are many years old now, and they're surviving!)

WOW! I'm going to try that! I hate ironing those silk veils, and they wrinkle up in a heartbeat! ..cr.:

I've ironed silk veils many times and find that silk needs, and will tolerate, a pretty hot iron. I make sure it's hot enough so the wrinkles go promptly away when I run the iron over them. Then I work quickly, swiping the iron across the section of veil that's on the ironing board, moving the veil to get the next section on the board, swiping across, etc. When I had not figured this out yet, I tried to iron veils on the "delicate" heat setting and it was totally frustrating.

Ironing can sometimes make a veil get a horrid case of static cling. You can use Static Guard (if you can stand it; I can't); or mist with water.

I try never to iron a veil more than once. Once ironed, I fold them loosely and hang them up on a hanger with clips, also carry them on the hanger to tranport them. As long as you keep making yourself get the veil promptly re-folded and back onto that hanger after you use it, it will stay smooth for a long time. Give in to the temptation to stuff it on your dance bag, and you're doomed to iron it another time!
Rosette

i've both ironed (my mom's iron has a special 'silk' setting, but she told me silk could be ironed even without this setting -- i think it's simply a low temp setting? not 100% sure) and hang-dried (after lightly humidifying) my practice veil, no problem at all and it comes out wrinkle-free :)

Lauren, I tried doing a veil in the dryer and it ended up twisting itself into a rope! What's your secret? Really big towel? Oh, I think I know . . . you start with a DRY veil and a DAMP towel? I think I started with a damp veil. Ooo, must try it. Maybe we can forget everything I wrote about ironing. What heat setting do you use?
R

Oh and I should have also said, I've taken a soaking wet veil and hung it out on the clotheline on a windy day, and it came out fabulously smooth.
R

Silk loves steam. If you use a steam iron set at the coolest steam-producing setting, and you sprinkle the veil with water before you iron, the wrinkles come out very well.

The only drawback to using the damp-towel-with-dryer is that if you use dryer sheets on a regular basis the dryer picks up a buildup of the coating. This can be deposited on a silk veil and cause a "patchy" look.

Originally Posted by shaabichic

won't the veil get wet?

lauren i don't have access to a free dryer :(

I iron the rag over the veil until the rag is dry. Usually the veil will be dried the same way.

I use the regular 'timed dry' setting, so the full heat. I try not to leave it in longer than necessary, I check on it every couple of minutes while I'm getting dressed. Five minutes is more than enough, usually.

I should mention, the dryer will take the creases out but it won't give that lovely smooth sheen to the silk that you'd get from ironing. And I'm sure it's harder on the fibers and the dye. If you held one of my veils up next to one that's been treated well over the years, I'll bet you can tell the difference in brilliance of color.

But, as I said, I'm a lazy bum -- especially when it comes to ironing. OR, well, any kind of housework, really.

ETA: I don't use dryer sheets very often at all, so I've never had the patchiness issue.

I ironed my new silk veil last night on the wool setting on my iron and it came out awesome..I was soooo scared but no worries it came out beautiful..I used no steam at all

....

Silk is a lot more sturdy than we give it credit for. Properly dyed and set silk can be washed and ironed - just consider how the beautiful silk veils are made: The dyes are wet stuff that's typically set through heat.

I hand-wash and iron my silks all the time.

Originally Posted by dollydaydream

Just a thought - maybe hang it in the bathroom and use the steam from a hot shower/bath. If the creases are not too bad it may help!

this is how I do it, and it works for me

I actually hang mine over the shower curtain bar, mist it down with water in a spray bottle and let it dry. It dries in the time it takes me to get ready.

Peeps, you can iron silk on the hottest setting. With lots of steam. And nothing in between the silk and the iron.

I do it all the time.

I can't imagine futzing around with steamers, hot showers, or other elaborate methods used to avoid ironing silk. (Unless you don't have an iron of course.)

Its sort of like saying. "I have some bread and I need toast, but all I have is a toaster. Can someone tell me how to make a wood-fired oven out of patio stones so I can toast my bread?"

And someone else pipes up about how they make toast with a hair dryer, and someone else makes toast on hot days with aluminum foil placed in a really hot window.

Originally Posted by Rosette

Oh and I should have also said, I've taken a soaking wet veil and hung it out on the clotheline on a windy day, and it came out fabulously smooth.
R

Thats what I do :)

...

Originally Posted by ssipes

Peeps, you can iron silk on the hottest setting. With lots of steam. And nothing in between the silk and the iron.

I do it all the time.

I can't imagine futzing around with steamers, hot showers, or other elaborate methods used to avoid ironing silk. (Unless you don't have an iron of course.)

Its sort of like saying. "I have some bread and I need toast, but all I have is a toaster. Can someone tell me how to make a wood-fired oven out of patio stones so I can toast my bread?"

And someone else pipes up about how they make toast with a hair dryer, and someone else makes toast on hot days with aluminum foil placed in a really hot window.

..l;,


My answer was 'I don't use my toaster (iron & ironing board) often and live in a tiny house where I have to keep things I don't use often underneath piles of other things, so it's a huge frikkin pain in the @ss to get them out. I toss my bread in the oven til it's crisp. I can FIND my oven."

I think people are just way too worried about damaging silk, in part because most of the silk non-belly dancers encounter is very gauzy and used in delicate, and often in garments that are made to be pretty, not sturdy - things that get snagged if one gives them a sufficiently evil look, things that need to get dry cleaned. However, silk is one of the stronger fabrics out there, which is why it is possible to make it into these thin and floaty things that can be tossed around without breaking.

Or sometimes you can own a cheap iron that can act up over nothing, like mine!

Originally Posted by KelsNasim

I actually hang mine over the shower curtain bar, mist it down with water in a spray bottle and let it dry. It dries in the time it takes me to get ready.

Yes, this is what I do and it works great. Ironing veils takes way too long for me. If I'm in a huge hurry, I put a fan on it to dry faster.

I just bought a gorgeous Volcano Veil from Limisa on ebay. It's tri-color silk. I asked her how to care for my veil and she said to get a spritz bottle with water and a very little bit of Downy in the water and iron my veil on the silk setting. I did this and my veil came out great with no static! She makes these veils and I trust that she would know the best way to care for them.

Originally Posted by paulette5678

I just bought a gorgeous Volcano Veil from Limisa on ebay. It's tri-color silk. I asked her how to care for my veil and she said to get a spritz bottle with water and a very little bit of Downy in the water and iron my veil on the silk setting. I did this and my veil came out great with no static! She makes these veils and I trust that she would know the best way to care for them.

I think you can get away with the softener as long as it's a VERY small amount and it is VERY well mixed up with the water. Because a drop of the softener undiluted will stain silk, without question.

We throw anything that's wrinkled in the dryer with a damp washcloth. That includes jeans, tee shirts, and yes, silk veils. I thought everyone did that!

Slightly off topic, but how do you prevent wrinkles when you pack them for a show?
Do you roll them up?
Make sure they are packed lightly on top, of everything else?

Originally Posted by gothique

Slightly off topic, but how do you prevent wrinkles when you pack them for a show?
Do you roll them up?
Make sure they are packed lightly on top, of everything else?

The only way I know of that works to prevent wrinkles in transit to a show is to fold the veil and clip it to a hanger and carry it carefully so that it doesn't wrinkle. I've tried rolling, etc. and they always wrinkle.

for me, rolling works. but you have to roll it around something, I choose a longer and harder version of a paper-roll center. or clipping them to a hanger