Thread: Making own silk veils

Ok so after having a tough time finding exactly matching veils to several costumes, I've decided to try and make some. I've seen multiple methods (even those including kool-aid) and was wondering if anyone had any tips or suggestions before I embark down this path...

I highly recommend Jacquard acid dyes for silk. You can buy them from dharmatrading.com They are easy to use.

my experiments with Kool Aide and silk did not result in bright vivid colors, Jaquard dyes are not too hard to use and usually come out brighter.

However... my teacher and expert costumer Aisha Azar of Spokane, Washington, says that she combines food coloring and Kool Aide and gets very rich, saturated colors. I don't know the particulars but she is on facebook and very friendly and also has a website through which you could contact her to find out how she does it.

Marya

Originally Posted by jaded928

Ok so after having a tough time finding exactly matching veils to several costumes, I've decided to try and make some.

Okay... I am known for my excessive bluntness, so I will now live up to all expectations.

Dyeing to match is the absolutely most difficult dye work to attempt.
First you must figure out the recipe for exactly the shade you want from the dye colors you have. Then you must dye a test piece. And then try again. And then try again. You need a good amount of extra fabric so that you can do these tests, and you must make notes so you know what you did. Then, when you actually dye your veil, you must make sure that the temperature, batch times, et cetera, are equivalent to your last test, because these factors will affect your resulting color.

I've been dyeing silk six years as a hobbyist, and I specifically tell people I won't dye things to match. It's very time consuming to get exactly the color you want.

That said, if you want to embark on such a project, I wish you all the best of luck. Take a look at Paula Burch's website, because you won't find better information anywhere.

Originally Posted by tigerb

Dyeing to match is the absolutely most difficult dye work to attempt.

... and that is why if I needed an exact match I would send a small clip of fabric and a picture to someone who does custom dying. I dyed my own veil for an outfit (Jacquard acid dyes, everything I read said they were the best) and with all the effort and work for the one veil I've decided never again. It's worth the extra money for a perfect match from someone who already knows what they are doing.

it's very difficult to get an exact match unless the fabrics are the same..trying to match a silk skirt is much easier than trying to match up colors with velvets or chiffons, the colors will appear different even using the same dye

that's why I've always dyed veils that are not an exact match to the dancer's costume but instead add other colors to complement it.. this photo is a great example. The pink/fuschias are close enough to the eye to go together and the multi colored border gives it the akai zing..

Complimentary or contrasting colored veils have my vote...
adds visual excitement and more flexibility with color choices and hey, they're fun

lol Doozer i'm trying to "like" your post and forgot i'm not on facebook :)

I've used the acid dyes from dharma, and a single color isn't too hard to do... It's Akai or bust for multi color veils, though, they are beyond me! I have matched veils to a costume by making a gradient of a single color (dip-dye). With dharma's acid dyes, the colors turn out more true to their name than the computer generated "swatch" of color on the website, in my experience.