Silk Painting How to

Steaming in a large pot is one method of setting dyes that have been painted on silk. The steam comes from boiling water in the bottom of the pot. The heat from this steam sets the dyes in the silk and makes it permanent. The dyes wash out of the silk if they are not steamed. All silk painted with dyes needs to be set by steaming. Choosing and/or setting up a large pot is important. Take your time to find a large seafood steamer, tamale pot, stock pot or canning pot.  A pressure cooker can also be used, reducing steaming time. Your pot does not have to be expensive to work well. The object is to keep the silk away from the boiling water. You should never use your silk steaming pot for cooking food.

There are many ways to prepare silk for steaming. Make sure your painted silk is dry. Water is your enemy at this point. Lay a cotton bed sheet (twin or double) on a large table or the floor. Place the silk/silks on the sheet leaving 3 or 4 inches between silk scarves, silk art, or silk fabric. Start at the short end and carefully roll up the sheet, smoothing the silk as you continue until you come to the end. You can use a broomstick or dowel rod to help with the rolling. You don’t want to steam in wrinkles. At this point, you will have a long roll. Remove the stick and coil this roll into a bundle. Sit your bundle on 5 sheets of newspaper and wrap it up. Secure with masking tape.

Fill the bottom of your pot with 1 or 2 inches of water and bring it to a boil. The silk must be kept separate from the boiling water in the pot. Elevate your bundle at least 4 inches from the boiling water using a wire rack. A cake rack or toaster oven rack works well. Sit the rack on soup cans opened at both ends. Cut out a circle of heavy duty aluminum foil the same size as your pot. Place the foil lightly over your bundle. You can reuse the foil for future steaming.  Place a folded towel on top of the foil to absorb condensation and then put the top on the pot. Turn down the heat until the water is simmering (like cooking spaghetti sauce for hours) Check every once in awhile to make sure the water doesn’t boil dry.  If needed, add more water, taking care not to touch the bundled silk. Steaming time can vary due to altitude, amount of dye you used, the weight of the silk, and the size of your silk. It can take from 1 hour up to 3 hours to set the dyes. I suggest starting with 1 hour unless you live at a high altitude. Using a pressure cooker will reduce steaming time to about 1 hour. You will know you have not steamed long enough if you lose a lot of dye in the rinse water.  Over steaming is not a problem as long as there is water in the pot. Otherwise, the silk could burn.

After steaming, remove your bundle of silk and unwrap it carefully as it will be hot. Let your silk hang for a day or two before rinsing in cool water. Wash your sheet. It will become stained but it is fine for future steaming. You can get more details by visiting the “how-to instructions” at Dharma Trading Company.