I am not a happy dyer.

[kimikosews]

The navy blue shantung silk that I dyed last night came out black alright... it also came out as a crepe-like fabric, with what I can only describe as a texture similar to gauze cotton. The sheen is gone, the smooth prominent weft, it is a dull, lifeless piece of crap that might be suitable for lining, but it is not suitable for the hanging

Comments

[fiberferret]

a lot of silks that are stiff were spun without removing the catapillar spit (I forget the term right now, s-something) from the thread. The spit is what holds it stiff, once you wash it & that goes away the texture changes completely. It's hard knowing which silks have it & which don't but generally if a silk is crisp and you want it crisp don't wash it!

So sorry! It's a bummer to have stuff like that happen.

[sstormwatch]

I've washed shantung before, and didn't have that happen. Not this time, so no wonder it was on sale for so cheap. I still have 5 yards for a petticoat, and that will be gently washed and hung to dry. Ah well, things happen.

[hsifeng]

CRAP!

[sstormwatch]

Yep.

[stitchjock]

So sorry to hear about this; often the seracin is just what keeps the crispness intact, as fiberferret wrote.

Just two things which might help restore the sheen a bit; make sure you have an acidic rinse to restore the pH and close down the cuticle of the protein fiber. A little vinegar will work, but often a hair conditioner works better. If you want a bit more of the scroop (that crisp rustle), use only the vinegar -- the hair conditioner will make it softer.

Also, did you try pressing the yardage? Sometimes closing the fiber back down with heat and a little steam will give it a bit of the lustre back.

I usually have good luck washing silks, but like you, sometimes I have to change my ideas regarding them after the bath....;(

[kimikosews]

I rinsed with vinegar in the last to final rinse, and also added an industrial fabric softener (just a little) to the final rinse. The crinkle is unlike anything I've seen before, the closest being permanent crinkle gauze cotton (with tiny crinkles) or maybe seersucker fabric. The obvious plain weave is gone.

And it makes me wonder how they dyed it to the original navy blue without removing the seracin, or if the finish was completely chemically enhanced, like modern taffeta seems to be.

I haven't tried to press the yardage, as the lifeless hunk of fabric just broke my heart and I tossed it aside. I will give it a shot, but I am not hopeful at all.