Message: Dear Paula, Thank you for such a marvelously informative website! I am sure you're just the person to ask my question. I am planning on dyeing a silk veil and skirt to match (I am a student belly dancer), and want to make stripes of color, purple to turquoise to green, and I want the colors to blend into each other, rather than be harsh, defined stripes. Can you tell me the best way to do this? Thank you!

If you are using Procion MX type dyes, the best way to do this is to wait to apply the soda ash fixative until AFTER you have applied the dye - the reverse of the way tie-dyeing is done.

See, for example, http://www.pburch.net/dyeing/dipdyeing.shtml , though you would only loosely pleat the fabric in one direction, to make it easier to handle than just laying it completely flat.

Silk can be dyed with the soda ash recipe OR with acid dyes. It is a marvelously versatile fiber.

You can also get this effect with silk paint, by dampening the fabric before applying the diluted paint.

Be careful to avoid placing purple next to green. Always place turquoise in between them, unless you are looking for subtle shades. Purple plus green makes brown. However, applying the soda ash last makes even the muddy colors come out beautiful, in my experience. They are very ugly in tie dye or whenever the fixative is applied first, in my experience.