silk chiffon or silk charmeuse: which is going to be easier to dye for later use?Name: Joan
Message: I have two choices of fabric for my wedding dress---silk
chiffon or silk charmeuse. Which is going to be easier to dye for later
use?
Both will dye beautifully. Prewashing the fabric has the side benefit of
making the silk dress made from it washable, unless the trim does not allow
this.
You can dye silk with the acid dyes that can be used for wool, OR with the
same fiber reactive dyes we use for cotton. Acid dyes will help to retain
crispness and shine, while fiber reactive dyes will make the fabric feel softer
and less stiff. Which do you prefer?
ya know...I just like the idea of being able to dye it...I prefer the
chiffon dress the more I think about it. I need to find out if it is washable
silk...and if the lining is washable/dyeable
Lining? Oh, dear. I thought you were writing about unsewn silk, to be dyed
and then sewn into a dress.
Lined garments are just about never washable, and silk garments whose silk
was not prewashed before sewing are often not washable. I have never heard of
an off-the-rack lined silk dress that was not marked "dry clean only." And of
course, truly dry-clean-only garments are NEVER dyeable. All forms of dyeing
require washing.
The way to make a silk dress washable is to prewash the material
before sewing it into the dress. A silk dress, especially a lined
one, should be assumed to have missed this incredibly simple and easy step, and
to be dry-clean-only. When you wash a lined garment that was marked "dry clean
only", either the outside layer of the garment will shrink, or the lining will,
but they will never match each other. The way the lining fits under the outer
layer will almost inevitably be completely ruined.
In contrast, if you prewash and dye some nice silk chiffon, then have it
sewn together (there are thousands of tailors who can do the sewing for you!),
the dress is washable. If the fabric, or its trim, is too fragile for machine
washing, it should still be hand-washable.
There are many advantages to clothing that is washable, besides the obvious
one of saving time and money by not having to haunt the dry cleaners.
Dry-clean-only garments are susceptible to damage from water spots, which are
so common at parties where food and drink are served. Water spots on a
water-washable dress can be easily rinsed out. Furthermore, the solvent used in
dry-cleaning is a probable carcinogen, so it is important to avoid extended
exposure to it. Storing freshly dry-cleaned garments in a closet that is
attached to a bedroom produces extended exposures; they should be aired out in
another room, or, preferably, outside, to reduce this exposure. Of course,
perchloroethylene is also damaging to the environment, and may have significant
risks for those people who work at the dry cleaner's establishment.
My own wedding dress was sewn of a beautiful silk charmeuse that was
prewashed in the washing machine before sewing. Silk just cut from the bolt may
be prewashed and then dyed in the washing machine (see "How can I dye clothing or fabric in the washing
machine?").
Posted: Sunday - April 17, 2005 at 10:27 AM
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