Name: Karen

Message: I'm trying to dye a silk flower with fabric paint, do I need to add soda ash before or after? These flowers with be submerged in water afterwards with a floating candle on top for a wedding reception. I'm afraid the flower after it's dyed will turn the water the same color, but I want the water to stay clear. Any advise will be greatly appreciated.

Do NOT use soda ash with fabric paint! 

Soda ash is used to allow certain types of dye to react with fiber. It will do nothing for other types of dye, nor for fabric paints, which are not dyes at all. Fabric paints are insoluble pigments mixed with a glue-like acrylic binder. The soda ash probably won't do much harm, but it is totally useless for fabric paint.

You say "silk" flower. Do you know whether your flowers are truly made of 100% natural silk, or are they really polyester or another synthetic? I have often seen polyester flowers sold as "silk" flowers. It makes a big difference, because dyes that work on silk will never work on polyester, and some paints that stick to silk or cotton will not stick to polyester well.

Jacquard says that their fabric paints will work on polyester, and they work on silk, too, so, if you use them, there is no worry about the exact fiber content of your artificial flowers. Jacquard Products makes a number of different fabric paints: Jacquard Textile Colors, Lumiere metallic and pearlescent colors, Neopaque opaque fabric paints, and Dye-Na-Flow, a fabric paint that flows like dye. If your local crafts store does not carry these paints, order them from Blick Art Materials or from Dharma Trading Company.

You will have to heat-set your fabric paints after they dry. Fabric paints are set in an entirely different way from fabric dyes. You use dry heat to do it, instead of steam. Flat items can be ironed to heat set them, while sturdy soft items can be dried in a commercial clothes dryer for heat setting (home clothes dryers do not get hot enough!), but for fragile non-flat items like flowers, you can't use either of these. One alternative is to use a heat tool, which is like a hair dryer without the fan. Your local crafts store may carry this, or you can order from Blick Art Materials or Dharma Trading Company. The other alternative is to get a product called acrylic catalyst, a liquid which you add to your fabric paint before use. Jacquard's brand of fabric paint catalyst is called Jacquard Airfix; you can order it from Jerry's Art Supplies (one of the few mail-order sources for AirFix), or perhaps you could use the Versatex brand that is sold by Dharma (better call them first and ask, to be sure).

Allowing plenty of drying time before heat-setting the fabric paint is helpful. Doing a good job with the heat-setting step, or using the catalyst as a substitute, is essential for preventing the color from dissolving in the water.

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