quick! need a good deal for playsilks!

[kochh2]

we have a birthday party to go to, and i want to get her some silks... i have no prob dyeing my own, but the shipping costs at dharma are outrageous for a 7 oz. package!! where else can i get blanks for better shipping? or wheres the best place to get some cheap 30 x 30 scarves??? thanks!!

[kochh2]

we have a birthday party to go to, and i want to get her some silks... i have no prob dyeing my own, but the shipping costs at dharma are outrageous for a 7 oz. package!! where else can i get blanks for better shipping? or wheres the best place to get some cheap 30 x 30 scarves??? thanks!!

[Canna]

I'm not sure how the shipping compares, but we got some from thaisilks.com a couple of years ago. They have undyed ones and some that are already dyed. They dyed ones appear to be on sale for $3.60. Ours have been great!
http://www.thaisilks.com/product_info.php?cPath=58_73&products_id=393

http://www.thaisilks.com/product_info.php?cPath=58_83&products_id=432

[Canna]

I'm not sure how the shipping compares, but we got some from thaisilks.com a couple of years ago. They have undyed ones and some that are already dyed. They dyed ones appear to be on sale for $3.60. Ours have been great!
http://www.thaisilks.com/product_info.php?cPath=58_73&products_id=393

http://www.thaisilks.com/product_info.php?cPath=58_83&products_id=432

[brittone2]

when do you need them? MDC has a co-op going on right now for Dharma under their co-op forum. I think they were hoping to keep it small and relatively quick. They aren't doing dyes; it is silks/cottons only. That makes the shipping more affordable since it is divided up, but it won't help if you need them in a hurry.

[brittone2]

when do you need them? MDC has a co-op going on right now for Dharma under their co-op forum. I think they were hoping to keep it small and relatively quick. They aren't doing dyes; it is silks/cottons only. That makes the shipping more affordable since it is divided up, but it won't help if you need them in a hurry.

[kochh2]

thanks! i know, i posted an order then realized it was not going to work, timewise... we need them in a week :( oh well...

[kochh2]

thanks! i know, i posted an order then realized it was not going to work, timewise... we need them in a week :( oh well...

[apriltwinmom]

Have you tried dyeing the scarves? Do you use Rit dye?

I'd love to get a bunch for my daughter and for Xmas gifts.

Looking forward to seeing if anyone knows of any great deals!

Thanks, Rachel

[brittone2]

nak-
I haven't heard good things about Rit for playsilks, but YMMV. You can use koolaid, cake decorating pastes (available at Michaels, etc.) or buy silk-compatible dyes at dharma or Thai silks. Koolaid tends to give a more pastel look (unless you overdye, which sometimes means they will bleed later if washed and become more pastel).

There's info in the archives about how to dye w/ koolaid (buy the unsweetened ;) ) The best way I've heard to get purple is buy Canadian grape koolaid (different formulation than the US. US grape koolaid will show up more brown) or buy the cake decorating pastes to get a more true purple color.

Koolaid will dye any animal fiber, so it works on wool or silk, but not cotton or non animal types of fibers.

[vludmilla]

Please excuse the silly question, but what are play silks?

[brittone2]

I guess the easiest explanation is that they are an imaginative play prop. They are just squares of hemmed silk (36 inches by 36 inches is a pretty common size), usually dyed different colors, and used for various types of play. They can be a baby blanket, a baby sling, a sarong, a dress, a pirate hat, part of a fort, you can juggle them, dance with them, use them as grass or water for playing with little animals or people, use them for peek a boo with a baby...pretty much anything!

Silk isn't a necessity, but is nice because the "floaty-ness" of them makes them really magical and fun. And the texture is really nice too.

They are open ended and can grow with a child. They can be used to play peek a boo with a young baby and grow with the child as their imaginative play expands.