We get mordant questions all the time at Botanical Colors so why not create Mordant Monday??? Got mordanting questions? Email [email protected]
YOU ASKED: I was wondering what is the best way to scour or mordant raw silk? I know you have on your site that info for silk but just wanted to ask if that applied the same for raw silk as well.
KATHY ANSWERED: Raw silk, also referred to as silk noil, is the carded short waste pieces from silk reeling that are carded and spun before weaving or knitting. The fiber is medium weight, textured, matte and can contain dark bits. It is often a creamy off-white to tan color. If you have a spun silk fabric that is brilliant white, lustrous and is “slippery”, it often does not require additional scouring. Usually these are habotai, China silk, charmeuse and other lustrous silk fabrics. But if your fabric feels somewhat stiff or has a strong sericin odor, then your fabric probably needs scouring. You can use the instructions that we have under our How To section.
You might also like to read:
FEEDBACK FRIDAY: Channeling Champagne on Silk
FEEDBACK FRIDAY: This Week in Natural Dye Questions (featuring painting on silk)
Shop:
Mill Spun Eri Silk Embroidery Thread from Botanica Tinctoria