For several years, Reno Fiber Guild has had a year long study about some aspect of fiber art. In order to preserve all of the work that has gone into these studies, separate files are now available. (see the description and links below).
Silk Scarf Dyeing Project - Sept. 2026
This blog entry is a work in progress and will be updated with as much information as we can glean for RFG members who want to participate. I will layer the information so that the most recent additions are at the beginning.
The scarves for this project were left to the guild from the estate of
Kate Hanlon. This project is for RFG guild members only
9/21/2026 I just found this link about dyeing silk with natural dyes. Has some good information and also ideas for use with silk yarns. https://goldenwarpyarnco.com/blogs/news/complete-guide-to-dyeing-silk-yarn-at-home
9/16/2026 The folks who have selected to have their scarves mordanted may already know what they want to do, or they may need advice. Natural dyeing is a big subject, but you can get good results with some locally obtained substances. I've added some to the program handout that I have used in the past. For videos and more information, go to Botanical Colors , Maiwa or Dharma Trading Co. There are also a couple of links further down in this document.
The guild library has quite a few books about natural dyeing. I would recommend books that have been written recently.
9/15/2026 In doing a write up for the guild, I started to research scouring. I found a Botanical Colors guide which is excellent. https://botanicalcolors.com/how-to-scour/ It not only describes the process, but also defines the word as it applies to dyeing textiles.
9/11/2026 Here is a collection of links about natural dyeing. The emphasis is on indigo processes, but there are additional links to a variety of natural dye processes. https://bannermountaintextiles.blogspot.com/p/indigo-vats-and-natural-dye-links.html
9/9/2026 Botanical Colors is a great site for all natural dyes (IMHO)! Here is a link to their You tube site. You will find some fascinating tutorials about specific topics here. Two that are of interest to me are the one about madder and also about lac. Lac is something that I have never tried, so I'm going to see what I can learn here.
https://www.youtube.com/@botanicalcolors
8/25/26 Here is another link to Botanical Colors which was recommended by guild member Jill A. It's all about tannins and is an interesting adjunct to your natural dye processes. I must admit I haven't used many of these myself, but I think they might be quite helpful in your scarf dyeing. Read the article to see what you think and if you decide to add them to your dyeing, please share your experiences.
Keep in mind as you read about various dyes and processes, that silk is classified as a protein fiber. Also, we don't want to expose silk to high heat, such as boiling, because it may damage the luster of the silk itself.
8/14/26 Some of the scarves available to dye are silk with a rayon pile cut in fancy designs. (Called cut velvet by Dharma). These scarves can be dyed with acid dyes, fiber reactive dyes and also with something called alter-ego dyes. The advantage to the alter-ego dye is that you can get a scarf with two different colors - one for the silk and the other for the rayon. Here is Dharma's link to the tutorial.
You can see my experiments with scarf dyeing here. I was experimenting with resisting the scarves, and got some mixed results. I'm sure all of you will be able to do a better job than I did☺
8/7/26 What follows is a series of videos about solar dyeing from Dharma. You may, or may not like the results, but I believe that the tutorials are helpful in showing you how the sun can do the work of heating your dye so that you have no mess inside your home. https://www.dharmatrading.com/blogs/t/solar-dyeing-with-acid-dyes
Here is video about using the solar dyeing method with natural dyes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_udr8wSRPA
And here is Botanical Colors take on solar dyeing https://botanicalcolors.com/how-to-the-mason-jar-method-for-solar-dyeing/
Click the link for a description of silk scarf blanks from Dharma Trading Co. The available scarves for our guild members are Crepe de Chine, Habotai, Charmeuse, Chiffon & Cut Velvet. I don't have the inventory of how many scarves there are in each category. Check with Suzanne for that.
Acid dye colors available from Dharma Trading Co. Kate had the dyes in the list below and they are available to use for your scarf or scarves. Click the second Dharma Trading Co. link to see the actual colors.
Sunflower Yellow Poinsettia
Fluorescent Fuchsia
Plum Dandy
Intense Iris
Deep Purple
Baby Blue Eyes
Peacock Blue
Caribbean Blue
Teal Green
Emerald Green
Kelly Green
Forest Green
Avocado
Lichen
Sand Dune
I also have some acid dyes (not Dharma) Scarlet, Navy, Turquoise, Black, Royal Blue and a bit of yellow and you can also use some of these for your project. Acid dyes will require either citric acid (available from Dharma) or white vinegar from the grocery store.
For those wanting to use natural dyes, one of your scarves can be mordanted with aluminum triformate and when you pick up your scarves that will have been completed for you. A list of possibilities for natural dyes that can be locally sourced will be upcoming.
Natural Dye substances Botanical Colors Tutorials for dyeing with natural dye substances Photos from dye experiments that Beryl did this spring.
Stay tuned for additional links and resource information for dyeing these scarves. - Beryl
Weavers Draft and Clothiers Assistant Study Group
https://renofiberguild.blogspot.com/p/weavers-draft-and-clothiers-assistant.html
Our Year of Color Studies
https://renofiberguild.blogspot.com/p/color.html
Past Study Group Notes and Files
https://renofiberguild.blogspot.com/p/past-study-group.html
Drafts and Useful Information from Sage Weavers' Meetings
https://renofiberguild.blogspot.com/p/weavers-anonymous.html
Weaving on 3 Shafts - Study Group blog posts
https://renofiberguild.blogspot.com/2019/04/results-of-three-shaft-study-group-part.html
https://renofiberguild.blogspot.com/2019/04/results-of-3-shaft-study-group-part-ii.html
https://renofiberguild.blogspot.com/2019/04/results-of-3-shaft-study-group-part-iii.html
Fiberworks study group. We have several zoom session videos that were led by Diane S. of RFG. If you are interested in viewing these and are a member of a CNCH guild, please contact renofiberguild@cnch.org
Blast from the Past - Reno Fiber Guild studied Surface Interest: Textiles of Today by Harriet Tidball in 2000-2001. There is a binder in the guild library from this study group that contains many lovely woven samples, threads used and finishing instructions. In honor of the guild's 50th Anniversary, a new document has been added to our resources with color drafts showing thread thickness for most of the interlacements in the book. Click on the link below to download the PDF file. This file may be used for your own personal use, but may not be sold or altered. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qqMOaFKQXmGhkQJPiVdLAaqtfSYjVzkq/view?usp=sharing
Thank you for the information
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