How to make stripes?

[nemi]

I have some wonderful silk sarongs (10 mm habotai 42x70 inches) that I want to make striped in different patterns.  Like three different shades of blue, or rainbow stripes, or for example a yellow, a fuchsia and a purple stripe.

How do I go about doing that?  I use Procion MX dyes.  What tecnique - tie-dye, dip-dye, low-water immersion...?  Any ideas?  (These sarongs cost a bit of money, so I´d rather not mess up ten of them trying to figure it out all by myself  )

[pburch]

Dyeing stripes is about as easy and basic as you can get in tie-dyeing. Presoak in soda ash. Pleat the fabric with your fingers (roughly accordian folding), so the folds are parallel to one side of the fabric, tie bands at intervals, and place a different color in each section between the ties. Place the same color in each section on the back side of the fabric. When you unwrap it, you will end up with stripes that are perpendicular to the original folds.

Or, for dip-dyeing, fold the fabric lengthwise once or twice, or accordian-pleat it several times, depending on whether you want two or three wide stripes, or a greater number of narrower stripes, then dip one long edge of fabric in one color; dip the opposite edge in another color. Give the colors a few minutes to blend where they meet, then finish by immersing in a small volume of soda ash solution, or by painting on sodium silicate.

Or for direct dye application, presoak in soda ash and lay out flat. Squirt or brush thickened or unthickened dye on, making more free-form stripes. Slightly wavy stripes are nice.

I don't see how you can go wrong, as long as you choose your adjacent colors well.

Paula

[nemi]

Thank you, Paula! 

I think I´ll try the tie-dye version first, I´ll let you know how it turned out!