The process of creating a hand-painted silk scarf…
I use the finest silk with a hand rolled hem and professional grade French Silk Dyes. Creating an original scarf is a meticulous and time-consuming process. First the silk must be washed with a special soap to remove all traces of silkworm gum. Next the scarf is placed on a stretcher. The design is drawn by hand, and a resist applied. Once dried (about 8 hours) the dye is hand painted. When the dye has dried, the scarf is steam set for 2-3 hours to make the dye permanent. It then cures on the line for 48 hours, rinsed, washed, and rinsed again. Finally, it is gently rolled in a towel and ironed with a dry iron while damp. It is packaged in a handsewn silk pouch. Visit my Instagram @coleenmdavidson to check out my videos.