Best Silk Material For Making A Hammock.

[Narwhalin]

I wanted to bump this thread on up, and add some links to some different outlets for silk. Two have already been mentioned.

Dharma Trading
http://www.dharmatrading.com/fabric/silk/habotai.html

Thai Silks
http://www.thaisilks.com/index.php?cPath=1_2

Silk Connection
http://www.silkconnection.com/produc.../silk/habotai/

These are all links to a kind of silk called Habotai silk. It is the kind that HC4U used. I am very interested in the wide fabrics from Dharma Trading...

If anyone has any tips regarding silk, I would love to hear them. I am thinking of making a hammock out of the Habotai, and maybe even trying the bug netting out of silk gauze. I am interested in dying the silk, but I have never done it, so tips about that would be welcome, as well!

[Ramblinrev]

Silk dyes very nicely but you need to follow the directions carefully. My wife uses Rit Dye and just does it in the washing machine which is fine if you own your own. Most laundromats will not allow you to dye fabric in their machines. The secret behind a good dye job is fresh dye, lots of it, good hot water and time. Depending on the fabric and color mordants are sometimes needed, but the directions which come with the commercial dyes are usually pretty good about calling for those. Natural dyes can be a real headache if you are not used to the process.

Natural dyes can also yeild some very bizarre results.

[Mule]

You will have to keep the moths at bay. I think they love silk, tastes like a wool smoothie.

[Ramblinrev]

Silk needs a proper storage environment. It dries out and becomes brittle over time. Creases and folds break first. There are insects that will eat silk.

[Narwhalin]

Thanks for all the tips! Some questions come to mind...

Is there a particular benefit to dying the silk in a washing machine, as opposed to a bathtub or rubber tote?

What would be the ideal storage environment for silk to prolong usable life?

Will permethian kill moths?

[Ramblinrev]

Storage:

http://www.hand-dyedfibers.com/oscnu...=article&sid=6

This is mostly for fine decorative pieces but the same ideas apply.


Dyeing

To get a good dye job you need to have a uniform concentration of dye and a loose distribution of fabric with consistent exposure to the dye. Commercially fabric is dyed in steam heated dye vats not washing machines. The issues as far as I know would be to prevent clumping of fabric, unless you are looking for the tie-dye effect, followed by a good though rinsing to remove all the excess dye.

The ratio of dye to water is less critical than the ratio of fabric to dye. The more dye available to the fabric, up to the saturation point, the more intense the coloring will be.

There is a ton of info on line about dyeing....

[HappyCamper]

Another tip on silk hammocks:

* Make sure you have supports that don't stretch.

A friend made one. His supports stretched during the night, the silk touched something sharp and he spent the rest of the night on the ground.

[headchange4u]

I really like how my silk hammock feels. If the fabric had been a little wider I would probably use it more. I have been thinking about making it into a silk top quilt/quilt liner and getting some wider fabric to make another hammock. Like you Narwhalin, I have though about getting some of the really wide fabric and folding it in half to make a dual layer silk hammock.

[Narwhalin]

Thanks again!

Like you Narwhalin, I have though about getting some of the really wide fabric and folding it in half to make a dual layer silk hammock.

I was actually thinking of using it in a single layer, just having a huge hammock w/o the need to sew peices of fabric together...

HC4U, how did you store your silk hammock, and have you seen any sign of decay since you made it?

[headchange4u]

Mine is stored inside a silnylon stuff sack, which is stored in a large plastic tub with some other gear. Moths aren't a big worry in my house. I have 4 cats and they will massacre and eat moths at the drop of a hat