Hand-Painted 
Silk Scarf

Lightweight and versatile, silk scarves are the perfect accessories for spring. Here’s how to make your own.

Scarves

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Silk scarves are the perfect accessories for spring. They’re lightweight, versatile, and add a splash of color to drab ensembles. Here’s how to make your own:

Hand-Painted 
Silk Scarf
silk scarf

Materials

  • White, 100 percent Chinese-silk scarf*

  • Dull pencil
  • 
Permanent markers, choice colors
  • Jacquard Dye-Na-Flow paint*

*Available at craft stores or online.

Tools

  • Two 2-feet-long pieces of freezer paper
  • 2-by-2-feet foam board

  • 16 thumbtacks
  • 
Iron
  • Small paintbrush

Directions

  1. Lay pieces of freezer paper side by side, shiny side up on foam board. 
 Gently stretch scarf flat over freezer paper. Pin in place with thumbtacks.

  2. silk scarf stretched over wax paper

  3. Lightly sketch shapes on silk with pencil.

  4. drawing butterfly with penicl on silk scarf

  5. Heat iron on “silk setting” and press silk to freezer paper until wax begins to melt. Don’t overdo it! Edge of scarf should easily pull away from paper.

  6. ironing silk scarf

  7. Trace pencil shapes on scarf with permanent markers. Be sure to close shapes so paint will stay within marker lines.

  8. drawing with marker on silk scarf

  9. Paint shapes from center out. Allow paint to spread before adding more paint. Too much paint will overrun marker lines.
 Dry scarf on board for 24 hours. Remove and dry alone in clothes dryer on high heat for 30 minutes.

  10. painting silk scarf

  11. Rinse scarf in cold water until water runs clear. 
 Air dry.
  12. rinsing silk scarf under faucet


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