Q: How do I get the wax out of my fabric when I'm all done?
A: Much of the wax comes out when you steam the silk however the best method I've found for removing all of the wax residue is dry cleaning.

Q: Where can I get a stretcher frame like the one you used in your demonstration?
A: You can purchase stretcher frames through Moyer Design and the Dharma Trading Company Catalog

Q: Do you have a book on the silk dyeing technique you demonstrated?
A: No, wish I did! However I can recommend some good books to get you started. Check out my Books resource page.

Q: What dyes do you use?
A: I use a variety of different dyes - it's good to experiment with different dyes and discover for yourself which ones you like the best. The ones I use most often are made by Dupont, Sennelier Tinfix and Jacquard.

Q: Where did you get the organza you printed on?
A: I bought regular white organza and then pretreated it with a special printing medium called Bubble Jet Set 2000. You can buy silk organza by the yard from Thai Silks and you can order a 32 oz. bottle of Bubble Jet Set 2000 by clicking here.

Q: How did you print the words on the organza?
A: First I prepared a file on my computer with the design I wanted to print. I cut up organza into 8.5 x 11 inch pieces and then pretreated the organza with the Bubble Jet Set 2000 according to the manufacturer's instructions. I then ironed the organza to 8.5 x 11 sheets of freezer paper. I put these into my printer and printed the design I had created onto the organza. I then followed the manufacturer's instructions for doing the final setting of the ink and washed the organza and used it in my project.

Q: What program did you use to get your words to flow around the way they do?
A: I use Adobe Illustrator. A word of caution though: this is not a beginner's program and it takes quite a bit of time to learn to use it proficiently. There may be other programs out there that can help you accomplish similar things that are easier to use.

Q: Don't you worry about getting the fabric jammed in your printer?
A: Yes, I do worry about this and I have had fabric jams in my printer. It's very unpleasant and I've damaged the print heads of my printer this way. To minimize the chances of the fabric getting jammed, I use flat 8.5 x 11 inch sheets of freezer paper rather than the rolled freezer paper. You can buy 50 sheets of flat 8.5 x 11 inch sheets of freezer paper by clicking here. I also make sure to carefully iron the fabric to the freezer paper so there are no bubbles, no loose edges and I trim any loose threads.