Is there a way to dye silk fabric without having to heat-set it?
It is incorrect that you cannot dye silk without heat-setting. While acid dyes do require heat in order to bond to the silk, fiber reactive dyes do not. Procion MX dye works well on silk at room temperature, if you set it with soda ash, instead of acid. It will have a slight effect on the hand of the silk, making it softer and slightly less shiny. Procion-dyed silk charmeuse retains most of its luster, but loses any stiffness. This makes Procion MX dye with soda ash ideal when you want soft silks, but not so ideal if you want them to be stiff. The easiest way to find Procion MX dyes is to buy a tie-dye kit at the crafts store, one made by Jacquard, Dylon, Tulip, or Rainbow Rock. You should avoid the Rit All Purpose Dye tie-dye kit, as it contains inferior dyes which require heat to set, ideally half an hour or more at 185°F. For a vast choice of a hundred different colors of Procion MX dye, and for much cheaper prices per ounce of dye, mail-order your dyes from a good dye supplier, suc
