Play silks

Silk must be stretched before it is painted on. You can make or buy a wooden frame or even use the back of an old picture frame. A recent alternative is self-adhesive mountboard for very small pictures. You can attach the silk to the frame with 3-pronged pins which will not damage the silk. Place the pins in the corners first, then either continue stretching the silk with more pins, or use a strong masking tape to stretch and stick each side in turn.

The mounted silk can be turned playsilks upside down so you can trace your design on with a fabric pen or permanent pen. Bear in mind that a water-soluble fabric marker will give you an 'invisible' outline, but it will also disappear as soon as the dye goes over it! There are many problems and options in silk painting and the fun is in the many hours you'll spend trying to work them out!