Where should I buy silk from? I'd like to make a basic bedding set.

[ScreamIfYouWantToGoFaster]

My 21mo DD has crazy frizzy gorgeous corkscrew curls - on a good day. On a normal day she has a wild bush sitting on her head that cannot be tamed by love nor money! I've been doing my homework on curly hair and there have been numerous recommendations for silk pillowcases. Unfortunately DD only spends the first 5 minutes of any night actually ON her pillow, she spends the rest of the night tossing and turning her way around the mattress, usually waking in the morning at the opposite end! So for there to be any benefit from the silk it's going to have to be a silk bedsheet as well and probably a silk duvet cover. However looking online at the cost of a full silk bedding set for a cotbed was enough to set my hair on end as well!

So despite being a complete craft novice, my thought is how hard can it really be to buy some silk and have a go at making the bedding myself?! Famous last words.

Can anyone recommend a reputable website (preferably) or London shop where I can buy some silk by the metre/yard please? I have no idea where to start looking!

Thanks!

As I read your OP, I was sewing a silk sleeping bonnet for my dd! Spooky!

I would recommend you get a sleep bonnet or sleep cap. They look like shower caps. You can get them from amazon and ebay amongst other places. They have made a huge difference to my dds hair.

I have considered satin bedding but it's so slippery. I'm giving it a go making a silk bonnet at the moment but silk is so delicate. There is no way you could have bedding made of the stuff I am sewing with now.

I bought the silk in a fabric shop. I think it would have been better if I could have found a silk scarf from a charity shop but I couldn't.

If you do want to buy silk and do the bedding yourself, it will need to be the thicker better quality sort. Like mulberry. I think it will be a difficult job though.

Could you get a silk sari? There is a lot of fabric in a sari and you can get some lovely colours.

If you can't get silk, would"art silk" (synthetic silk) work?

Try ebay

Thanks for the tip Savoy! How old is your DD may I ask? I just can't imagine successfully convincing my DD to keep a bonnet on all night. So far I haven't even been able to get her to keep her socks or duvet on!

I'll definitely bear in mind your comments about the thickness - I hadn't even thought of that!

Thanks Pook! I had a quick look at ebay but I'm so reluctant to buy from online retailers I haven't already heard of - is there a particular ebay retailer you've had good experiences with?

Not sure where to buy saris either, although that's a lovely idea! It would be so nice to get a vibrant beautiful colour!

I bought a couple of saris for the fabric from ebay, but it was a few years ago now. That was what I meant by ebay.

Alternatively, I don't know where in the country you're based, but you might find Indian / other Asian fabric or clothing stores in your nearest city who might be able to help you source a sari? The fabric is fairly heavyweight as it's for clothing. However, quite a lot seem to be "art silk" which is lovely but not 100% pure silk. I'm not sure if that would work?

Your DD's hair sounds gorgeous. My 2.5 year old has hardly any hair!

I've a seven year old and a ten year old. They don't mind keeping the hats on as they don't like having tatty raggy hair and they can tell the difference. My oldest even took hers to school camp.

They are pretty lightweight and they just must get used to it too. One of mine has a red one at the moment and they call it the little red riding hood cap. It's pretty adorable when she has it on.

A bonnet in summer would be horrid. I think starting a patchwork second hand silk scarf collection ie the way forward.

Here is the sort of thing.

This one went for £6.99 plus £2.99 postage, so it wouldn't be a huge amount to pay if it didn't quite turn out to be the right thing!

Must stop browsing saris on ebay! Good luck!

It's not more 'horrid' than knotty hair. And I live where 40 degrees is not out of the norm. They seem to manage in the Caribbean too.

www.curlyemporium.co.uk/products/Satin-Edge-Bonnet.html

Thanks everyone! I'll be following all of those links and checking out all the suggestions!