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motherly loving
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I hope this is the right place to post this. I am getting some playsilks for my daughter for Christmas. Sarah's Silks at Blueberry Forest or elsewhere are very expensive.
Sarah's Silks at Blueberry Forest
I found an online store (A Toy Garden) that has 100% playsilks the same size for much less. Has anyone ordered from there and can speak for the quality. Do I save the money or splurge to get the namebrand ones I have heard of before.
A Toy Garden playsilks
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Robina
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MaryM
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I'm not familiar with the Toy Garden ones but they look like they are good quality. They are 100% Habotai silk from China which is the same as the more expensive companies. I think the grab bag section (slight imperfections) looks like a really good deal.
And here is a past thread where we discussed dyeing your own playsilks. It really is a fun and less expensive alternative if one is so inclined to go that route.
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teachingmyown
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I really like the silks from a Toy Garden. I have also purchased some from Hearthsong. They have held up for several years.
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JennGM
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MaryM wrote:
I'm not familiar with the Toy Garden ones but they look like they are good quality. They are 100% Habotai silk from China which is the same as the more expensive companies. I think the grab bag section (slight imperfections) looks like a really good deal.
And here is a past thread where we discussed dyeing your own playsilks. It really is a funa nd less expensive alternative if one is so inclined to go that route. |
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Oh good, Mary. I was going to repost that link, too. That's one of my favorites of your great ideas!
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StephanieA
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We have bought both Toy Garden and Sarah's Silks. We MUCH prefer Toy Garden. They seem thicker and more durable. Plus the customer service at Toy Garden is superb and small. The toddler boy plays with these as much as my girls.
Blessings,
Stephanie
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doris
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I also got a set from Toy Garden several years ago. Excellent quality, and they get played with almost every day. Very popular with visitors, too. 
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folklaur
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I made them!(thanks to Mary's tutorial) it was SO SO SO easy, and very fun!
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jdostalik
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We will be on a strict budget this Christmas. The silks have always been out of my price range...but I think I can dye some on my own--thanks, Mary and Laura for the encouragment! 
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Waverley
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Thanks for the link to A Toy Garden and the recommendation of their play silks. I need to replace quite a few of our silks but at $11 a piece I was putting it off. I'm excited to order the beautiful Earth-tone silks from A Toy Garden for use on our nature table! I'm going in with a friend to split a larger silk package as well.
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Cindy Mac
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There's another place where I have found that has pretty good prices. Just as a comparison, the 35x35 rainbow silk at Toy Garden is $17.99, and at Let's Explore it is $13.99. Just another option. I've ordered other things from Let's Explore and they are top-notch in their customer service and quick turnaround.
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teachingmom
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I bought inexpensive one yard silks from Dharma Trading Co, and dyed them ourselves using Mary's tutorial. They came out great and the girls love them!
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kbfsc
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I'm quite behind in this discussion - but am so interested. If I may ask, what do your children do with these playsilks? What's the idea behind them? I'm asking a bit sheepishly...  and feeling pretty ignorant. But I can't help it because it just looks like something that would be right up my dd's ally.
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melanie
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We did this a few years ago, bought some from Dharma Trading and dyed them. I'd like to do some more...a few of ours are looking pretty ragged. They all play with these so much. They live in our dress up trunk and become veils, super hero capes, doll blankets, tie around various body parts for bandages when playing doctor, tie together into little bags to carry play food when playing store, hang off furniture to become doors for forts, wrap around various things to play birthday party....the toddler just loves to dance around with them. :)
I've always wanted to get some bigger ones too...
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Maggie
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What sizes do the kids enjoy the most? I was looking at Dharma Trading and am not sure what my kids would like best. How many do you suggest? Is this the least expensive source?
I love the Kool-Aid dye idea!
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MaryM
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kbfsc wrote:
| If I may ask, what do your children do with these playsilks? What's the idea behind them? |
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They are great for all kinds of imaginative play. They are easy to tie and untie. There is something about the softness and flowing movement of them that is very appealing to children (and mommies, too  )
Melanie already posted but this is the list of ideas I was working on:
-waving & twirling for music and movement activities
-playing peek-a-boo
-magic tricks
-tea party or picnic cloth
-dress-up accessories or costumes (skirts, capes, wings, headdresses)
-build forts or use as canopy
-environment elements (like fake river, ocean, path, etc.)
-sling for a "broken" arm
-swaddling baby dolls, blankets for stuffed animals
-cuddling
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Mackfam
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I'll add that I often use them in our liturgical displays - green silk out for ordinary time...purple/violet during Advent/Lent...and so on. They're quite pretty displayed in a kind of puddle with a crucifix or a lovely statue on top. I sometimes use them to accent the nature table or table decor for a special occassion.
My kids play with them a lot. In fact, my older kids love using them as costumes for acting out history scenes. My dd was using them the other day to recreate a Roman toga while my son created a centurion uniform and they acted out their history reading in costume. It was great!
My littles use them a lot as well...in all the predictable ways. I have always liked that my littlest ones could play with silks safely from a very young age. Katie likes to walk around with a silk over her head, but they're light enough and transparent enough that this isn't dangerous.
Lots and lots of potential for play and use and decoration! LOVE playsilks!!!!!!!!!!
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MaryM
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Maggie wrote:
What sizes do the kids enjoy the most? I was looking at Dharma Trading and am not sure what my kids would like best. How many do you suggest? Is this the least expensive source? |
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It's nice to have a variety of sizes. The 35-36 inch size is probably most versatile but it's nice to have at least one really large one and a couple small ones (for the dollies and animals  ).
I have usually gotten mine from Thai Silks. Dharma is slightly less expensive than Thai (20-30 cents per scarf for those sizes). These are the most reasonable sources I've found for good quality white scarves.
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Mackfam
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Oh...I'll add that we have a variety of sizes, mostly squares, but it's nice to have some of the extra long ones. I've discovered them useful in a variety of ways!
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kbfsc
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Thanks, everyone! Sounds like fun!
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Kiera
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Stephanie_Q
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Another question regarding these...how strong are they? We have used thrift store scarves, rather than playsilks, and the kids have tied them between bedposts and used them as a swing or a hammock (which I'm ok with when it's for a doll, but when the kids jump on to try it out themselves, I get a little  !
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4Real Forums : The Arts in the Everyday
Topic: Playsilks Purchase Question
