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How Is Silk Made?

Silk. What is it? How is it made? Silk is often called the most beautiful of all textile fibers, the queen of fabrics. It comes from the cocoon of the silk worm and requires a great deal of handling and processing, which makes it one of the most expensive fibers. Today China is the leading silk producer of the world. Other major silk producing countries include Japan, India and Italy.

The Silk Worm Production of Silk from Cocoon to Factory

Sericulture: The production of cocoon for their filament is called sericulture. The species Bombyx mori is usually cultivated and is raised under controlled condition of environment and nutrition. The life cycle of silk worm encircle in the four stages. The egg, the silk worm, the pupa and the moth. The silk worm which feeds on mulberry leaves forms a covering around it by secreting a protein like substance through its head.

This stage is called cocoon, the desirable stage for the silk producers.

Filature operations: The cocoons raised by the farmer are delivered to the factory, called a filature, where the silk is unwound from the cocoons and the strands are collected into skeins. Some cocoons are scientifically bred in such factories. The filature operations consist of the following stages.


a) Sorting cocoons :
The cocoons are sorted according to the color, size, shape and texture as these affect the final quality of the silk. Cocoons may range from white and yellow to grayish.

b) Softening the Sericin : Silk filament is a double strand of fibroin, which is held together by a gummy substance called sericin or silk gum. After the cocoon has been sorted, they are put through a series of hot and cold immersions, as the sericin must be softened to permit the unwinding of the filament as one continuous thread.

c) Reeling the filament : Reeling is the process of unwinding the silk filaments from the cocoon and combining them together to make a thread of raw silk. As the filament of the cocoon is too fine for commercial use, three to ten strands are usually reeled at a time to produce the desired diameter of raw silk which is known as "reeled silk". The useable length of reeled filament is 300 to 600 m.

d) Bailing : The silk filament is reeled into skeins, which are packed in a small bundles called books, weighting 2 to 4.5 kg. These books are put into bales weighing about 60 kg. In this form raw silk is shipped to silk mills all over the world.

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Characteristics of Silk

Silk is very strong in terms of tensile strength, meaning it can withstand a lot of pulling type pressure without breaking. This should not, however, be confused with wear ability or abrasion resistance. Silk will not stand up to the heavy wear that other fibers will.

Silk can take on many different appearances. A raw silk fabric may fool you into thinking that it is cotton or synthetic. The more refined the silk and the smaller the yarn, the more it resembles the look and feel that we know as silky.

Silk is a protein fiber like wool. This gives it many of its characteristics. It is sensitive to a range of chemical situations and cannot withstand prolonged exposure to either high alkalinity or to acid or oily soils. It will become brittle with age and exposure to sunlight.  

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Identifying Silk

The burn test is the best way to be sure. Burning silk will leave a powdery ash and will extinguish itself when the flame is removed, just like wool. The easy way to tell silk and wool apart in the burn test is the smell. Where wool will have the smell of burning hair, the silk will have a much more disagreeable smell.

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Four Varieties of Natural Silk

Out of the numerous species of silk moths, scientists have enumerated about 70 silk moths which are of some economic value. But of these only a very few have commercial value. The four commercially known varieties of natural silk are (1) Mulberry silk (2) Tasar silk (3) Muga silk and (4) Eri silk. Although the bulk of world silk supply comes from the silk moth Bombyx Mori which is domesticated, the other varieties of silk are known as wild silk, as they are grown in remote forest trees in natural conditions.

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A wide range of silk fabrics are produced at different production centers   both Handloom and Powerlooms. A brief account of the range of fabrics is furnished below, as is known by its popular names.

Mulberry Varieties
Some important mulberry varieties are discussed below:
(a) Plain Silk Fabrics

A range of thin silk to deluxe qualities are produced in this category using filature. Fabrics ranging from 20 gm to 70 gm are produced in this category using both handloom as well as powerloom. The fabrics is available as per the requirements in different shades as well as in checks and stripes. Beautiful pin stripes are a specialty for shirting. Plain silk is mostly used by exporters for making ladies blouses, fashion garments, made-ups and scarves. Deluxe and super deluxe qualities are also produced as per specific orders.

(b) Dupion Fabrics

A specialty of Bangalore Handlooms, Dupion is the craze of the west. Produced out of twisted filature warp and dupion weft is available in different quality ranges and shades. Dupion checks and stripes are elegant in look. Mainly used for dress material and cushion covers and furnishings, dupion is a popular name among the overseas silk importers.

(c) Charka Silk

Using filature in warp and Charka in weft a thicker fabric is made on handlooms. For most of the zari decorative sarees charka yarn is popularly used by the sari manufactures.

(d) Chiffon

Using highly twisted yarn, a thin but strong fabric is produced on power looms, which after processing and finishing attains a soft and smooth texture. Chiffons are used for varied end-uses for ladies garments and scarves/stoles.

(e) Chinnon

This is also produced from highly twisted yarn of filature in power loom. After the final processing and finishing the fabric gets a soft but crimp effect. Chinnon is ideal for ladies dresses and scarves/stoles.

(f) Crepe

Produced from 2-ply twisted yarn of 's' and 'z' twist and woven on power loom, crepe is used for varied uses. Mysore crepe saris are very popular in domestic and export front.

(g) Organza

A very thin fabric produced from highly twisted yarn. After a starchy finish the fabric gets a rough texture. Organza is used as sari material as well as for embroidered garments.

(h) Satin

Silk satins are a popular variety of fabric used for a varied end use. When made into dresses satin gives an elegant Look. Banarasi Satin Saris are popular for export and domestic markets.

(i) Tabby Silk

A type of plain silk fabric produced in Kashmir. Tabby silk is mostly used for printed saris and scarves.

(j) Murshidabad Silk

A popular silk fabric produced in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal. Used mainly for saris and scarves, the fabric is available in different qualities known as 16s, 18s, 20s, and so on .

(k) Matka Fabric

Using Matka yarn for both warp and weft, a thicker fabric is produced mostly for furnishing. The fabric mostly produced in Bhagalpur is a very popular export item at present. By using multiple yarns the texture and thickness of the fabrics can be modified according to the end use.

source: http://www.silkpaintinggallery.com/silk.htm

Folded Ribbon Rose: A Craft Tutorial

Have you ever seen those dainty, adorable silk sewn roses? They are often sewn on to pillows, cloth, etc. as an additional embroidery. These use ribbon, but the idea is the same. Use some of your scraps. And don't hold back. Use some of your most interesting colors and patterns. 

Once you have mastered the basic folding technique of these Roses, they can be created from a wide variety of Ribbons. The photo here shows them made in Satin Ribbon, Satin Ribbon / Organza Ribbon Combination and Organza with a Gold Thread Edge.

For a much softer effect of course you would use Silk Ribbon. The Hand Dyed Silk Ribbons which are available in the wider sizes are ideal for this. The variance in color through the ribbon becomes shading in the petals, making it much more realistic.


Step 1: Cut the Ribbon edge at an angle. Fold the ribbon forward diagonally, leaving a tail.



Step 2: Fold over the ribbon starting from the right, making a firm center for the rose. Stitch to hold in matching thread. ( For this tutorial I have a different color thread to make it easier for you to see ).


Step 3: Fold the ribbon diagonally to the back. 

Step 4: Wrap the fold around the rose center, each one of the folds becomes a petal. Continue in this way until you have the desired size rose. 



Take care not to have all the folds on the one side of your rose. On the outer petals as the rose is growing in size, you may need to gather the ribbon at the base a little to prevent this.

Step 5: On the last fold stitch the ribbon to the base and cut off at an angle. Notice how the gold thread alternates through the petals. The same with combining two ribbons such as Satin and Organza.

Hint: Should you be concerned about wastage of Ribbon, an alternative is to replace this with crepe paper double fold. This paper holds firm without stitching by pressing the folds in place. Allows you to have a few practice runs. 
Be patient in time you will be able to do them with very little effort.

source: http://caroldaisy.blogspot.com/search/label/Tutorial%20-%20Folded%20Ribbon%20Rose

How To Care For Your Silk Fabrics

So you’ve bought some beautiful silk fabrics from us. Now what? The last thing you want to do is accidentally ruin the fabric. We've gathered some of the top tips for caring for your silk. Read on and learn how to make your clothes last and look beautiful.

General care: 

·         Always follow the instructions attached with silk items. 
·         Avoid direct contact with chemicals, e.g. perfumes, hair spray, etc.
·         If you spill something on your silk item, take it to the laundry, tell them what you spilled and they will solve the problem for you. Do not put water on the spotted area.

 

Tips for washing silk items:

Instructions for washing are often attached with silk items. Bring them to the dry cleaners if it is required. Otherwise, you can hand wash silk items in cold water with soft liquid soap and iron when they are still humid. Details are as follows:

·         Use a mild soap and cool or warm water. Shampoo is an alternative!
·         Several drops of lemon juice or vinegar in the rinse water can make your silk item shinier.
·         Wash separately silk items with different colors.
·         Handle gently silk items. Do not wring or twist. Roll silk items in a towel to remove moisture quickly.
·         Do not use pre-soak products or chlorine bleach.
·         Hang silk items away from strong sunlight until damp dry.

Iron silk items: 

·         Always iron silk items on the wrong side.
·         For both dry and steam iron, always iron at warm setting.
·         When iron on the right side for touch-up, use a press cloth.

Secrets of high quality silk: 

Every step in the production process has its own importance in leading to the final quality of silk garment.

·         Good silk items give a soft and smooth feeling.
·         Good silk items have a special shine and tend to change color tone when exposed to the light.
·         Good silk items are tightly woven texture. The surface resists the dirt.
·         Good silk items adapt well to various climate conditions. 

Top 5 Reasons You Should Be Sleeping On Silk

1) Sleeping on silk reduces the appearance of wrinkle lines

Sleeping on silk pillowcases reduces the appearance of lines on your face when you wake up in the morning. Your skin looks better when you wake up. You do not need research on this.  Ask anyone that has ever slept on silk, they will tell you. There are not those morning creases that last longer and longer as you get older. Do the experiment yourself. Why do we need statistics on everything to tell us what we inherently know?  Try it, you will see the difference the first morning you wake up.

2) SIlk is hypo-allergenic

Silk is hypo-allergenic because the weave is so tight, dust mites can not manifest.

3) Silk does not absorb your expensive face creams

Silk does not absorb your expensive face creams the way cotton does. Cotton is very absorbent we know this. I know my face creams are not cheap. As a matter of fact my face cream costs more than 1 pillowcase. The pillowcases last for a very long time. The silk actually gets softer and softer on your face with age. Many people have kept the same pillowcase for 10 years!

4) Your hair looks better when you sleep on silk pillowcases

Your hair looks better when you sleep on silk pillowcases. Hairdressers know this. Our grandmothers knew this. Again do the research. Do you have bed head in the morning? A silk pillowcase will help.

5) Spoil yourself with Silk Pillowcases

We spend a third of our life sleeping. Sleeping on silk pillowcases is an easy way to pamper yourself. You feel like you are in a spa when you go to bed on a silk pillowcases.

You could buy a silk pillowcase, or you could easily do it yourself! Click here to see the how-to make your own silk pillowcase. 

DIY: How to Make a Silk Pillowcase

How to Make a Spooky Skull Cut Out Tee/Tank

SUPPLIES

• Oversized large t-shirt (Get yours here)
• Washable Sharpie
• Fabric scissors
• Large piece of white paper

STEP ONE: Sketch out the outline of your skull. We think the messier, the better, so don't be afraid to get a little sloppy.

STEP TWO: Turn your shirt inside out with the back of the shirt facing up. Then put your skull outline inside.
 

STEP THREE: Trace your outline. We chose to do dots since sharpies tend to drag on fabric and by not having a solid line we were able to deviate from the exact outline, like we said, the messier the better — and more organic looking.

STEP FOUR: Admire your dotted skull outline.

STEP FIVE: Begin cutting by starting in the middle and snipping outward. *If you use a washable Sharpie or other washable ink you won't have to worry about cutting on the outside of the dots as much.

STEP SIX: For the teeth we found pinching the fabric where you want the tooth and hap-hazardly cutting gave a nice result.

STEP SEVEN: Stretch out the fabric so the cuts don't look as manufactured — much better this way.

STEP EIGHT: Voila! Or you can continue to STEP EIGHT POINT FIVE and cut off the collar and sleeves like we did. By doing this you'll acheive a slinkier silhouette.

STEP EIGHT POINT FIVE: Cut off sleeves and and collar. Take your time with it and don't attempt to do both layers at once. Better yet, just find your friend whose really good at this and have them do it. There always seems to be that one friend who can make the perfect tank — and if you're that friend, then lucky you :)

STEP NINE: Pair it with some skinny jeans and messy hair and you're good to go.

We used a black tee, but you can use any shirt or tank (and color combo) you want.