Merely mentioning silk causes the mind to think luxury. Reading how silk is made and the history behind the production of silk is absolutely fascinating... and makes understanding the cost associated with silk seem like a bargain! The variations in silk prices come from the variety of silkworms and the quality of the cocoons associated with the type of worm.

Sericulture is the production of raw silk by raising silkworms. The main producers of silk are China and Japan. China is credited with the first production of silk around 3000BC. Production of silkworms relies on many environmental elements which affect the feasibility of silk production in other parts of the world.

Silk fibers are collected from cocoons of the silk worm which is the caterpillar stage of the silk moth Bombyx mori. The silk worms are treated to a luxurious life to produce their cocoons. Their environment is kept at controlled temperatures through their life cycles to insure they will live to produce a cocoon. The worm stage is fed crushed mulberry leaves around the clock, allowing it to multiply its weight 10,000 times within a month.

Each silkworm cocoon is made up of a single fiber that is 600 to 900 meters long. Five to eight strands of the filament that are unwound from a silk worm cocoon are used to create silk thread. The silk thread is then used to create silk fabric. Imagine how many silkworms were breed to produce one silk blouse!

It is well known that silk was first discovered in China and has proven to be one of the best materials for clothing - it has a look and feeling of richness that no other material can match. Lightweight and beautiful, silk clothing is both cool during hot weather and warm in cold weather. However, no one knows precisely when or where or how it was discovered. 

Chinese legend places the discovery of silk back in 3000 BCE when the Yellow Emperor, Huang Di, came into power. His wife, Lady Hsi-Ling-Shih, is known as the Goddess of Silk and is credited with introducing silkworm rearing and inventing the loom. At first, silk was reserved exclusively for the royal family and those in the country's highest positions, but eventually its use spread to all the classes and became integral to the Chinese economy. To protect this valuable commodity though, the technique and process of silk production was a closely guarded secret; revealing these secrets and smuggling silkworms or their cocoons out of the country were crimes punishable by death. In this way, the incredible secret of silk culture (formally known as sericulture) was protected for over 2000 years.

The business of raising silkworms and unwinding cocoons has been carefully developed over the centuries. Closely regulated temperatures allow the eggs, no larger than pinpricks, to hatch. The newly-hatched silkworms are then regularly fed a diet of freshly-picked mulberry leaves. Within 25-28 days, the silkworms will have gained up to 10 000 times their original weight, whereupon they are ready to begin spinning their cocoons. At this point, those tending them, once exclusively women, carefully transfer them to piles of straw, where the silkworms spend three to four days creating puffy, white cocoons around themselves.

After eight to nine days of storing the cocoons in a warm and dry area, the cocoons are ready to be unwound. First, they are heated to kill the worms inside (the pupae). It is important to do this before the pupae begin to turn into moths, which would ruin the cocoons. Then, each cocoon is dipped in hot water to loosen the tight weave, and the filament, usually 600-1000 meters long (!), is unwound onto a spool. These extremely thin filaments are twisted together to form threads of silk.

This delicate yet durable raw silk is then dyed and ready for use. One man's tie requires around 110 cocoons, and the fabric of a silk shirt typically takes 650 silk cocoons to create.  

Thousands of years have passed since China first discovered silkworms. Though man-made fibers have replaced silk for some uses, world silk production has nevertheless almost doubled within the last 30 years. Regardless of new developments in synthetic fabrics, no one has forgotten that silk was, still is, and will always be a priceless treasure.

Silk’s Many Faces

CHARMEUSE. When we think of silk, this is the fabric that often comes to mind. The fabric back is a flattened crepe while the front is a shimmery satin weave. With its drape, charmeuse works well for blouses, scarves and lingerie. Look for patterns that are loose and flowing or have soft gathers, but avoid pleats as the fabric is too soft to hold folds. Use a “with nap” pattern layout to prevent color variation.

CREPE DE CHINE is a lightweight fabric made by twisting some fibers clockwise and others counterclock-wise. The twisted fibers are then woven in a plain-weave pattern. The “pebbly” appearance results from the twisted fibers; both sides of the fabric look and feel the same. Crepe de chine drapes beautifully and works well for loose, bias-cut skirts, blouses and dresses. It doesn’t ravel as easily as other silks, but will tear if not handled gently.

DOUPIONI is a plain-weave fabric with slubbed ribs. It has a stiff, taffeta-like hand and is usually dyed in bright colors. Doupioni works well in semi-tailored garments, and holds gathers and pleats. Often made into evening gowns, the fabric needs support at stressed seamlines to prevent raveling.

NOIL is made from the short fibers left after combing and carding, so it doesn’t shine like other silk fabrics. It looks similar to cotton and has a soft feel against the skin. It drapes better than cotton and resists wrinkling, making it perfect for travel garments. 

RAW SILK is silk yarn or fabric that hasn’t had the sericin—the natural “gum” that protects the fiber—removed. The fabric is stiff and dull and the sericin can attract dirt and odors.

SHANTUNG. Today’s shantung is usually made from cultivated silk warp yarns and heavier doupioni filling yarns. Depending on the filler yarn, shantung may be lustrous or dull. Because of its firm, semi-crisp hand, shantung gathers and pleats into crisp fullness. It also ravels, so it isn’t appropriate for close-fitting styles.

TUSSAH silk, often called shantung, is made from the cocoons of wild tussah silkworms that eat oak and juniper leaves. Because the worm isn’t grown in a controlled environment, the moth hatches from the cocoon and interrupts the filament length, producing fibers that are short and coarse instead of long and lustrous. Tussah is difficult to dye and is most often available in its natural color, a creamy tan. Perfect for traveling due to its wrinkle resistance, tussah is appropriate for garments where shaping is produced by seaming, rather than gathering or pleating. The ribs have a tendency to slip, so pin or baste well prior to stitching the seams.