How Is Silk Made and Created Step by Step Guide

How Is Silk Made and Created

How Is Silk Made. Perhaps the most beautiful, delicate, and lustrous materials ever devised.

Silk has been used for thousands of years and is still regarded as one of the most valuable and luxurious fabrics. Even after all these years, little has changed in the production of silk.

Despite advancements in production method technologies, silk production remains a labor-intensive and time-consuming process.

What is the composition of silk?

While many different types of insects are now used to produce silk, the most commonly used species is the larvae of 'Bombyx mori' - (the caterpillar of the domestic silkmoth). These amazing silkworms produce one of the most sought-after materials, with a plethora of excellent properties.

Silk is lustrous and lightweight, but it's also incredibly strong, with one silk filament being stronger than a comparable steel filament.

How is silk created?

Here's a step-by-step guide to the fascinating process of silk production...

1. Horticulture

This is the term used to describe the process of collecting the materials by gathering the silkworms and harvesting the cocoon.

Female silkmoths can lay anywhere from 300 to 500 eggs at once. These eggs hatch into silkworm larvae, which are incubated in a controlled environment until they hatch (caterpillars).

To promote growth, the silkworms consume an enormous amount of mulberry leaves on a continuous basis. It takes about 6 weeks for them to reach their full potential (about 3 inches). They'll stop eating and start raising their heads at this point, indicating that they're ready to spin their cocoon.

The silkworm, attached to a secure frame or tree, will begin spinning its silk cocoon by rotating its body in a figure-8 movement around 300,000 times - a process that will take 3 to 8 days. Each silkworm produces only one strand of silk, which is about 100 meters long and held together by a natural gum called sericin.

Did you know that? One pound of raw silk requires approximately 2,500 silkworms.

2. Extraction of threads

Once the silkworms have spun their cocoon, they will eventually enclose themselves inside it, at which point the silk threads can be extracted.

The cocoons are submerged in boiling water to soften and dissolve the gum that holds the cocoon together. This is an important step in the silk production process because it ensures the continuity of each thread.

Each thread is carefully reeled from the cocoon in individual long threads before being wound on a reel. Some sericin may remain on the threads to protect the fibers during processing, but this is usually removed with soap and boiling water.

3. Coloration

After washing and degumming the silk threads, they will be bleached and dried before the dyeing process begins.

Traditional silk dyeing techniques use natural resources found in the surrounding environment, such as fruit or indigo plant leaves, to create the dyes. The threads will be soaked in bundles in a pot of boiling indigo leaves and water. This process will be repeated several times over the course of several days to ensure proper color tone and quality.

However, in the commercial manufacture of silk, these traditional dyeing methods have almost become extinct. Because of technological advancements, manufacturers now use various dyes such as acid dyes or reactive dyes. This provides a wider range of color and shade options to meet increased demand.

Having said that, the basic idea behind the technique remains the same, as the silk is immersed in a dye bath to absorb the color. The silk can be fed into the bath via two cylinders or attached to a round jig immersed in the bath.

In many cases, this will be one of the final steps of the process, as manufacturers increasingly prefer piece-dyeing to reduce waste. By keeping plain white stock ready to be dyed, it eliminates the need to keep too much stock in specific colors that were not ordered and may never be used.

We stock a large quantity of silks in various colors at Biddle Sawyer Silks in order to provide an immediate service with next day delivery on silk we already have in stock. We also work with clients who provide their own custom color palettes, which we can match using lap dips.

4. Spinning

The traditional spinning wheel has been and will continue to be an essential part of the silk production process. Although modern industrial processes can now spin silk threads much faster, they simply mimic the functions of the traditional spinning wheel.

The spinning process essentially unwinds the dyed fibers onto a bobbin, allowing them to lay flat and ready for the weaving process. This can be done in a variety of ways, including hand spinning, ring spinning, and mule spinning.

5. Loom weaving

Weaving is the process by which the finished piece of silk is created. Silk can be woven in a variety of ways, the most common of which are satin weave, plain weave, and open weave, and the finish of the silk will vary depending on the weave.

Weaving is the process of interlacing two sets of threads so that they lock around each other and form a strong, uniform piece of fabric. The threads will be woven at right angles to each other, and the two distinct angles are referred to as a warp and a weft. While the warp runs up and down the fabric, the weft runs across it.

6.Printing

If a piece of silk requires a unique pattern or design, it must be printed after pre-treatment. This can be accomplished in two ways.

Digital silk printing employs a specially designed textile printer that employs ink to transfer hand-drawn or digitally produced artwork onto fabrics.

Screen printing is the more traditional, hands-on method of achieving the same result - though a bolder, more vibrant look may be achieved in some cases due to a thicker application of ink.

7. Completion

Silks must be finished before they can be considered ready for use. Finishing a piece of silk gives it that highly lustrous sheen for which it is famous, and it is the reason that the desired look and feel can be obtained.

Silk finishing can be done in a variety of ways, primarily by applying various chemical treatments that can add a variety of valuable properties such as fire resistance and crease-proofing.

TAG:

describe how silk is made,explain how silk is made,generally speaking how is silk made,how are silk lashes made,how are silk pillowcases made,how are silk products made,how are silk rugs made,how did silk make life easier,how does silk get made,how does silk is made,how does silk make life easier,how does silk make you feel,how durable is silk,how is a silk saree made,how is ahimsa silk made,how is art silk made,how is artificial silk made,how is artificial silk made class 8,how is banarasi silk made,how is corn silk tea made,how is dola silk made,how is dupion silk made,how is eri silk made,how is ethical silk made,how is french silk pie made,how is gaji silk made,how is gajji silk made,how is golden spider silk made,how is habotai silk made,how is hydrolyzed silk made,how is japanese silk made,how is kanchipuram silk made,how is kanjeevaram silk made,how is kosa silk made,how is lichi silk made,how is linen silk made,how is lotus silk made,how is modern day silk made,how is modern silk made,how is muga silk made,how is mulberry silk made,how is mysore silk made,how is natural silk made,how is organic silk made,how is peace silk made,how is pure silk made,how is raw silk made,how is real silk made,how is silk almond milk made,how is silk brocade made,how is silk carpet made,how is silk chiffon made,how is silk chocolate made,how is silk cloth made,how is silk cloth made class 4,how is silk cotton made,how is silk fabric made,how is silk fabric made video,how is silk fibre made by the silkworm,how is silk floss made,how is silk is made,how is silk made,how is silk made ancient china,how is silk made and harvested,how is silk made bbc bitesize,how is silk made by silkworms,how is silk made chemically,how is silk made china,how is silk made ducksters,how is silk made easy,how is silk made from,how is silk made from a silkworm,how is silk made from cocoon,how is silk made from silkworms,how is silk made from spiders,how is silk made from worms,how is silk made in china,how is silk made in china today,how is silk made in hindi,how is silk made in india,how is silk made into a fabric,how is silk made into fabric,how is silk made into fabric step by step,how is silk made into yarn,how is silk made ks2,how is silk made now,how is silk made nowadays,how is silk made of,how is silk made process,how is silk made reddit,how is silk made simple,how is silk made spiders,how is silk made step by step,how is silk made these days,how is silk made today,how is silk made video,how is silk made without killing silkworms,how is silk made world history,how is silk made youtube,how is silk mass produced,how is silk material made,how is silk milk made,how is silk noil made,how is silk oat milk made,how is silk organza made,how is silk paint made,how is silk peptide powder made,how is silk powder made,how is silk produced by silk moth,how is silk produced by silkworm,how is silk produced by the body of the silkworm,how is silk produced class 7,how is silk produced from silkworm,how is silk protein made,how is silk ribbon made,how is silk road made,how is silk saree made,how is silk satin made,how is silk soy milk made,how is silk thread made,how is silk thread produced by silkworm,how is silk velvet made,how is silk yarn made,how is silk yarn made into fabric,how is soft silk made,how is synthetic silk made,how is thai silk made,how is the silk made,how is tussar silk made,how is vegan silk made,how is washable silk made,how is.silk made,how it's made silk episode,how make silk ribbon,how much silk is made a year,how much silk is produced in india,how natural silk is made in old time,how silk are made,how silk is been made,how silk is made from silkworm youtube,how silk is made step by step with pictures,how silk is made who invented it and when,how silk was made,how silk was made in ancient china,how the silk road made the world,how the silk road made the world documentary,how the silk road made the world episodes,how was silk originally made,is silk cruel,is silk made in the usa,is silk made of cellulose,is silk made of cotton,is silk made of keratin,is silk made of polyester,is silk made of protein,is silk made of worms,is silk made up of synthetic fibre,is silk man made,is the silk industry cruel,silk fibres are made of,silkworms are made of,how is silk made into a fabric,how is silk made into cloth,how is silk made into fabric,how is silk made into fabric step by step,how is silk made step by step,how is silk processed into fabric,how is silk turned into fabric,how is silk yarn made into fabric,how to make silk fabric,how to make silk into fabric,describe how silk is made,explain how silk is made,generally speaking how is silk made,how are silk lashes made,how are silk pillowcases made,how are silk products made,how are silk rugs made,how did silk make life easier,how does silk get made,how does silk is made,how does silk make life easier,how does silk make you feel,how durable is silk,how is a silk saree made,how is ahimsa silk made,how is art silk made,how is artificial silk made,how is artificial silk made class 8,how is banarasi silk made,how is corn silk tea made,how is dola silk made,how is dupion silk made,how is eri silk made,how is ethical silk made,how is french silk pie made,how is gaji silk made,how is gajji silk made,how is golden spider silk made,how is habotai silk made,how is hydrolyzed silk made,how is japanese silk made,how is kanchipuram silk made,how is kanjeevaram silk made,how is kosa silk made,how is lichi silk made,how is linen silk made,how is lotus silk made,how is modern day silk made,how is modern silk made,how is muga silk made,how is mulberry silk made,how is mysore silk made,how is natural silk made,how is organic silk made,how is peace silk made,how is pure silk made,how is raw silk made,how is real silk made,how is silk almond milk made,how is silk brocade made,how is silk carpet made,how is silk chiffon made,how is silk chocolate made,how is silk cloth made,how is silk cloth made class 4,how is silk cotton made,how is silk fabric made,how is silk fabric made video,how is silk fibre made by the silkworm,how is silk floss made,how is silk is made,how is silk made,how is silk made ancient china,how is silk made and harvested,how is silk made bbc bitesize,how is silk made by silkworms,how is silk made chemically,how is silk made china,how is silk made ducksters,how is silk made easy,how is silk made from,how is silk made from a silkworm,how is silk made from cocoon,how is silk made from silkworms,how is silk made from spiders,how is silk made from worms,how is silk made in china,how is silk made in china today,how is silk made in hindi,how is silk made in india,how is silk made into a fabric,how is silk made into cloth,how is silk made into fabric,how is silk made into fabric step by step,how is silk made into yarn,how is silk made ks2,how is silk made now,how is silk made nowadays,how is silk made of,how is silk made process,how is silk made reddit,how is silk made simple,how is silk made spiders,how is silk made step by step,how is silk made these days,how is silk made today,how is silk made video,how is silk made without killing silkworms,how is silk made world history,how is silk made youtube,how is silk mass produced,how is silk material made,how is silk milk made,how is silk noil made,how is silk oat milk made,how is silk organza made,how is silk paint made,how is silk peptide powder made,how is silk powder made,how is silk processed into fabric,how is silk produced by silk moth,how is silk produced by silkworm,how is silk produced by the body of the silkworm,how is silk produced class 7,how is silk produced from silkworm,how is silk protein made,how is silk ribbon made,how is silk road made,how is silk saree made,how is silk satin made,how is silk soy milk made,how is silk thread made,how is silk thread produced by silkworm,how is silk turned into fabric,how is silk velvet made,how is silk yarn made,how is silk yarn made into fabric,how is soft silk made,how is synthetic silk made,how is thai silk made,how is the silk made,how is tussar silk made,how is vegan silk made,how is washable silk made,how is.silk made,how it's made silk episode,how make silk ribbon,how much silk is made a year,how much silk is produced in india,how natural silk is made in old time,how silk are made,how silk is been made,how silk is made from silkworm youtube,how silk is made step by step with pictures,how silk is made who invented it and when,how silk was made,how silk was made in ancient china,how the silk road made the world,how the silk road made the world documentary,how the silk road made the world episodes,how to make silk fabric,how to make silk into fabric,how was silk originally made,is silk cruel,is silk made in the usa,is silk made of cellulose,is silk made of cotton,is silk made of keratin,is silk made of polyester,is silk made of protein,is silk made of worms,is silk made up of synthetic fibre,is silk man made,is the silk industry cruel,silk fibres are made of,silkworms are made of.