Where does silk come from and how is it made?
Silk comes from silkworm cocoons; it's not something that is made from the worms themselves. The Chinese perfected the art of growing silkworms and producing silk material over 4000 years ago. Growing silkworms and harvesting their cocoons is an extremely labor-intensive and tricky process. It takes approximately 3,000 silkworms to produce 1 pound of raw silk after they have consumed over 200 pounds of Mulberry leaves! A single silk filament from a silkworm cocoon can be over a mile long although they are usually half that length. Between 5 and 8 of these filaments are twisted together to make a single thread.
The eggs of silkworms are kept at 65 degrees Fahrenheit and gradually the temperature is increased to 77 degrees at which time the worms hatch. The worms are fed every half hour around the clock on a diet of chopped mulberry leaves and after a month, the silkworms have grown to 10,000 times their original size and begin to spin their cocoon.
It takes a silkworm three or four days to finish spinning, then after several days in a warm place the cocoons are placed in hot water to soften the cocoon filament which is then unwound and spooled.
The Legend of Silk
Chinese legend tells us that silk was first discovered by the wife of the Yellow Emperor in 2640BC when a silk cocoon dropped into her hot tea while she sat beneath a mulberry tree. The cocoon unraveled before her eyes into a long, glistening thread. She was so delighted with its beauty that she collected thousands of the cocoons and used them to weave a robe for her husband.
Silk is the ultimate luxurious cloth and has been considered such for 4000 years. Originally only the Chinese Emperor could wear it, but as production techniques improved, its usage spread. It was even used as currency for a time because of its gold-like value.
The trade in silk to the West began in the 2nd century AD and the route the traders used, known as the Silk Road, is still famous today. Even with open trade, the secret of how to make silk was successfully kept hidden (on pain of death) for hundreds of years. Eventually, a small country called Khotan acquired the knowledge and in the 5th century AD began producing silk. Supposedly, a Chinese princess who was the betrothed of the king of Khotan smuggled out cocoons and mulberry seeds in her headdress.
From Khotan, the secret of silk moved to Constantinople around 550 AD when a pair of Christian monks smuggled out cocoons hidden in their staves fulfilling a commission given them by Emperor Justinian. As time passed, the techniques of silk production slowly spread west. 700 years after the monks brought silk to Byzantium, France and Italy were the leading European silk manufacturing countries. In the 1620s, some of the Huguenots set up a silk weaving complex at Spitalfields in London after fleeing France.
What kinds of silk are there?
The two main types of silk are cultivated silk and wild silk. Cultivated silk is finer, smoother, rounder, more uniform in size and shape and color, and has much longer thread filaments than wild silk. The silk filaments are anywhere from 500 to 1000 meters long in one cocoon. It is also the most expensive. Silk bedding made from cultivated silk will cost you the most money but will also be the most durable. Cultivated silk is referred to as mulberry silk.
Tussah silk is wild silk. Its shape and color are less uniform than mulberry silk because the worms aren't fed an exclusive diet of mulberry leaves. Instead they have to fend for themselves and eat what they can find such as oak leaves. The tannin in the leaves affects the color of the filament thread the silkworm weaves which means the thread will range in color from a light off white to a dark tan. It has a rougher texture than cultivated silk but is still beautiful. It typically has little to no luster to it.
When purchasing silk bedding, what are the main things to consider?
The biggest thing to consider when deciding on what type of silk you want in the bedding you are going to purchase is durability. Mulberry silk is woven from long continuous filaments. Tussah silk is a spun silk which means the filaments are not continuous. It makes Tussah silk less durable.
When looking at silk bedding, pay careful attention to the momme weight of the silk used in the material. The momme weight (pronounced 'mummy') is a measurement of the weight of silk. A very low momme count means the bedding won't be durable because the material is too thin. A momme weight of 12-19 is perfect for most bedding. Buying silk with a good momme weight and that is cultivated ensures you of getting high quality bedding that will last you a long time.
What is 'Charmeuse'?
Charmeuse is a luxury fabric made from silk with a satin finish. It has a floating appearance which drapes very well, especially for formal wear or bedding. The fabric is also extremely lightweight, and it has a glossy appearance and extremely soft texture. In a satin weave, the fabric is woven in such a way that, from the front, only the warp threads show. Numerous weft threads are also skipped in weaving, creating long, smooth lines of warp threads. As a result, the front of a satin weave textile is glossy and very smooth, while the backing is matte, and slightly rough. The look of satin is highly prized, since it flows well and catches light in stunning patterns.
What are 'Jacquards'?
Jacquard silks offer various woven patterns, using matte and reflective threads to create a light and dark effect in the fabric. This effect is similar to brocade, although the Jacquard is originally created in one color. These are generally heavier weight and more densely woven. Patterns are often florals and paisleys.
