Silk Fabric – Ooh-la-la!
Silk fabric has been around forever!
Silk fabric is one of the oldest fabrics in the world. It was discovered around 2640 BC! It is made from the thread produced by the silk worm when it spins its cocoon. Each cocoon has about 1000 yards of filament in it. As you can imagine, it takes a LOT of cocoons to make enough thread to weave into cloth. Silk production is costly and the fabric was (and still is) considered a luxury. It is thought that one of the reasons the industry of manufactured fabric (man-made) came about was because people wanted the look and feel of silk without the expense. There really is no other fabric that comes close to mimicking the qualities of silk though.
Characteristics of Silk Fabrics
Silk fabric has some highly desirable characteristics, such as:
- Luxurious
- All Natural Fiber
- One of the Strongest Fibers
- Brilliant Colors (it takes dye well creating richer, deeper colors)
- Drapes well
And it has some less desirable characteristics, including:
- Expensive
- Prone to sun damage
- Wrinkles easily
- Water will “spot” it
Window Treatments and Silk Fabrics
Silk fabrics sew into beautiful window treatments. It does require special handling though. It should always be lined, to help reduce sun damage, and interlining is recommended. Interlining is a flannel fabric which is placed between the silk and the lining, giving a window treatment a voluptuous look, feel and finish. Because it drapes well, it is suitable for swags, valances, curtains, drapes, bedding, and pillows that don’t get heavy usage – just about everything! However, we don’t recommend using it in a kitchen because it tends to spot easily.
We know how to handle silk and make lovely window treatments from it. Call us – we would be happy to help you with your project! 586-254-4713
