AUSILK PTY LTD
AUSTRALIA'S FINEST FASHION & SILK PRODUCTS SUPPLIER
Silk Facts & Silk Fabric Care
Facts about Silk we need to know As the queen of all fabrics, silk is the most elegant and noble fabric ever known to mankind and below are some interesting facts:
· 1.Silk culture has been practiced for at least 5000 years in China
· 2. The Silkworm (Bombyx mori, Latin for "silkworm of the mulberry tree") is, technically, not a worm. It is the larva or caterpillar of a moth in the family Bombicidae
· 3. A silkworm's diet consists solely of mulberry leaves
· 4. The silkworm (Bombyx mori) is entirely dependent on humans for its reproduction and no longer occurs in the wild. It is native to northern China. Its nearest wild relative is Bombyx mandarina with which it is able to hybridize
· 5. The silkworm female deposits around 400 eggs at a time. In an area the size of your monitor screen, about 100 moths would deposit more than 40,000 eggs, each about the size of a pinhead
· 6. The female dies almost immediately after depositing the eggs; the male lives only a short time after. The adult does not eat during the short period of its mature existence
· 7. After growing to its maximum size at around 6 weeks, the larva is about 10,000 times heavier than when it hatched
· 8. One hectare of mulberry trees yields about eleven tons of leaves, producing around 450 pounds of cocoons, but just about 85 pounds of raw silk
· 9. The cocoon is made of a single continuous thread of raw silk around 1 kilometer (2/3 of a mile) long
·10. About 2,000 to 3,000 cocoons are required to make a pound of silk. One pound of silk represents about 1,000 miles of filament
·11. The annual world production represents 70 billion miles of silk filament, a distance well over 300 round trips to the sun
·12. Based on 1 kilometer (2/3 of mile) per cocoon, ten unraveled cocoons could theoretically extend vertically to the height of Mount Everest
·13. The shimmering appearance for which silk is prized comes from the fiber's triangular prism-like structure which allows silk cloth to refract incoming light at different angles
·14. Silk fibers are very fine, about 10 nanometers (1/2500th of an inch) in diameter
·15. Strong as steel in tensile strength, silk is the strongest natural fiber known to man
·16. Silk is much lower in density compared to cotton, wool or nylon.It is highly moisture absorbent, able to absorb as much as a third of its own weight in moisture without feeling damp.
·17. A highly versatile fabric, silk has proven to be ideal for a variety of uses - from formal wear to sleepwear, from parachutes to rugs, from medical sutures to prosthetic arteries
·18. Silk has a miniscule percentage of the global textile fiber market - less than 0.2%. Yet the actual trading value of silk and silk products is in many billions of dollars since the unit price for raw silk is roughly twenty times that of raw cotton
·19. Current world silk production is estimated to be around 125,000 metric tons. China produces about 80% of the world's silk; and India over 10%
·20. Japan, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, and Uzbekistan also have a significant production of raw silk and silk yarn. Brazil is the only non-Asian country that is a significant producer of raw silk or silk yarn .
·21. United States is the largest silk importer in the world
Poetic introduction of Silk
Silk is one of the world’s most enduring symbols of beauty, fulfilling a human love of luxury that no other fabric could satisfy so completely and in so many forms. Traditionally silk was reserved for royalty, but is now available to all lovers of fine quality fabrics.
This highly desirable fabric, is composed of yarn that are triangular in cross-section, which explains the way light dances across the woven fabric giving it that characteristic lustre. Silk has the strength of a strand of steel the same size, and is far stronger than cotton, wool or linen.
As with all natural products, variations in silk are an intrinsic characteristic, and some weave and dye lot variations may occur.
Silk Fabric Care
Silk Fabric Care: Handwashing Silks In general, silks should be dry cleaned only,(like crincle silk chiffon etc), but most can also be handwashed with care, especially if you wash the fabric before sewing. But beware, wrong way of washing may result the silks in fading, become stiff, change texture or lose their sheen. Pre shrinking the silk fabric. Though most of the silk fabrics from us are already with pre-shrunk finish, it is recommanded to pre-shrink again your silks before sewing into garment. Silk Crepe, GGT, dupioni & noil shrink the most and should be pre-shrunk before sewing up. Place the silk in a sink or tub full of lukewarm water and mild soap. Whatever you use, follow the package directions. Rub the silk fabric for a few minutes in the soapy solution and drain. Rinse in clear, cool water until all the soap is gone (don't wring, silk becomes weaker when wet!). Fold the garment flat and roll up in a towel to remove excess water overnight. Remove from the towel and iron dry with a medium-low setting. Routine hand washing of silk garments Dry cleaning is the safest option with silk. You will usually find silk labeled “Dry Clean Only” However, some unlined silk garments may be gently hand washed in cool water with a mild soap solution. Rinse in clear, cool water until all the soap is gone. then fill the sink again and add a quarter cup of white vinegar to the final rinse. Adding salt or vinegar to the rinse water helps maintain the luster and set the dye. Especially vinegar neutralizes any remaining soap, and allows it to rinse out completely restoring the fabric's natural sheen, it can make a dramatic difference. Give the fabric a final rinse in clear, cool water to remove the vinegar smell. Roll up in a towel to remove moisture, then dry flat on a towel or on a padded hanger. Drip dry in the shade and iron damp on the silk setting. Iron with a low-medium temp iron while still slightly damp. However 1.Washing will soften the silk and change the drape of the garment 2.Silk may shrink up to 3% Do not spot clean silk as it will water mark 3.Silk dyes may run. Always wash separately, and it is not recommended to wash 4. iridescent silks (with different colour warp and weft). There is a high risk of one colour bleeding into the other.
Why Silk shrinks? Silk fiber is a protein, like your hair, and it does not itself shrink. The way the individual fibers are twisted together when weaving is what causes silk to shrink. Highly twisted yarns and loose weaves cause shrinking when water releases twisting energy in the fibers. It's a bit like twisting a rubber band then reducing the length, seeing it bunch up. Silk bunches up the same way. The percentage of shrinkage (AKA dimensional stability) depends also on the pre-shrunk degree at manufacturer's stage. Normally at Ausilk we pre-shrunk our silk fabrics to make sure the final shrinkage at customers' side is limited to within 3%, unless otherwise notified.
Ausilk silk
Ausilk silk has been used in both apparel & home furnishing industry – from the Highest end fashion desingers, brand gament companies, to famous and popular home furnishing chain stores, from the most prestigious catwork showcase to high street fashion shops, from world-class movie stars to satisfied house wives, we provide silks for everyone who love a healthy and fashionable life style. From bridal & evening dress with structured styles & firm weave made by our silk Organzas, Dupions, Taffetta & Duchess satin, to skirts, lingerie & flowing gowns with drapy, soft and shiny look made by our silk Satins,chiffons, georgettes, cdc, twill and many more. From ladies scarves & lingerie to man's ties and night gown, our silks are adored for it's beauty and comfort.
In the uprising and widely used home furnishing applications, our Ausilk silks give the most glamorous finish and luxurious tough– curtains, bed spreads, quilts, comforters, cushions, pillows, lampshades and wall paneling. In the year 2000-2005, with our hugh volumn of home furnishing silks exports, nearly one out of every 5 middle-class Amercian families are using silk home furnishing products from Ausilk.
