The Characteristics of Silk
It is only natural for silks to have some irregularities, this is the nature of 100% silk fabric. Surface variations in silk are to be expected and are desirable. Silk, after all, is a natural fiber, and variations in the weave of silk fabrics are characteristics of the fabric and are in no way to be considered defective. The Sueded or Sand-Washed silks have been washed and treated using special techniques for the final results. The gentle shadings and slight creases are characteristics of this method and in no way are considered as defective, but add to the luxury of a fine silk fabric.

You Can Wash Silks At Home
If well cared for, silk garments can become heirlooms. European women have grown up with a reverence for silk fabric and an intimate knowledge of its' care. Our `wash and wear' culture is misinformed on how to care for silk and thus harbors an unnecessary fear of this cloth. Silk is a protein fiber, like hair. You should not do anything to silk you could not do to your hair.

Two keys to determining if a garment will wash well at home are color and construction. Brightly colored, brilliantly colored, dark colored, and patterned silks are better left to the dry cleaner. Garments with complicated construction, lining and trim are also candidates for the dry cleaners. If your garments passed these two tests, it is a good idea to dry clean it the first two times. The steaming part of the process may help to set the dye and if there is any shrinkage left, it will shrink at the cleaners.

One of the advantages of sewing your own garments lies in the fact that you can prewash your fabric. Bear in mind that shrinkage will occur. Washable silks include Crepe de Chine, Charmeuse, Broadcloth, Fuji, Noil, Habotai, and of course the popular Sueded or Sand-Washed Silks. Always dry clean crinkled or brocaded silks and hand-woven silks, also dark or bright colors which have a high risk of fading.

To help retain the silk's true color, add ¼ cup of white vinegar to every two gallons of lukewarm/cold water. Wash with a good soap compatible with silk finishes, squeeze to remove excess water. Never twist or wring.

Wash silk articles separately. Rinse with cool water SEVERAL times. Strong colors will appear to bleed. This excess dye normally ceases after a few washings. To help set dye, add a few shakes of salt to the final cold rinse.

Non-Sueded/Plain Silks: Roll in towel to absorb moisture, hang to dry in dark place. Iron on low temperature on wrong side of fabric while still damp.

Sueded/Sand Washed Silks: A hot dryer is recommended to bring up finish and softness. Keep in mind that MAXIMUM SHRINKAGE will occur 5% to 10%. Some loose weaves will shrink 15% to 20%.

What Not to Do
Never expose silk articles to strong direct sunlight. Silk will fade.  Never spray perfume or deodorant on silk.  Never soak silk in water for a long time.

Sensuous Silk
For over 4000 years this sleek sensuous cloth derived from a member of the caterpillar family has held the position as the `Queen of Textiles'. It has been woven into luxurious tapestries, rugs, clothes and accessories for centuries.

There are two types of `silk worms'. The commercial or cultivated worm feeds on a diet of Mulberry leaves, producing the finest, silkiest fibers. This specialized diet creates employment for thousands of workers. The mulberry trees must be cared for, the leaves plucked, chopped and almost spoon fed to the young larvae every few hours. The trees are then pruned and sprayed awaiting the next seasons crop. The Japanese have developed a food substitute by mixing mulberry leaves, soybeans, and cornstarch. This could increase production and cut down extensively on labor costs. It takes 8,000 worms consuming approximately 350 pounds of Mulberry leaves to supply enough silk for 10 blouses.

There are over 500 species of wild silk worms which feast on oak and other leaves, fending for themselves. The Tussah worm is considerably larger than the domestic variety, sometimes growing to six inches in length and producing an egg-sized cocoon. China now produces some 80% of the world's Tussah silk. The Assam Valley in India produces a golden colored Tussah which cannot be reeled off the cocoon as with other silks, but instead is spun like cotton or wool.

Unusual eating machines, cultivated silk worms increase their body size 10,000 times in their 25 to 28 day life. They molt four times in this period. After a final molting they find a place and begin cocooning. They extrude a semi-liquid mixture of protein and a gummy substance called sericin. This liquid silk is extracted at a rate of about a foot a minute becoming, when exposed to air, the fiber that enshrouds them from the outside in, forming the cocoon.

Unless being saved for egg production, a cocoon is subjected to steam or hot air prior to the worm hatching into a moth, to preserve the silk fiber. The filament length may measure a mile. The cocoons are soaked in hot water to soften the sericin, thus enabling thread ends usually five to eight forming a single strand, to be unraveled and spun together. Occasionally, two silk worms will nest together forming one cocoon with a double strand. The fibers will give a thick and thin appearance which is known as a Dupioni Silk.

Even though silk comprises a mere .2 percent of the world's total production of textile fibers, it will continue to be a sought after luxurious cloth for the discriminating woman. As the New York based designer Oscar de la Renta has said, `Silk does for the body what diamonds do for the hand'.

How to care Silk-How to care Silk