Your senses will be pampered by the velvety smoothness of this one-of-a-kind and highly sought-after fabric when you run a piece of Thai silk over your face and rub it on your cheek. Some manufacturers of silk items use labour-intensive assembly lines and heavy equipment to create the goods that consumers buy today. Silk production has a long history in Thailand, and with it comes a sense of pride, mastery, and elegance earned through toil and perseverance. Products made of silk woven by hand give a quality that is noticeably superior and of a higher grade than those produced by machines.
Silk Bag The Legend
The Chinese Empress Si Ling Chi is credited as the one who originally discovered silk in folklore. It is believed that while she sat under a mulberry tree enjoying a cup of tea, a cocoon accidentally dropped from the branches above and landed in her cup. She was attempting to remove the cocoon from her cup when she saw a small thread unravelling inside the pod. Silk was soon considered a prestige symbol, and its popularity remained a closely guarded secret for many years. It was also a criminal to pass on silkworm eggs or cocoons for fear that the valuable thread might be exposed. This was because of the dread of revealing the line. Even though there is proof that silk fabric was produced in ancient Thailand, the circumstances surrounding its invention are unclear.
Thai Silk Handbags
Thailand is renowned for producing the highest quality silk in the world, which has helped the country gain the most prestigious reputation in the field of silk production. Silk is made in several different nations, including Italy and China; nevertheless, the silk produced in Thailand is unique and quite remarkable. The silk woven by hand in Thailand has a smooth texture, yet it still has an earthy appearance and feel. Thai people have refined many weaving methods and procedures over many years. These techniques and processes provide a wide range of weights, patterns, and design options.
The manufacturing process of bags made of silk
Patience is a virtue that must be exercised during the whole process of hand-weaving silk. Weavers are often only capable of producing close to four metres of material in a single day’s worth of labour. In light of this new knowledge, you should certainly place an even higher value on the genuine silk items in your possession. In the beginning, the silk cocoon is unravelled to get the raw silk thread. After that, it is readied for the colouring process. After that, the yarn is treated, boiled, and finally coloured. Following the dyeing process, the silk yarn is allowed to dry before spun on wooden spindles. The process is finished off with the weaving of the silk yarn. Depending on the region in which it was made, you will find a wide variety of patterns and colours in silk, such as the iridescent type that comes from either Korat or Surin.
The Wide Range of Applications for Thai Silk
There are numerous diverse applications for Thai silk that you have probably never heard of, even though silk is most often associated with apparel. To begin, it is quite improbable that you have fastened the material to astronauts’ clothes. This is because astronauts do not use gravity suits. Carpets, sewing thread, ribbons for typewriters, and fishing lines are some other products that may be made with this material. Let’s not overlook all of the fantastic applications of silk that can be found around the house. Adding table linens made of silk to the dining area makes the space seem softer. Silk may be seen adorning the bedspreads, blankets, sheets, and cushions in many different bedrooms. Any room in the house may benefit from the addition of style brought by silk curtains and other home decorations.
Care Instructions for Your Various Silk Products
If you want to ensure that the product you bought made of silk lasts as long as possible, you need to know how to care for items made of this material properly. Hand washing is the best method for cleaning silk things like clothing and accessories. You should soak a coloured cloth in salt water as the first step in the cleaning process. When using an iron, you should have the setting warm.
Some Fascinating Facts Regarding the Production of Silk
- Were you aware that the silkworm is a caterpillar, not a worm? This may come as a surprise to some people.
- Were you aware that a single cocoon may contain a fibre up to 500 metres in length?
- Did you know that the silk fibre produced by silkworms in Thailand has a golden hue in its natural state?
Everyone has the opportunity to appreciate Thai silk, and with proper maintenance, it has the potential to survive for more than a hundred years. The fact that it is the only silk still hand-pressed gives it a unique beauty and texture, which is why it is so popular.