Silk Information for Dyeing and Printing

October 2, 2016 | janicepd

Information on Silk Fabrics – Types, Terms, Weaves,

Fabric Terms

There are many types of silks. Listed below are a few of the more popular ones found in the US. To assess a silk one needs to consider three factors. They are: Silk Type, Silk Weight, and Silk Weave. Silks of the same type might have different characteristics because of different weights or weaves.

Silk Fabric	Description	Weight
Broadcloth, Habotai	same as China Silk except heavier; wrinkles less; good for shirts	medium (10 mm) up
Chiffon	a soft plain wave fabric made with twisted yarns	Sheer – Light to Medium
China Silk, Fuji Silk	Spun Silk, best for lining and crafts; inexpensive, often called washable silk, wrinkles	8 mm up (light)
Crepe de Chine	Popular for clothing; lustrous fabric; superior drape; made from twisted yarns	14 mm popular but inferior; 16 mm is good blouse weight, heavier available
Organza	plain weave; sheer silk made of tightly twisted, fine yarns; use for interfacing, veils, under gowns	Crisp, Sheer
Charmeuse	crepe backed satin; rich luster; drapes beautifully	medium; 16 or higher
Pongee	a variation of tussah; slight rib and texture; inexpensive	light weight; traditional summer fabric
Brocade	Jacquard design often with metallic thread, usually contains some rayon; good for jackets	heavy
Taffeta	hand woven is best; crisp fabric that rustles	medium to heavy weight
Shantung	slubbed silk, duppioni yarns	many weights from light to suit
Velvet	pile fabric often containing some rayon; gorgeous drape	medium to heavy
Peu de Soie	skin of silk; satiny face	heavy
Damask	jacquard woven silk of elaborate patterns	light to medium
Noil (raw silk)	spun silk with nubby texture; appearance of soft cotton or wool; easy care, wrinkle resistant; travel well	medium to heavy
Tussah (wild silk)	wild silk, generally from India, loosely woven	heavy, nice for suiting
Washable Silk	see: China Silk, Fuji Silk above

Silks are woven fabrics. Fabric weave helps determine such characteristics as strength and durability of the fabric as well as beauty. Since silk is so strong naturally, less durable weaves may be used to achieve a particular look not capable in other fabrics.

Weave	Explanation	Comment
Herringbone	most durable; diagonal rib switch back and forth creating rows of parallel lines which slope in opposite directions	often seen in noil silk suiting
Twill	a dense fabric (double thread) with appearance of fine diagonal lines; very strong and soil resistant	an expensive weave
Rib	variation of plain weave in which the yarns in one direction are heavier than the other creating a rib effect	a strong fabric weave
Plain	yarns runs alternately over and under one another; most common weave	appearance is changed by looseness of weave
Dobby	made with a special loom that creates small, geometric figures	usually expensive fabric
Jacquard	intricate weaving creating complex designs in the fabric	popular
Satin	uses floating yarns to create the luster of a pearl; imitations and copies: shine; beautiful!.	can snag easily
Leno	open weave using twisted fibers	weak weave

Term	Definition
momme	silk weight; a silk of 6 momme (mm) is very light; a silk of 22 mm is very heavy (suit weight);
sericin	the gum that protects the fiber in its natural state
Spun Silk	short silk threads that are spun together to form a longer filament; a lower quality silk often seen in the so called “washable silk” class
Raw Silk	refers to spun silk that has been brushed to give a cotton effect; popular; easy care; inexpensive
Dupionni	other related terms: dupion, douppioni, shantung; fabric containing slubs, uneven; forms when two silk worms make their cocoons at the same time thus joining together.
Washable Silk	This is a term of recent creation. It normally refers to a light weight silk such as “China Silk” (see above) and is not considered suitable for outer garments. It lacks the qualities of a long filament silk. However, it is popular for artist who hand paint scarfs and clothing. (Note: most silks are generally considered washable.

Thinking of Blue and Getting Maroon-ed

March 14, 2016 | janicepd

It was a mild winter and spring is early. My woad stayed green so I will have a bumper crop this year. I thought it best to use some of the leaves stored in my freezer. A funny thing happens with woad when heat is used. The indigotin present in the leaves turns shades of pink and maroon. When a dye vat is made with woad it is a beautiful blue. This was the blue dye plant in Europe before trade routes opened to the orient for other indigo sources.

2 upcycled silk blouses were layered with frozen woad leaves, then processed in the pressure cooker. The strong dye (indigotin) penetrated all layers of the bundles leaving full and ghost prints. I love the depth created with the leaves this way. Be sure to right click for an enlarged image to see the detail.

Lichen experiment on wool

February 16, 2016 | janicepd

A local tree gave up dead limbs from a recent storm. I noticed they were covered with lichen so It was time for an experiment before they were carted off. I am always amazed at how nature continues to give to us.

The tiniest bit of lichen in boiling water immediately began giving color. The cup in the foreground is

the color within seconds of adding boiling water. You can see the color in the back cups after resting overnight. The left cup had a dash of bakng soda added, the right cup had a spash of ammonia added. The hanks are 1 yard of white homespun wool left overnight.

I can see that lichens are deserving of a dyer’s respect and further experimenting along with eco printing. However, a warning I keep reading about is to never remove these from a standing tree or rock. Only take windfall that might otherwise be headed for the burn pile. I don’t fully understand their part in our ecosystem but it is wise to be kind to nature.

The Result of Patiently Waiting

December 8, 2015December 8, 2015 | janicepd

Isn’t this glorious???? More than a year ago , and if I’m honest probably two, I eco printed this large piece of wool challis. And it was miserable. Meh! So it was stuck on the back of a shelf and forgotten. Moving into the new studio space I found it again. Can you believe I nearly tossed this out before? It was patiently waiting to be the star of the show.