Are you a big fan of silk? or traditional clothes? You have a time until tomorrow May, 12 2014 to visit Queen Sirikit Museum of Textile (QSMT) Festival at Grand Palace on Na Phra Lan Road.
They have a museum tour for free! at 10am and 1.30pm on the first three days. Here snapshots how they produce a pure beautiful silk. Silk, the point of our story begins..
Silkworms are caterpillars, not worms. Thai silk is produced by Thai caterpillars raised on Thai mulberry leaves by Thai weavers.
The silk from Thailand’s caterpillars varies in color from light gold to very light green. A single filament is too thin to use alone. Hot pot used on silk reeling.
A traditional machine used to reel the cacoon yarn. Woman keep stirring natural or chemical dyes in the pot to get uniform color. Rolling by manual to collect the silk yarn.
Time by time of rolling to collect then separating the yarn by color. The dried and dyed silk is then spun into yarn on wooden or plastic tubes. Which one do you prefer?
Starting hand weaving with specific pattern. Hand woven Thai silk is a timeless, unique work of textile art from the hands. Carries an imprint of the character, thoughts, emotions, feelings, spirit and life of the weaver.
Thai Silk has triangular fibers which reflect light like prisms, the reason Thai silk looks shiny. They also produce a smooth and rough Thai silk.
Tips to recognize pure or imitation silk :
- Pure silk price is expensive, cost up to 10 times more than imitation fabrics from polyester
- A natural fiber with clearly visible small flaws and joins in the thread along the warp and the weft. An imitation machine made fabric will have a perfect surface and pattern
- A unique luster, with a sheen that has two unique blends. Imitation polyester silk shines white regardless of the angle of the light.
- If you burn Thai silk with a flame, it leaves fine ash and smells like burning hair.
- The pure Thai silk fabric piece will have the printed pattern on one side with only an outline of the print on the reverse side. An imitation silk fabric, the pattern print and colors can be seen on one side but there is only a plain color on the reverse side.
Traditionally, everyday dress was practical and usually quite plain. A great deal of time and expense was spent to weave the fabric for weddings, temple ceremonies, funerals and spirit appeasing ceremonies, resulting in spectacular quality as well as complex techniques and designs.
Enjoy shooping! see you in Bangkok