| The cool luxurious feel of certain fabrics against your | | | | tear or rip apart. But to answer the question, you can |
| skin is something that cannot be replicated. Silk has | | | | find silken fabrics to make anything from. |
| long been a staple and status of luxury. For thousands | | | | If you want a pair of socks...there are certainly |
| of years only the most elite were able to afford this | | | | manufacturers out there that can provide you with |
| rare commodity. It may have been harvested by | | | | them. It is more common to find silks being woven into |
| simple farmers but it had a tremendous impact on the | | | | typical clothing items such as dresses, pants or shirts. |
| trading world. As precious as gold and spices were, | | | | The smooth quality of the fabric combined with its |
| the demand for silk was even more. | | | | luster gives it a great appeal to virtually everyone. |
| This creation of nature is still sought after today. Yes, | | | | Who was the first person to mass produce silk? |
| the availability has increased but pure silk is something | | | | There really is not one single person who is written |
| that is still a valuable commodity. This article will let you | | | | down in history as the first to mass produce silks. |
| know about silks unique history and how it helped | | | | History does credit the Chinese for holding the majority |
| shape the world of fashion today. You may just find | | | | of the market even up to this day. True mass |
| out something that you did not know. | | | | production of silks did not come until the Industrial |
| When was silk first discovered? | | | | Revolution. Thanks to new weaving methods and |
| Silks were discovered between 6000 and 3000 BC by | | | | machinery, more silken fabric could be produced. The |
| the Chinese. The empress Xi Ling-Shi was the first to | | | | Jacquard loom helped make silk embroidery easier and |
| develop the silks into fabrics. But the rarity of silks | | | | less expensive. |
| meant that only the royalty had access to this | | | | How does silk come in so many colors? |
| precious fabric. | | | | Silks are just like any other fiber that is woven. It can |
| Gradually through gifts and trade the silks made their | | | | be dyed to any color that the manufacturer wants. |
| way to various other parts of Asia. From Asia it was | | | | There is a process though. First the fabric must be |
| a simple matter of traders taking the silk fabric with | | | | bleached to remove the natural yellow tint that comes |
| them throughout the rest of the known world. For | | | | from the raw silks. After it has been bleached out, |
| many centuries the Emperors of China hoarded the | | | | dyes can be added in to reach the desired shade for |
| secret of cultivating the silkmoths in captivity. There is | | | | the finished product. |
| countless recordings or digs in which silks were | | | | Quality silks will be dyed in a way so that you do not |
| discovered from around the world. | | | | have to worry about bleeding or color run-off. In the |
| What types of clothing can be made from silk? | | | | past when the dying process was done by hand, the |
| Any type of clothing can be made from silks. The key | | | | colors were fairly limited with what could be dyed |
| is not using just one strand though. Spinners have to | | | | naturally. With today's chemicals and varying shades |
| combine several strands of silk in order to make a | | | | of hues, a silken fabric can be transformed into a |
| tough enough fiber to withstand the weaving process. | | | | multitude of colors. |
| Fabrics that are made from very thin silks can easily | | | | |