Silk production
Silk is a popular fabric known for its softness and shine. We would like to tell you more about how silk is made.
(photo: Matka silk)
Mulberry trees
Silk is made from the thread of the silkworm, the larva of the silk moth. Mulberry trees are grown to breed silkworms. These are the only plants on which the silk moths lay their eggs. The silkworms also produce the most beautiful and finest silk when they only eat mulberry leaves.
The cocoon
Once the silkworm eggs have hatched, the young caterpillars will eat continuously for a month. After this month, the caterpillar will start spinning a cocoon. The caterpillars have two silk glands, with which they spin one thread that forms their cocoon. This thread is about 10 micrometers thick and can be up to 900 meters long. The fibers of this thread have a prism-like shape, which causes the silk to glimmer the way it does. After 2 to 4 days, the caterpillars are finished spinning.
The thread
To make cloth from this thread, the cocoons are placed in water to soak. When the cocoons have loosened enough, the end of the thread is sought. From this end, the entire thread is wound around a reel. Usually, 5 to 8 of these threads are twisted into a strand. These strands are then woven into cloth.
(Photo: Bourette silk)
Bourette silk
Matka silk
Matka is a special type of silk from India. In the production of this silk, we wait until the butterfly has emerged from the cocoon. The thread of this broken cocoon is then broken in many places. These irregularities give the yarns that are spun from the thread an interesting pattern. The silk that we use for our Matka silk shroud has a soft texture. The shroud looks luxurious due to the light glimmer, but retains a natural look due to the coarse weave.
