Stories Worth Telling:

Creating Silk Treasures

From start to finish, the creation of carpets and other silk treasures involves many different steps. Below is a very simplified overview of the process.

People have been raising silk worms on collective farms for over 4,500 years. They are hand-raised and ultimately spin their cocoons, from which the silk threads come. Interestingly, the cocoon of a healthy, well-fed worm can unravel as long as 1 kilometer in length!

Rich dyes are created in order to color the plain silk threads. For example, the vibrant yellow color can come from a blend of onion skins, vine leaves, quince leaves or pomegranate skins. Some colors require the raw materials to be imported from other countries.

A secretion is left behind on the raw silk that must be removed before it can be dyed. This is done by repeatedly immersing the silk threads in a hot bath containing alkaline ash. After this, the silk is washed in a boiling cauldron of soap.

Next is a process called mordanting. The silk is put in a hot alum bath and left overnight. This ensures that the dyes will penetrate and fix to the silk.

The silk is then dyed, dried, washed and dried again. Finally, it is beaten against a wall to soften it.

At last, it is ready to be woven or embroidered into the chosen pattern. Before beginning, the pattern is meticulously traced out onto paper, giving the artisan a template to follow.

Did You Know?

An average silk carpet takes three workers about 3 months to weave!

The final products really are works of art—far more involved than the average consumer can imagine! It gives a whole new meaning to the word “handmade,” doesn’t it?