column Cinde rell a’s What’s So Special About SILK Thread?

Text and photos by Cindy Scraba

ho could believe luxurious silk fila - touching the velvety smooth texture of silk Wment is spun from a modest cocoon? threads; however, here are some suggested After centuries of sericulture, the fascina - USES. Notice the operative word is tion of this miracle continues to capture “Use”—please don’t save good threads you our curiosity while the popularity for silk may already have for someday or for some - continues to grow. Quilters and stitchers, one else. I give you permission to indulge who appreciate and understand the special yourself today. qualities of silk, welcome this “queen of • #100, 2-ply tight Z twist for hand or fibres” into their sewing rooms. machine sewing—exquisite for fine appliqué where stitches are concealed, per - fect for curves, points, fine micro and blends smoothly with a natural sheen as do the following silk threads… • #50, 3-ply tight Z Twist means your machines will love it when threaded up. Great for general construction, piecing, decorative work, , quilting. • #30, 3-ply tight Z twist—perfect for top - stitching, embellishment, . In the silk production process, cocoons The fibres are more limber when they’re • #16, 3-ply medium Z twist—common are immersed in hot water to loosen the elu - reeled and twisted into skeins of raw silk. At name is Button Hole Twist—for dimen - sive filament, (a laborious process) which this particular stage it feels somewhat like sional handwork: Brazilian Embroidery, could be a mile in length! This miracle pays “brittle hair” and, sorry to say, at all stages edge , beadwork knots, , tribute to selective breeding of silkworms has an unpleasant scent. and awesome bobbin use. along with careful cocoon harvesting and Often the innermost portion of the • Variegated Silk Floss 3-ply moderate generations of TLC. cocoon contains the “Grade A” filament twist/spun silk , tone-on-tone colour and is derived from only 23 to 28% of the gradations with 5-inch intervals—for raw cocoon. Several of these continuous exciting hand stitching projects or bob - fibres are twisted together to form premium bin applications. filament silk Threads like the Superior • Variegated #50 Tiara 3-ply tight Z twist Kimono™ Silk thread and Tiré™ Silk —intense, yet subtle colour variations for Thread lines*. The remainder of the cocoon quilting, thread play, embroidery. A varie - is used in the production of lower grade gated, filament silk thread is very special “spun silk” threads and applied to various and rare indeed. How much is it? Don’t silk products. Silk is renowned for its ask—it’s worth every dollar. strength, elasticity and natural lumines - cence—exclusive benefits of filament silk For your reference, I carry the full com - thread—definitely worth its weight! It is pliment of these silk threads on my web - the strongest natural fibre for its weight site. Also, visitors are welcome (by appoint - The filaments are carded or reeled to with a greater tensile strength than steel. ment) to visit my Thread Candy Shoppe on form yarn, which starts out coarse and stiff Who knew? Vancouver Island for the full silky experi - due to the residual sericin—a gummy sub - Filament silk thread is best known for ence. My Thread Talks and workshops also stance excreted by the silk worm during its its quality and versatility. Unfortunately, provide a unique opportunity for hands-on spinning process. reading this article isn’t as effective as comparison and discussion.

42 CA/ACC ummer 2012 SILK Thread Comparison & Description (from L to R) Notice the higher the number the thinner the thread gauge #100 Superior Kimono™ Silk #50 Tire™ Silk #30 Tire™ Silk #16 Tire™ Silk 3-ply Variegated Silk Floss #50 Variegated Tiara™ Silk

Amusing Silk Notes: There will always be more to learn about Happy Stitching Always—Especially with • The earliest dental floss was silk filament. silk. If you have the opportunity to take in SILK! • Bicycle Tires*, bulletproof vests and para - classes at the Houston Fall Festival, Maggie —Cinderella (Cindy Scraba) chutes were once made from silk. Backman, a passionate silk educator, offers a • Medical sutures were stitched with silk in variety of hands-on and theory classes Sources: the early 1800’s. through her consortium of silk experts. Their www.silkcentralonline.com • Silk is a protein containing amino acids, specialties are detailed on their respective www.shiborigirlstudios.com which provide health benefits. websites listed below. I was fortunate to www.celebratesilk.com • Silk is an ingredient in some cosmetics, study with six fabulous instructors on my www.katrinawalker.com foods, candies, pharmaceuticals, etc. excursion to the High Desert Silk Experience www.norikoendo.com • The silkworm has 2 dark egg sacs on its held at the Superior Threads expansive facil - www.junecolburn.com head; the eyes are actually near their ity in Utah. Some of those workshop articles www.homestitches.com mouth. are archived on my website under www.superiorthreads.com • Occasionally, 2 silkworms jointly spin a “Cinderella’s Blog” for Feb. 2012. If you’re www.cindysthreadworks.com twin cocoon as the fibres become inter - ready for the ultimate adventure, Maggie twined. These natural “bumps” formed Backman is coordinating another Silk Study or slubs appear in the weave of Dupioni Tour to Japan in 2013. Silks—thus the origin of its name, plus Silk has earned the official status of: “The “doppio” is Italian for double as in Queen of Fibres” for many reasons. Man espresso, mmmm. made synthetic products strive to clone SILK’s attributes, which evidently only the modest silkworm can possess. Cindy Scraba wwCw.CindiysnThrdeade wrorkes.lcoml /aBlog ummer 2012 CA/ACC 43