Silk, Usage : Apparel, Home Decor

Silk is a natural protein fibre used in producing textiles. Silk fibres are produced as a cocoon covering by the silkworm. Although cocoon coverings of fibre are made by a large number of insects, only those of the mulberry silk moth, Bombyx mori, and a few other moths closely akin to it, are used by the silk industry.

The cocoons are first heated in boiling water to dissolve the gummy substance that holds the cocoon filament in place. After this heating, the filaments from four to eight cocoons are joined and twisted and are then combined with a number of other similarly twisted filaments to make a thread that is wound on a reel to give filament silk. The damaged outer portion& inner portion of the cocoons after brushing give staple silk which is spun to produce spun silk.

Silk fibres have a triangular cross section with rounded corners. This reflects light at many different angles, giving silk a natural shine. Silk is used for clothing such as shirts, blouses, formal dresses, high fashion clothes, negligees, pyjamas, robes, skirt suits, sun dresses, underwear, furnishing applications, upholstery, wall coverings, bedding etc.