What is silk fabric?

Silk is an animal protein fibre produced by certain insects, like worms and spiders, to build their cocoons and webs. It is one of the popular fabrics for apparel because of its unique properties. Silk is most luxurious fabric, the most comfortable fabric, the most absorbent of fabrics (equal to wool), the best fabric for drape, the best fabric for color, capable of the greatest lustre, having the finest “hand” etc. These are some of the factors which make the fabric more popular. The fabric is cool in summer and warm in winter

Maintaining Silk

Unwashed silk chiffon may shrink up to 8% due to a relaxation of the fiber macrostructure, so silk should either be washed prior to garment construction, or dry cleaned. Dry cleaning may still shrink the chiffon up to 4%. Occasionally, this shrinkage can be reversed by a gentle steaming with a press cloth. There is almost no gradual shrinkage nor shrinkage due to molecular-level deformation.

Uses of Silk

Silk Clothing

Silk’s absorbency makes it comfortable to wear in warm weather and while active. Its low conductivity keeps warm air close to the skin during cold weather. It is often used for clothing such as shirts, ties, blouses, formal dresses, high fashion clothes, lining, lingerie, pajamas, robes, dress suits, sun dresses and Eastern folk costumes. For practical use, silk is excellent as clothing that protects from many biting insects that would ordinarily pierce clothing, such as mosquitoes and horseflies. Silk’s attractive lustre and drape makes it suitable for many furnishing applications. It is used for upholstery, wall coverings, window treatments (if blended with another fiber), rugs, bedding and wall hangings. While on the decline now, due to artificial fibers, silk has had many industrial and commercial uses, such as in parachutes, bicycle tires, comforter filling and artillery gunpowder bags

Home Decor, Furnishings

Silk fabric may be used to make silk sheets, silk pillow cases, table cloths, throw covers and other home items.

Silk fabrics can also be used for decorations and occasionally used as a high-end wall covering.

I looked it up because I knew that while silk has had many industrial and non-apparel uses in the past, it seems like most of those have been replaced by cheaper and more durable synthetics. They still make silk comforters in China, although they’re expensive. And once upon a time, silk underwear was de rigeur for serious winter campers and hikers, but now people use the cheaper and easier-to-wash polypropylene version.

What is the difference between Charmeuse silk and Mulberry silk?

Mulberry silk refers to the silk made from the cocoons of the larvae of Mulberry silkworms reared in captivity. The entire production process is carefully monitored and the environment of the silkworm larvae strictly controlled to allow the larvae to spin silk threads that are rounder, finer, smoother, lighter and more uniformly colored than any other type of silk in the world. Mulberry silk fibers are also extremely strong, easily beating steel fibers of the same diameter in strength and durability.

Charmeuse silk, technically speaking, does not refer to a type of material as Mulberry silk does; it is a silk fabric made with a particular way of weaving, allowing for extra luster and shine on the front side in exchange for a dull finish at the back. Charmeuse silk can be made from all kinds of different silk including Mulberry silk and is often used on products that does not require showcasing of both sides of the fabric such as pillowcases and duvet covers.

We at Lilysilk promise you that every time you see Charmeuse silk used on our website, it means Charmeuse silk made from 100% pure and natural Mulberry silk and nothing else.

Some ABCs about Silk

Why Silk?

SKIN AND HAIR CARE

The smooth surface of silk means there is little friction between your skin and your bedding linen, which is said to be the biggest cause for sleep wrinkles. Sleeping on silk bedding lines enables you to say goodbye to your messy morning hair.

HYPOALLERGENIC

Silk is hypoallergenic and repels common household allergens including bacteria, mold, fungi, and dust mites alike to ensure a healthy and restful sleep throughout the night.

TEMPERATURE-REGULATING

The great insulation properties of silk help keep the temperature around your skin at an optimal level during sleep, allowing you to feel cool in summer and warm in winter.

What is silk made of?

Silk is mostly made up of two proteins, called sericin and fibroin. Fibroins are what makes up the “silk” as we know it, as they form the long strings of silk fiber that act as the structure of the cocoons. Sericin, on the other hand, is the “glue” with which the silkworms hold the fibers together in the shape of the cocoon. Large amounts of sericin is irritant to our skin, so after pupa have been removed, the cocoons must undergo a process in which they are placed in water and lose most of the sericin coating. The filaments made of fibroins are then drawn from the cocoon and weaved, eventually made into silk fabrics as we know it.

Mulberry vs Tussar/Wild silk:

Mulberry silk is produced by the silk worms of Bombyx mori moths, which eat Mulberry leaves. The process of Mulberry silk production is an ancient craft that had been in existence for over 2000 years in China. Generally speaking, Mulberry silk has better color, smoothness, luster, fiber length, fiber uniformness and elasticity that wild tussar silk, in all its coarseness and dimness, can only dream of having.

Satin & Silk Satin:

Satin is not even a type of fabric, it is just a particular way to weave any fabric so that the surface is glossy and shiny and the back is dull. Satin weave can be done with most textiles such as silk, polyester, cotton, nylon, etc., and with any quality of silk as well. So when you read “satin silk” in a product name, know it could very well be made with very low quality silk and break apart easily.

What is Momme in silk fabric?

Mommes (mm), is a unit traditionally used to measure the quality of silk fabrics. One momme = 4.340 grams per square meter. The usual range of momme weight for different weaves of silk are:

Gauze—3 to 5 mm
Organza—4 to 6 mm
Habotai—12 to 16 mm
Charmeuse—12 to 30 mm
Normally, the higher the momme weight, the more durable the weave, the more luxurious the fabric is, the more suitable it is for heavy-duty use, and the longer the shelf-life.

For bedding, the higher the weight in momme, the better the silk bedding is. Sheets between 19-25 momme are considered ideal. silk with momme weight lower than 19 are not suitable for the production of quality silk bedding linen. For sleepwear, 22mm are the most suitable fabric.

How to Identify Silk

The most effective and simple way to identify real silk is burning. You can tell the difference from 2 aspects.
1 Flames
Burning genuine silk produces a smell very similar to that of burning human hair. The flame is close to invisible when burning the edge of the real silk fabric. Very soon after the flame source is taken away from the fabric, the silk will self-extinguish. When burned, fake silk material tend to combust rapidly in intense flames, and give a smell of burning plastic.
2. Ashes
The ash from burning of real silk is black, crispy and turns to powder easily when grinded. The ash of fake silk tend to be sticky, twisted, and difficult to break apart.

Silk vs Egyptian Cotton Sheets

If you have shopped for bedding, you probably already know about the top two contenders in the high-end bedding market: Mulberry silk and Egyptian cotton, as both are a big step-up from your regular cotton sheets. Sometimes it can be quite a difficult task choosing between the two. In this article, we will present you with a quick comparison between the two textiles that will hopefully help you in picking out a choice that is more suitable for your needs. For convenience purposes, we will refer to Mulberry silk simply as “silk” and Egyptian cotton as “cotton” in this article.

– Warmth Keeping:

What distinguishes a good sheet from a bad one is its ability to keep the temperature around your body at a comfortable level. This means being able to keep warm in the winter and keep cool in the summer. Mulberry silk is generally considered to be a great insulator while cotton is mediocre in this regard. This means that in the winter, body heat tends to escape more easily through an Egyptian cotton sheet while in the summer, the extra heat from outside will not be able to penetrate your silk sheets to get to you. Mulberry silk wins by a non-trivial margin here.

– Moisture Wicking:

Another aspect that may affect the comfort of sleep significantly is moisture wicking capabilities – nobody wants to sleep with a ton of sweat. Silk is one of the best moisture wicker in the market of textiles due to the structure of silk fiber having large hollow spaces in the middle. Cotton, while a decent moisture wicker at the beginning, quickly becomes inefficient when it has absorbed a certain amount of moisture. If you consider yourself a relatively sweaty person, sleeping on a silk sheet should be much more comfortable, especially if you use a very warm comforter.

– Material Weight & Smoothness:

The third major criteria for a good sheet is how it feels on your body and skin. Silk is known for it’s smoothness (“silky-smooth”) and lightness, and sleeping on silk is extremely comfortable. Cotton, while also quite light, is significantly coarser than silk in terms of surface smoothness, which is why sleeping on cotton tends to create wrinkles and broken hair.

– Health Benefits:

Aside from the obvious benefits that a good night’s sleep brings, sleeping in silk has a few additional perks that are beneficial to your bodily health. Most of these benefits comes from the fact that silk is a natural animal fiber and thus contains the essential amino acids a human body needs for various purposes such as skin repair and hair rejuvenation. Since silk is made by silk worms to protect them from outside harm during their cocoon phase, it also has the natural ability to expel unwanted substances such as bacteria, fungi and other insects (such as dust mites), making it naturally hypo-allergenic. Cotton, on the other hand, is a plant fiber and needs to be treated before it can be weaved as threads. It is not hypo-allergenic by nature, although you can wash a cotton sheet frequently to reduce potential accumulation of allergens.

– Source:

Mulberry silk is primarily cultivated in China, India and Japan, with China producing roughly 60%-70% of the world’s Mulberry silk each year. The best Mulberry silk comes from China and Japan. Egyptian cotton, like its name suggests, originates from Egypt where cotton plants grow well due to sufficient sunshine.

– Quality Measurement & Cost:

Silk fabric is sold by its momme weight which is measured in grams per square meter. Silk of 19 momme or above is considered to be high-end. The higher the momme weight is, the more dense and opaque the silk becomes. Cotton fabric is sold by its thread count, which is measured by number of threads per square inch. A cotton sheet with a thread count of 600+ is considered to be decent. Generally speaking, high-end silk is more expensive than high-end cotton, although as a long-term investment, silk is still very much a worthwhile choice.

Overall, Egyptian cotton sheets is the more economical choice of the two, and despite not offering as much comfort or as many perks, it is still very decent in terms of the comfort vs price ratio. Of course, if you are not overly concerned about the price and wants the absolute best, then Mulberry silk should definitely satisfy all your needs for a good bedding set.

How to Wash Silk Sheets

In ancient China, silk bedding was a status symbol and only available to the wealthy. Today, anybody can purchase this luscious fabric and enjoy the benefits of having silk sheets. Silk is a lightweight and breathable material that is also hypoallergenic, durable and perfect for both summer and winter months. High-quality silk sheets can be quite costly but will last for many years if cared for properly. Silk sheets should be washed by hand the first two to three times, but after that it is OK to launder them in a washing machine as long as you use the proper method.

Inspect the sheets for any stains and attempt to remove gently with warm water and a soft sponge. Do not scrub vigorously.

Set the washing machine to the delicate cycle and ensure that the water is lukewarm. Do not use the extra spin cycle; it is hard on silk fabric and can cause damage.

Add mild laundry detergent and fabric softener if desired. Use the amount recommended by the brand that you are using. Put the sheets in the washing machine for the set cycle time.

Hang sheets on a clothesline and allow to dry in an area out of direct sunlight, which can cause damage. Silk sheets can also be dried in the dryer on the lowest temperature setting.

Tips & Warnings
Silk sheets usually shrink slightly the first few times they are washed. This is normal and not cause for concern. Wash sheets separately from other laundry to prevent damage.
Do not use bleach on silk sheets.

Silk vs Wool Comforter

In the last few weeks, I have written several articles on the comparison between silk and various commonly seen textiles. This is going to be the last article in the series, and in this article I’m going to take a look at the various differences between silk and wool, and how these differences affect your purchase decisions.

One distinct difference between wool and other fibers I have mentioned before is that wool, like silk, is a completely natural animal fiber. As such, it shares a lot of similarities with silk in terms of chemical composition and fiber structures. Both wool and silk have high affinity with human skin and are suitable for most people.

So what are the differences between silk and wool?

– Warmth Keeping:

If you look at why wool and silk was there in the first place, you should have an idea of the basic difference between them: warmth keeping. Sheeps grow wool to keep themselves warm first and foremost, while silkworms make cocoons to shield themselves from harm during metamorphosis. These functions persist when wool and silk are cultivated and made into blankets and comforters.

Wool:

Wool is a great insulator of heat. The natural air pockets in wool help to efficiently keep the heat emanated by the human body inside and help people stay warm during cold weather. This is why sweaters are made of wool.

Silk:

Silk is also great in terms of insulation. However, most silk comforters and blankets don’t have the same density as their wool counterparts, meaning that they are not as good in terms of keeping warmth. However, due to the structure of silk fibers and most silk products being thinner, silk is better at facilitating air exchanges between the 2 sides of the comforter (more commonly known as breathing), which helps with venting excessive heat if required and keeping the temperature around the human body at a comfortable level.

– Comfort:

Weight:

Wool is quite light, but silk is still significantly lighter. Lighter comforter eases the difficulty of turning during sleep and promotes better blood flow throughout the night.

Touch:

Both wool and silk are soft to the touch. Silk, being thinner, feels more flowy while wool is more solid. It comes down to preference in this category.

Feel:

The word “silky smooth” perfectly describes how silk feels on the skin. Wool cloth feels a bit rougher due to the surface of wool fibers being scaly instead of smooth like silk fibers. Also, due to the structure of the wool fibers, it is easy for wool to fray on the surface, creating broken strands of wool fiber which may cause skin to itch.

– Hygiene:

Wool is not particularly resistant to any type of bacteria, mold or bugs because sheeps have skin for those. Silk, on the other hand, is naturally resistant to bacteria and mold, and repels most types household bugs because silkworms rely on these abilities to protect themselves. This not only means that silk tends to stay cleaner, but also that it keeps away some of the most common household allergens away from your bedroom.

– Maintenance:

Due to the factors listed in the Hygiene section, wool generally requires more care and maintenance in terms of cleaning, while silk is easier to clean. Both wool and silk require dry cleaning if you wish to clean them thoroughly. Lower momme weight silk tends to be more fragile than wool and doesn’t resist wear and tear as well, which is why we recommend silk equal to or above 19 momme.

Overall, both silk and wool are great textiles and worth getting. If you are more concerned about staying warm and overheating doesn’t bother you, wool is the more reasonable choice. If you wish to buy something that can be used throughout the year, that is lighter and more hygenic, then silk would be the better choice.

Silk vs Satin Pillowcases

As our brand gained more traction in the North American market, it seems that more and more people are writing to inquire about the difference between silk and satin (mostly on pillowcases). Indeed, when one searches for silk pillowcases on Google, Amazon or Ebay, the returned results often contain a large amount of satin, often at much lower prices. It’s no wonder that people want to know the reason behind the pricing difference, so we will attempt to explain the exact difference between silk and satin.

First of all, one should know that the so-called silk vs satin is, in fact, a false proposition – silk is a type of fabric, while satin is a weave, which means that there are in fact SATIN SILK, although it’s safe to say that 99% of the satin products sold on the market at low prices are *not* made with silk, but with polyester instead. So, instead of discussing silk vs satin, the question can be changed into the differences between Charmeuse silk and polyester satin, for which a proper comparison can be made.

So, what is the fundamental difference between silk and polyester? We believe the fundamental difference lies in the way these materials are produced. Silk is a naturally made animal protein fiber, whereas polyester is a industrially produced fiber made from petroleum. As such, silk offers significantly better affinity to skin due to similar chemical composition. Compared to silk’s smooth and light feel on the skin, polyester is hard, brittle and not very breathing at all.

The difference between naturally spun silk and factory-produced polyester extends beyond the simple contrast of feel and comfort. Silk is used by cosmetic surgeons and beauty salons around the world as THE material for facial beauty for its smoothness as well as the rich amount of nutrients contained in its fibers. The amino acids in silk fibers are essential to the human body and help replenish lost collagen in the skin, and the high moisture absorption rate of silk helps keep your skin at just the right humidity. The great insulation properties of silk help keep the temperature around your skin at an optimal level, providing not only comfort, but also the perfect environment for your skin to regenerate during sleep. Polyester, while also smooth, pales in comparison in this regard – although it is also somewhat effective in reducing morning hair and sleep wrinkles.

From a maintenance point of view, silk is a bit more difficult to wash due to it being more delicate and require more attention. However, silk is *hypoallergenic* and repels common household allergens including bacteria, mold, fungi, and dust mites alike, so you will most likely find less annoying substances on a silk sheet/pillowcase than a polyester one. If you are already suffering from allergies, the choice is really a no-brainer.

Lastly, we take a look at the cost. This is the one criterion for which polyester has a convincing victory. A polyester satin pillowcase costs roughtly 1/4 to 1/2 of a silk pillowcase of the same size, so if you are financially strained, getting a polyester satin pillowcases will help you get the sleep beauty routine started. Of course, when you are become more financially capable, our recommendation would be to get our Charmeuse silk pillowcase to receive full benefits high-end bedding has to offer.

Silk vs Down Comforter

We often get asked what makes our comforters different to down and feather comforters, so here are a few points that, we hope, would clear things up. Good silk comforters are made using only long fibre mulberry silk. By using only long fibre silk, a silk filled comforter is able to outperform other comforters in a number of areas.

Silk Comforters

Mulberry silk comforters are designed to let some of your body heat pass through the comforter while you sleep. By doing this they keep you warm but stop you from overheating throughout the night

Silk comforters keep you comfortable over a wider range of temperatures. Because they allow some of your body heat to escape they keep you contented rather than too hot or too cold.

Long fibre mulberry silk is naturally healthier than down. Because there is less sweat produced by sleeping under silk comforters, there is less bacteria build-up in a silk comforter. Less bacteria build-up = a healthier bed.

Silk filled comforters drape over you, hugging the contours of your body. By doing this they create less cold spots between you and the comforter covering you.

Well made Mulberry silk filled comforters, like our own, will not bunch together inside the casing. This is because the silk filling has been layered with long filaments of silk.

Down-filled Comforters

Down and feather comforters are designed to stop your body heat from escaping through the comforters. This initially keeps you warm, but throughout the night your body heat continues to be reflected back at you and you overheat.

Down comforters are unable to help keep your surroundings at a constant temperature and you will need a wider range of weights throughout the year.

Down is a very good insulator, but can often be too good. Moisture trapped in down from body sweat is often unable to escape from the comforter. In advanced cases can result in unhealthy mould spots.

Down comforters are soft, but still more rigid than silk comforters. Down is unable to drape over you the way in the same way silk comforters do – this is because there is physically more bulk in a down comforters.

Most down comforters are stuffed and then sewn into individual pockets to keep the down in place. However, over time the down in these pockets bunches together which can make the comforter lumpy and uncomfortable to sleep under and create cold spots.

Benefits of Silk

Besides its luxurious softness and lustrous beauty, there are a variety of other benefits that silk offers that other fabrics, whether natural or artificial, simply cannot match. These advantages of silk have rightly earned silk its reputation as the queen of fabrics. If “Why Silk” is still a question in your mind, the following benefits of silk should remove any doubts. It is not just a question of comparison with other fabrics, some of these benefits and advantages place silk in a league of its own.

SKIN AND HAIR CARE

Silk contains natural cellular albumen, which helps speed up metabolism of skin cells – thus helping to reduce signs of aging. Silk is a natural heat regulator, able to maintain the air around you at a comfortable temperature when you sleep, meaning you perspire less – extensive sweating is a big contributor to skin aging. The smooth surface of silk means there is little friction between your skin and your bedding linen, which is said to be the biggest cause for sleep wrinkles. The fact that your hair moves around freely as well basically means you will not wake up with a bedful of broken hair and your head looking like a mess.

HYPOALLERGENIC

Bugs don’t like silk, bacteria don’t like silk, and mold doesn’t like silk either. The sericin residue is a natural repellent that keeps all the bad things away, all the while helping you in other ways. With the biggest 3 in-house allergens unable to manifest themselves on your bed, allergy sufferers can rest relaxed knowing they are safe from skin rashes, eczemas and stuffy nose.

SOFT AND LIGHTWEIGHT

Duvets filled with silk floss weight for a mere fraction of a feather/down filled duvet of the same heat-insulating capabilities due to the innate heat insulating properties of silk and the thermal preserving structure of the floss sheets, meaning you don’t have to “fight” with your duvet when you want to stretch or turn in your bed. Of course, the lighter weight helps with a variety of health issues such as blood circulation and arthritis.

BREATHING/MOISTURE WICKING

Silk is a very breathable fabric, meaning there is a constant air exchange between two side of your duvet – however, due to silk’s ability to keep heat in, you will get a constant stream of fresh air in without having to worry about feeling cold. The moistures in the air inside your comforter also gets exchanged/absorbed by silk, and you will always sleep in a dry place that is sufficiently warm, something that is especially ideal for women undergoing menopause and suffering from nightly hot flashes.

DURABLE

Our best quality Mulberry silk beddingware can easily last upwards to 15 – 20 years if cared for properly. Silk fibers are one of the strongest natural textile fibers in the world, and our silk is made from especially high quality silk fibers with a denser weave up to 750 TCI (threads per inch), meaning the resulting fabric can be very strong, able to withstand most accidental damage with ease (and we obviously do not encourage any non-accidental damage to be done to our silk.)

HYGIENE

Silk is the most hygienic material to be used as bedding because it is resistant to dust and other common causes of household bedding stains. So if you are looking to get rid of your down comforter because of dust, mites, or allergies, getting a silk-filled comforter will solve your problem instantly.

What is Momme in silk fabric & What is thread count

What is Momme in silk fabric ?

Mommes (mm), is a unit traditionally used to measure the quality of silk fabrics. One momme = 4.340 grams per square meter; 8 mommes is approximately 1 ounce per square yard or 35 grams per square meter.
The usual range of momme weight for different weaves of silk are:

Gauze—3 to 5 mm
Organza—4 to 6 mm
Habotai—12 to 16 mm
Chiffon—6 to 8 mm (can be made in double thickness, i.e. 12 to 16 mm)
Crepe de Chine—12 to 16 mm
Raw silk—35 to 40 mm (heavier silks appear more ‘wooly’)
Charmeuse—12 to 30 mm

The higher momme weight the better?

Yes and no. It depends. Normally, the higher the momme weight, the more durable the weave, the more luxurious the fabric is, the more suitable it is for heavy-duty use, and the longer the shelf-life. Generally, all silks can be washed and the heavier ones can be washed repeatedly. The heavier the silk, the more opaque it becomes. This can vary even between the same kind of silk. For example, lightweight Charmeuse is translucent when used in clothing, but 30-momme charmeuse is opaque. Therefore, it does not mean that you must always buy silk products with higher momme weight. For instance, it would be too heavy to put on 25mm silk sleepwear for the night, but 19mm silk sleepwear is not that durable, though. In a word, it is a question of making proper choices according to your own needs.

What is the best momme weight of silk bedding ?

Here at Lilysilk, we offer 3 different momme weight classes. Starting from the entry-level 19 momme, Lilysilk also offers intermediate 22 momme and luxury 25 momme weight classes for your choosing.

What is thread count?

Thread count or threads per inch (TPI) is a measure of the coarseness or fineness of certain fabrics, most notably cotton. While it is not the definitive measurement of the quality of silk fabrics, it is good for reference when you purchase silk online. It is measured by counting the number of threads contained in one square inch of fabric or one square centimeter, including both the length (warp) and width (weft) threads. The thread count is the number of threads counted along two sides (up and across) of the square inch, added together.

What are the thread counts of Freedomsilk’s bedding sets ?

Thread-count is not as important in silk products as it is for cotton, as in silk threads can vary greatly in terms of diameter and length. However, it is still something that should be noted when purchasing silk. For silk products with same momme weight, the one with higher thread count is usually considered to be better. Normally, the 19mm silk has a thread count of 300-350, Freedomsilk’s 19mm silk usually has a minimum thread-count of 400 which is already what some would refer to as “luxury”, our 22mm has a thread-count of 600 and our 25mm silk an even higher 750 which is why we insist that our products is truly the best on the market.