The Craftsmanship Of Handmade Mulberry Silk Duvet
Mulberry silk is recognized as one of the softest and most healthy natural fiber in the world. It is called the "Queen of fibre". Scientific research has confirmed that the unique "sericin" content found in natural silk is hypoallergenic and skin-friendly. It helps improve our sleep quality, enhance our body vitality, and reduce the chance of allergy. Natural silk absorbs and release moisture to keep the duvet dry and breathable, which helps prevent rheumatism, arthritis and some skin diseases.
Mulberry silk comes from mulberry silkworms, which only eats mulberry tree leaves. Mulberry silkworms are very delicate and hypo sensitive to any kind of pesticides. Even the smell of such chemicals can kill them.
In the south region of Yangtze River in China, there's a long history of sericulture, from mulberry tree growing, silkworm breeding, silk extracting, weaving, and sewing. Practicing throughout centuries by local artisans, the technique of sericulture and silk duvet making has matured and become an intangible cultural heritage of China. The whole process silk duvet making is completely hand crafted and environmentally friendly.
- Choose quality cocoons
Silkworm cocoons can be divided into 3 types based on the breeding season: spring cocoons, summer cocoons, and fall cocoons. Usually mulberry trees generate the freshest and the most tender leaves in spring, therefore the spring silkworms are bigger and produce softer yet stronger silk thread.
Based on the number of silkworms in 1 cocoon, these cocoons can be divided into single cocoons and double cocoons. A single cocoon is a cocoon formed by 1 silkworm; a double cocoon is a cocoon formed by 2 or more silkworms spinning silk floss together. A double cocoon is usually larger in size and more stretchy and fluffy, making it the best choice for making silk duvet.
- Boil cocoons
The purpose of cocoon boiling is to dissolve part of the sericin on the surface of the silk floss in order to weaken the adhesive force between the floss and make it easy for the separation of the pupa.
This is an essential step during the whole process of production. It is very important to manage the time, boiling for too long results in a fragile and weak product yet not boiling long enough will produce a tougher fibre. An experienced artisan can judge by the look and tough to determine when it is the right time. Cocoons that are boiled correctly can be stretched properly when being layered into duvet that does not clot easily and lasts for a much longer time.
- Peel cocoons
This step is to pull the cocoons apart and remove the pupa and clean any small remaining.
- Stretch cocoons into a pocket
The main purpose of stretching the cocoon is to make it into a silk floss pocket. In order to maintain the good flexibility of the silk floss, the stretching process must be carried out in water. The artisan stretches the cocoon, gets rid of any clots, and puts it on a semi-circular bamboo bow to pull it into a silk floss pocket. The artisan usually stretch and layer 5 pockets as a set, remove it off the bamboo bow and wring it into bundle. The bundles of silk floss pockets will then be dehydrated.
- Dehydrate the silk floss pockets
The silk floss pockets are put into a drying machine to remove any excess water and then lined on a string in the sun to dry completely. Silk floss reaches its perfect softness when any moisture has been removed.
- Hand stretch and layer the silk floss sheets
4 experienced artisans are then to pull and stretch each silk floss pocket into a very thin layer. The balance of stretching force determines the leveling of each layer and the structure of thinly layered silk floss creates a breathable grid design, which makes the duvet extremely fluffy and airy.
In modern days, machines are introduced into the process of boiling, cleaning and drying to save labours and increase efficiency. However, this hand-stretching and layering technique is solely based on skills and experience throughout generations and cannot be replaced by machine.
- Quilt
The artisans then cover the silk layers with a high quality cotton inner cover and sew them together to avoid the silk filling from moving. It is highly recommended that a high quality duvet cover is used to keep the duvet from spillage.
It takes from exceptional raw materials, expertise in craftsmanship, to lots of passion and patience to produce this luxurious silk duvet. With the wisdom of our ancestors and the long history of sericulture, silk duvet is a piece of art and truly a gift to us all.
It's our vision and mission to work together and keep this timeless treasure alive and pass it on.