silk – Page 2 – The Fibre Garden

Sari Silk Fibre – Cool Tones

Shredded sari silk fibre, in a myriad of cool colours colours that may include some or all of purple, blue, lime, emerald, other green shades, turquoise, grey, silver and possibly a few threads of red, yellow or other tones. This is shredded from leftover scraps and mill ends of fabric used to make saris. Our new supply is very clean and for the most part free of unshredded bits and debris. Fibres are in a tangle, essentially, but we try to get a good mix in each bag. What to do with it? We've sometimes cut it into shorter lengths and carded it into spinning/felting batts; the key is to cut the silk to about the same length as the staple of the fibre it's being blended with. On the drum carder we find it behaves best when layed on the intake tray with the wool fibre on top, which helps to keep the silk off of the licker-in drum. Felters love to use these fibres for embellishment in wet, Nuno and needle felting projects. Apparently it's a very cool add-in for paper makers, particularly those doing silk paper. Should also be grand for silk fusion and a myriad of other crafts, and even fly fishermen love this stuff! PRODUCT of INDIA

$7.00 – $28.60 Select options

Sari Silk Fibre – Warm Tones

Shredded sari silk fibre, in a myriad of warm colours colours that may include some or all of magenta, yellow, red, orange, copper, plum, gold, wine, pink, orange and possibly a few threads of green, blue or other tones. This is shredded from leftover scraps and mill ends of fabric used to make saris. Our new supply is very clean and for the most part free of unshredded bits and debris. Fibres are in a tangle, essentially, but we try to get a good mix in each bag. What to do with it? We've sometimes cut it into shorter lengths and carded it into spinning/felting batts; the key is to cut the silk to about the same length as the staple of the fibre it's being blended with. On the drum carder we find it behaves best when layed on the intake tray with the wool fibre on top, which helps to keep the silk off of the licker-in drum. Felters love to use these fibres for embellishment in wet, Nuno and needle felting projects. Apparently it's a very cool add-in for paper makers, particularly those doing silk paper. Should also be grand for silk fusion and a myriad of other crafts, and even fly fishermen love this stuff! PRODUCT of INDIA

$7.00 – $28.60 Select options

Sari Silk Ribbon Yarn – Multicolour – 100g

Price is per 100g (3.53 oz) skein. Approximately 30 yards (27m). Really cool stuff, this ribbon "yarn" is made from roughly 1-inch wide strips of Sari silk fabric that are sewn together end-to-end, in a myriad of colours. We've switched suppliers and are very happy with the quality of the new yarns. A terrific and colourful weft for weavers, this could also integrate into thick hand-spun novelty yarns or be used as-is for knitting bags on huge honkin' needles or just adding a stripe here and there in fun scarves. The fabric edges will fray and add texture. Felters also seem to love these, because it's a great way to get a big stash of colours for embellishing. PRODUCT of INDIA

$16.25 Read more

Silk Hankies, Natural

100% cultivated (aka Bombyx or Mulberry) silk. Much like silk caps, hankies contain many layers of tissue-thin silk that are stretched out and stacked together into square shapes, but flat rather than dome-shaped. This makes them easier to deal with than caps when hand-painting with dye. You can use either acid or fibre reactive dyes, or even natural dyes. Spinners take the individual layers apart, poke a hole in the centre and then draft them out as thick or as thin as they need for their particular yarn. Felters find these interesting to use for embellishment on nuno-felted, wet-felted and needle-felted projects. PRODUCT of CHINA

$13.25 – $26.50 Select options

Silk Noils, Cultivated

100% silk. Bits and pieces of off-white cultivated silk, also known as Mulberry or Bombyx silk. These are waste from the textile industry, and therefore sometimes have debris (like bits of silkworm poo) and could use a good shake before spinning. Noils are easy to dye. We find it's best to take the extra few minutes to tease them open before presoaking (with hot water and soap), to allow for maximum colour penetration. Spinners love to use noils to provide bumpy texture to a spin, carding them in with the fibre of choice. Felters also make use of them for embellishment.

$8.00 – $16.00 Select options

Silk Top, Cultivated

100% silk. Combed top, pearly off-white in colour. Staple length is about 7 to 8 inches. Also called Mulberry or Bombyx silk. Silk top is easy to dye, using either acid dyes, fibre reactive dyes, or natural dyes. For spinning, silk top may be spun all by itself or used for blending with a myriad of other fibres. Silk does not felt but is beautiful as a felting surface embellishment on top of a wool foundation. PRODUCT of CHINA

$15.00 – $115.77 Select options

Silk Top, Muga

100% Muga silk. This also goes by the name Assam silk, and it's from a worm native to India rather than further east. The colour is a glorious tan to almost caramel-golden-brown with a wonderful sheen. Apparently it is a myth that Muga silk cannot be dyed, though we have never tried to do so. Usually difficult to find, and always expensive. PRODUCT of INDIA

$21.00 – $42.00 Select options

Silk Top, Tussah (Bleached)

100% silk. Combed top, bleached but still an ivory-cream colour. Staple length is about 6 to 7 inches. If you plan on using your silk for blending, Tussah silk is nearly always a better value fibre than Cultivated silk. Silk top is easy to dye, using either acid dyes, fibre reactive dyes, or natural dyes. For spinning, silk top may be spun all by itself or used for blending with a myriad of other fibres.

$8.25 – $63.67 Select options

Silk, Red Eri (Sliver) – 50g

100% Eri Silk. A less common silk for spinners but widely cultivated in India and also known as Endi, Errandi or Peace Silk. Because the cocoons are not harvested until after the moth emerges, this is considered to be an acceptable fibre by some vegans. Used for all kinds of fabrics for garments as well as bedding, pillows, etc. This is in beautiful combed top, our current supply is MUCH redder than this photo, a stunning cinnamon red. Eri silk comes in several natural shades. PRODUCT of INDIA

$15.00 Read more

Silk, Throwster Bleached

100% Mulberry silk An unusual product, this is degummed silk that's a byproduct of the reeling process. It's like curly soft blobs of silk fibre that can be drafted and spun, but most people probably use it as a textural embellishment for all types of felting. The sheen is wonderful, and it takes dye beautifully in a delightful irregular way. Our supply is AA grade, which is also carded to make Silk Laps. PRODUCT of INDIA

$6.00 – $27.00 Select options