About Thai Silk

No one knows when textiles were first woven in Northeast Thailand. A tantalizing find of some ancient silk threads from an excavation at Ban Chiang, an obscure hamlet in the Northeast, has been interpreted by some archaeologists as evidence that silk was produced in the area 3,000 years ago. This view is controversial.
Sculpture and decorations from the Mon Dvaravati era (6th to 9th century) depict a great variety of woven garments. The textiles shown in the stucco statuary could have been imported, but seem more likely to have been domestic products.
When the Thai people began to infiltrate the area around one thousand years ago, they probably brought with them from southern China skills in sericulture (raising silkworms and harvesting the threads of the cocoons) and weaving which had been practiced in China since antiquity.

Certainly the silks of the Northeast, with their shimmering iridescent colors and nubby texture, have been a traditional folk craft there for hundreds of years. Village women raise their own silkworms and spin and dye the threads, then weave the fabric on primitive hand looms. It is painstaking and labor intensive work. It can take the combined threads hand teased from 8,000 or more cocoons to make enough silk for a single dress. The dazzling and vivid cloth the rural women create has been a prized possession of the Thai nobility throughout the history of the kingdom. Some colors and weaves were reserved only for the King and a few top ranking noblemen. When Thai silk was first introduced to Europeans, by a Thai diplomatic mission sent by King Narai to the court of Louis XIV, it caused a sensation.

Silk production declined after cheaper mass produced textiles from Europe, China and Japan began to be imported into Thailand in large quantities in the 19th century. In rural areas the traditional craft techniques were maintained, but it wasn't until after World War II that an American named Jim Thompson saw the commercial possibilities. Through a combination of dedication, luck and clever marketing, he was able to revive the craft, and turn it into the thriving industry it is today.

Making Silk

Step 1
Young silk worms prefer tender young mulberry leaves fed 3 times a day.
On average, 36,000 worms consume 1 ton of mulberry leaf over their lifetime. The silk worms increase in length by more than 40 times (approx. 3 inches) within 20 days of their feeding time and shed their skin 4 times in the process. When the silk worms are ready to spin, they are put into a round basket covered by cloth to keep them free from flies.

Step 2
After the worms are completely transformed into cocoons, the cocoons are put into hot, almost boiling water. The filaments from several cocoons are then reeled together on a wooden spindle into a uniform strand of raw silk. Each Thai silk cocoon can give about 700 yards long of filament.

Step 3
Thai silk yarns must be washed and degummed by immersing the skeins in large tubs of hot water then dried under the sun. Dyes are prepared in a dye bath. Once the dye is ready, the clean yarns are then immerse in the dye bath and boil with constant rotation of the yarn. The dyed yarns are hung in the shade to dry before they can be spun.

Step 4
Thai silk yarns are then spun by hands on wooden or plastic tubes to be prepared for warp or weft. To make heavier silk, two or more weft yarns are reeled together by hands to make a thicker silk yarn. The more number of weft yarn reeled together, the heavier the silk fabric becomes. The term "ply" i.e. 2-ply, 4-ply, 6-ply is often used to indicate the weight of Thai silk fabric.

Step 5
After the warp and weft are prepared, the loom is set and the weaving can begin. Most of the Thai silk is hand-woven which gives it a lustrous sheen and slightly uneven texture that distinguishes it from the sleek machine-woven fabric. Weaving silk by hand loom is a rather time consuming and require special skill. A skilled weaver can weave a few inches a day on a very complicated weave. A fast weaver can weave up to a maximum of 9-10 yards a day for a simple plain weave.