How Are Silk Sarees Manufactured? the queen of textiles, reigns supreme in the business thanks to its brilliance, sensuality, and glamour. Silk has been around for about 4,500 years. India is the world’s second-largest producer of silk, accounting for roughly 18% of global output. It will be fascinating to see who is the first.
Today, India’s silk weaving heritage focuses around the sari, an ethnic traditional garment wear that is worn in most parts of the country. During festive occasions, Indian women wear elaborate and colourful silk sarees. Silk sarees have become the alluring and inevitable friend of Indian ladies due to their brilliant colours, light weight, tenacity, and superb drape. With its range of styles, weaves, and patterns, Indian silk is appreciated all around the world. With its multitude of designs, weaves, and patterns, Indian silk has a global following, but have you ever pondered how these silk sarees are made or manufactured? Here’s how it goes:
Manufacturing Process Of Silk Sarees
Silk is one of the world’s oldest fabrics, manufactured by silkworms spinning around their cocoons. The process begins with the eggs and continues until the worms are fully developed and cocoons are made. The silk farmers allowed the caterpillars to transform into moths so that they could lay eggs, and the eggs produced more caterpillars, resulting in larger cocoons.
Silk growers breed the healthiest moths for this purpose. Their eggs were then separated into categories and examined for infection. The healthy eggs are selected and put in cold storage until they are hatched. Typically, the eggs hatch once a year, and the caterpillars are fed Mulberry tree leaves after they emerge. These caterpillars begin to move their heads back and forth in order to make the silk cocoon. They form a symmetrical wall around themselves by twisting their head and weaving a double strand of fibre in a figure-eight pattern. The entire process produces raw silk fibre, and the worm’s life is ended by stoving the cocoons. The cocoons are then processed in a factory to produce silk strands.
To prepare, these silk strands are dipped in the desired colour combinations. the embroidered silk sarees in bright colours You might be shocked to learn that the Chinese were the first to manufacture silk sarees. Continue reading these points if you want to learn more about the full process.
- Sericulture
This is the procedure in which silk growers select healthy silkworms and then harvest cocoons to obtain the material. Silk farmers employ healthy moths to breed for this reason. Female silk moths deposit between 300 and 500 eggs at a time. The eggs are then graded and tested for infection; any unhealthy eggs are destroyed, while the healthy eggs are placed in the incubator in the cold storage to get them ready to get hatched. They hatch after seven days after being incubated in a controlled setting. To promote growth, these silkworms are fed a large number of mulberry leaves. They begin building the cocoon in the sixth week by rotating its body in a figure-eight pattern a number of times. Each silkworm generates a single strand of silk that measures approximately 100 metres in length.
- Extraction of Threads
The caterpillars encase themselves in the cocoons whenever they are ready. The process of sifting and smoothing the cocoons takes place here. The cocoons are sorted according to their characteristics such as colour and size during the filature process to ensure that the completed product is of the highest quality. To soften and dissolve the cocoons, they are immersed in boiling water the chewing gum that holds them together Each thread is painstakingly spun from the cocoon in individual long threads, which is the most critical stage in silk manufacture.
- Dying of Threads
The silk threads are then washed and degummed to remove any undesirable materials. The yarns are then bleached and dried before going through the dyeing process. If the producer uses a traditional dyeing procedure, natural dyes such as fruit or indigo plant leaves are used. The threads were then soaked together in bundles after dying. This procedure is repeated several times During several days so that the yarns can thoroughly absorb the colours and show off their quality. Manufacturers are employing diverse colours, such as acid dyes, as technology advances.
- Spinning
The silk production process is incomplete without the use of a traditional spinning wheel. It has always been an important aspect of the silk production process. Many modern industries are now capable of spinning silk fabric of higher grade. Hand-spinning, ring-spinning, and mule spinning are all methods that can be used.
- Weaving
Following the spinning of the silk threads, the finest strands of silk threads are woven together to create a superior fabric. The silk threads can be weaved in a variety of ways in this process, including satin weave, plain weave, and open weave. They are the most frequent, and the silk’s finishing quality is determined by the weave. But what is a weaving process, exactly? It entails weaving two sets of threads into one another to create a strong and sturdy cloth. It is a critical operation that must be carried out with attention in order to form the correct angles into each other.
- Printing
After receiving a shiny and smooth piece of silk cloth, the next stage entails boosting its appeal with attractive designs. Digital printing or screen printing are two options for completing this work. A properly developed textile printer with appropriate inks is used to print hand-drawn or digitally produced work onto the fabrics in the digital printing process. Screen printing, on the other hand, is a more conventional, hands-on approach that achieves the same results. Due to the use of thicker ink, a bolder or more vibrant look can be achieved in some cases.
- Finishing Touches
The finishing touches play a crucial function in bringing a ready-to-wear piece of silk fabric to flaunt the desired look and feel of the saree. Silk sarees have a sumptuous, elegant, and smooth form due to the finishing of the silk cloth. As a result, it is a critical step. Silk finishing can be accomplished in a variety of methods, but the most common method is to use various chemical treatments combined with a slew of useful features like fire resistance and wrinkle resistance.