Silk production and Weft Ikat -

SILK PRODUCTION AND WEFT IKAT

No Mulberry Trees at the Meritz

Michelle Pease, textile enthusiast and resident of Asia for close to 20 years, took us on a fascinating journey in all aspects of silk production and weft ikat.

Mudmee on the Loom

Focusing on the process of silk production in Thailand, Michelle started her journey with the mating moths. They produce 250-300 eggs seven days after mating, which then hatch after nine days into silk worms/caterpillars. Feeding on mulberry leaves for 20-30 days these caterpillars become fat and transparent. They then start to weave their cocoon, which takes two to three days. Within 10 days these cocoons need to be converted into thread, otherwise the silk moth hatches and breaks the thread. Traditionally the cocoons are heated in water, the gum is released and the silk filament can be extracted onto a spindle. This is a delicate process requiring expertise, especially in the reeling of the filaments of the inner cocoon which produces the finest and most expensive silk. The threads are then prepared for dyeing, first soaked in an alkali solution and then hung out to dry, becoming smoother in the process. The main natural dyes in Thailand are produced from the lac beetle (red) known as Krang, and the indigo plant (blue) which needs sunlight to oxidise. We also learnt some key statistics relating to silk production:

- 1 cocoon produces 1000 - 2000 ft of filament
- 20 filaments make 1 thread of 1 ply quality
- 3000 cocoons are used to create 1 metre of mud mii cloth

The design on a mud mii textile is created through repeated dying of the silk, using ties on the skeins to exclude/resist specific colours at each stage. For weft ikat the silk is first wound horizontally on a frame. The patterns are tied from memory, a tradition passed down through the generations. About 50 years ago this tradition was starting to die out. It was rescued and promoted by Queen Sirikit who has supported it ever since.

When the several-stage dyeing process is complete, the yarn is wound onto numbered bobbins. A plain warp is put on the frame loom. The spindle with the mud mii pattern is then woven through. With each throw of the spindle the cloth needs to be realigned to ensure the pattern is maintained.

From the start of the lecture there was high participation from the capacity audience with many people wearing traditional textiles. As Michelle adopted a 'show and tell' style, illustrating her talk with items from her 'magic' box, we all got to touch and feel the essential elements of silk production; cocoons both commercial (white and hard) and from the village (yellow and squishy), bark and other natural dyestuffs used in dyeing, skeins of silk of different quality, partially dyed skeins, others with the raffia tied in place to create the familiar mud mii patterns through the resist dying process. Mulberry trees, essential for silk production being the only food silkworms eat, were the only things missing from this display. Michelle will just have to bring a bigger box next time!

Ending her talk with an exuberant display of magnificent textiles woven in the ikat tradition, Michelle appealed to the audience to join her in a Textile Study Group, to learn more about all aspects of the textiles of the region in a friendly and supportive atmosphere. Any takers?

by Margo Rosenberg

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