Cloth made from silk is comfortable in warm and cold weather. Silk does not conduct heat or cold well, so your body will retain its temperature rather than be affected by outside heat and cold. Silk is often used for fashionable clothing like formal dresses and expensive shirts and ties. It is also used in high-end furniture, rugs, bedding, and wall coverings.
When working with silk it is preferable to use silk thread, when possible. Silk thread will match the silk fabric in strength and in appearance. If you use other threads with silk you risk discoloration, uneven shrinkage, and tearing since other threads tend to be heavier but less strong.
Silk Thread is an elastic, strong thread, and is among the most beautiful of natural fibers. The other natural thread fibers include cotton and nylon. It has a high sheen, and creates a distinctive look when used in embroidery projects and appliqu?. Silk thread is the strongest thread, by weight, that you will ever work with, and it is also popular with people who do hand basting, because it slips easily out of any fabric when it's time to remove the stitches.
Pure filament silk is the highest quality silk, as the fibers do not need to be spun, they come naturally in long strands from the silkworm. Spun silks are made of shorter fibers. They come from broken cocoons or the beginning and end of cocoons.
Silk thread, and projects created with it can be gently washed in the washing machine with a mild soap. Bleaching agents should not be used as they can damage the threads.
Silk thread comes in a variety of weights, and these weights have their own best uses:
100 weight - the thinnest silk thread available, it's ideal for the finest threadwork, bobbin thread, hand sewing, working with delicate fabrics, buttonholes, miniatures, and basting. Some people even use it for some of their finest embroidery.
50 weight ? thicker than 100 weight, but still far from thick, 50 weight silk thread works well for silk fabrics, buttonholes, satin stitch, hand sewing, basting, piecing, bobbins, hand and machine embroidery, and quilting. 50-weight thread made from silk is stronger than other 50 weight threads.
30 weight ? a thicker thread that is good for attachment, decoration, topstitching, smocking, lace making, quilting, surface decoration and embellishment. 30-weight is the most popular and versatile size of silk thread. Embroiderers use 30-weight silk thread for some of their most important work.
8-weight - Very thick, it is useful for cross stitching, quilting, hand embroidery, ribbon work, knitting, crochet, tatting, smocking, weaving, lace making, and ornamentation.
The major manufacturers of silk thread include Gutermann, YLI, and Tire. Gutermann produces a 30 weight thread, YLI produces 100 weight, and Tire, from Clover, produces a 8 and 50 weight line of silk thread.
