The Process of Making Silk Carpet by Hand

The handmade silk carpet made in our factory are high value added products and all are done by hand through complicated process. From the silkworms to the final products, it will take many complicated processes to weave these beautiful carpets. The process is as follows:

Ⅰ. From Silkworms to Cocoons:

Silkworm is a kind of natural insect. It comes out from 2 millimeters egg and then grows into 10 millimeters black worm. People feed them painstakingly by using leaves of natural white mulberry. When growing to nearly 40 millimeters, the black silkworms turn into the white cocoon. The location for raising should be indoor, and full of sunshine, ventilated and sterilized frequently. Person not concerned are not allowed to go. Otherwise the survival rate will be low, and the quality of cocoons will be not up to much.

Ⅱ. Cocoon Processing, Reeling off Raw Silk from Cocoons and Dying

1. The Processing of Cocoons

After the silkworms turning into cocoons, workers need to dry them over heat firstly. Then they use the high quality cocoons for reeling off raw silk. Cocoons are put into clean water for cleansing. After filtered in the clean water one or three times, the cocoons are put into boiling water for 20 minutes. Then workers reel off raw silk from cocoons. One kilogram cocoon can product about 0.3 kilogram raw silk. The thickness of silk depends on the material needed. The raw silk is dried and cocooned after being divided into many plies.

2. The Processing of Raw silk

Firstly put the raw silk which is divided into many plies on 5 or 6 machines for merging. The thickness depends on the lines people need. After many plies merging into one ply, they should be dried.

3. Refining Process of Raw Silk

The raw silk is classified according to their weight. Then workers put alkali into the boiling water. The raw silk should be boiled for 30 to 40 minutes. This process can make the raw silk soft. Workers rinse silk and wash out the alkali. After squeezed the water out and dried by airing, the silk is packed for dying.

4. Dying Process of Raw Silk

Workers classified the raw silk, then put dye and silk into boiling waters in containers. Turn over them constantly for 40 minutes, then is the last process similar to the refining process.

Ⅲ. Design

According to the design, workers draw pictures and make a blueprint, then arrange them.

Ⅳ. The Weaving Tools

The weaving tools include looms and frames which should be made by hard wood or steel that can support press and be proof-water.

Ⅴ. Silk Carpet Weaving

1. To make silk carpets by hand, choosing weavers is the key. Aged from 18 to 25 years old and with good eye sight, the talented workers should be clever and deft with at least 5 years experience of making silk carpet.

2. Fixing the Warp

At the unit of foot, the warp is fixed according to different lines, and then mark the scale.

3. Weaving the Carpet

Weaving the carpet is a complicated technology. Workers take the color wire in left hand and take knife in right hand, knot both sides, move the rim, weaving the weft, then patting the carpets. Every foot carpet takes 220—250 kilos color wire, then the wire was cut, leaving 1.5 cm as sides. The carpet’s pile should be neat and smooth. The fringes should be straight. Workers can’t be careless and the patterns should be as same as drawings. After verified by the technical persons of our factory and appraised by the Light Industry Department, our products can circulate in market.

 

Weaving silk carpet is a painstaking and time-consuming work. It generally takes one worker 14 to 20 months to weave a piece of 5×8 feet silk carpet of 300 lines, and 40 to 50 months to weave a piece of1.4×2 feet silk carpet of 800 lines. The material of 1.3×2 feet silk carpet of 1000 lines is as thin as a hair. After finishing it the young girl’s eyesight will be injured in some degree and usually will not weave a second one. Therefore high end pure silk carpet is called soft gold. Along with the time, as the more and more scarce and precious handicraft articles, high-end pure silk carpets that have folk characteristics become treasured possessions of many leading museums and collectors throughout the world.

 

Besides the mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, our products also go far into Europe, America, Japan, New Zealand, Malaysia etc., and are world wide acknowledged for the fine quality, competitive price and warm service. Welcome friends home and abroad to our store and purchase.