Silk Knowledge  

    Ancient time’s silk fabrics were basically named according to Texture, fabric pattern, fabric color. Modern silk continues to use old many, like crepes, damask silk, Ti, spun silk, also has used some loan words, like georgette, taffeta and so on. At present, according to the silk variety's organizational structure, raw material adopted, processing technics, texture, outward configuration and its main application, silk can be separated as 14 kinds , voile, faille, damask, spun silk, chiffon, Xiao, crepe, brocade, satin, Ti, Ge, Ni, velvet and Silk so on.

1. Voile: it is completely or partly twisted by warp to form a uniform distribution eyelet (i.e. “yarn eye”), also calls plain yarn.

2. Faille: All or part mutually twisted by organzine to get an effect of Jiao hole to organize the faille. It is divided as linear faille, across faille, figured and plain.

3. Damask: Using Twill and Twill change structure, the fabric surface has diagonal weave, light quality. Forepart the fabric surface was in twilled shape like an overlapping mountain, “looks like the icy cold lines”, thus called damask.

4. Spun silk: plain structure, natural silk fabric with exquisite, smooth, stiff and neat character..

5. Chiffon: plain structure, warp and weft are untwisted or twisted weakly, light, soft.

6. Brocade: heavy structure, it is a gorgeous yarn dyed jacquard fabric weaved by multicolor silk thread. Brocade is a famous jacquard fabric, ancient said "Texture for the text, such as the price of gold". It is divided as Sichuan brocade, song brocade, Yun brocade.

7. Satin: Sateen or sateen change structure; fabric surface is smooth, shining, and compact.

8. Ti: plain structure, warp using filament, cotton or other yarns used as weft, heavy and coarse quality, clear veins. It has plain Ti and flowered Ti.

9. Ge: It is a thick silk fabric, adopting plain, twill and its changing structure; winding, thin warp with loose, thick weft, fabric surface presents transverse shuttle veins.

10. Ni: It is a rich texture, woolen silk fabric, using a variety of structure and thick yarn for weft and warp.

11. Velvet: all or part uses raise structure, to make the surface have pile or circle.

12. Silk: plain or change structure, warp and weft staggered closely. Silk is the general name of all silk fabrics. Its characteristic is: stiff and compact surface, smooth hand feel. Silk fabrics if no other obvious features can be referred to as silk.

13. Xiao: It is a light, openwork silk fabric, using plain or fake yarn structure.

14. Crepes: plain or other structure, warp and weft are strongly twisted to make the fabric have crepe effect. Its characteristic is: surface with bidirectional wrinkle, gentle gross, flexible feel and good performance of anti-crepe.