Silk Factory in Hoi An, Vietnam

 

Alex Rangman (many would know Alex from some of the Yahoo groups) and I visited Vietnam in April this year and of course we visited many silk and embroidery factories.

During our trip I took many photos and a movie with Alex showing you beautiful silk and also the most exquisite embroidery, please click on the movie below to see the silk and embroidery, below is also photos which might interest some of you of the process of making silk

Silk is the most beautiful of all natural fibers. It is also very strong, even at its finest, when it is almost invisible. It is unlike any other fiber used to make fabrics, for it is neither grown in a field or on an animal. It is not manufactured in a factory. A caterpillar produces the silk fiber, spinning it out of its mouth, using tiny fore-legs to place the silk where it should go.

Since mankind discovered the wonder of the silkworm's floss, it has been used for the most expensive of garments.

The process of making silk has not changed very much in the thousands of years since the silkworm's thread was first used, in ancient China.

 

 

Silk making in Hoi An, Vietnam

 

 

 

The silkworm eating mulberry leaves on a bamboo tray, this is the early stage of the silkworm

 

 

 

The silkworms grow quickly, as do their appetites. By the time they are about three weeks old, they need to be fed every day.

 

 

At about twenty-eight days of age, some of the silkworms start to spin silk. These silkworms are immediately transferred to clean twigs and bamboo racks containing the cocooning structures, where they soon spin their cocoons.

 

 

 

In order to prevent the moth from emerging from the cocoon, thereby cutting many of the fibers, the cocoons are baked at 200 degrees (F) for thirty minutes to kill the chrysalis inside. This is done five days after the cocoon was started, in order to maximize the amount of silk recovered

 

When ready to unreel the cocoons, she fills a pot about half full with clean water and heats it to near boiling, placing the cocoons in the water at this time. After waiting a few minutes, one fishes a cocoon out of the water with a chopstick or other smooth implement, placing it on a smooth cloth that lies across a folded towel. The end of a strand is found and gently pulled on, slowly releasing the strand from the cocoon. This process has remained in use, virtually unchanged, since the earliest days of sericulture

 

 

 

 

Making of silk thread

Spinning the silk is easy once the silk has been well-processed, and can be done almost anywhere, as long as there is not a noticeable breeze or draft in the area. Unlike many other fibres, silk is light enough that even a slight breeze can give the loose thread a life of its own! Once the spindle becomes full it is time for the next step, dyeing.

Silk takes dyes better than any other natural fibre

 

 

 

Making the silk blue for fabric

 

 

 

Close up of the silk fabric being made

 

 

 

The young girls in the next room from where the silk was thread and fabric was produced, making their beautiful embroideries

 

 

 

We could have been here all day watching these young girls working, just exquisite work, we were so fortunate to see the works in progress

The following photos are of just a few of the embroideries we saw.

All the work is done on silk fabric using silk thread

 

 

 

 

Side view of the previous work, as I could see I was having problem with the flash

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately the photo does not show you the actual detail involved in this embroidery

 

 

Young girl working on silk fabric and silk thread

 

 

 

 

I know this photograph is not about embroidery, but I just had to take a photo of this. We were having dinner on a junk where we stayed overnight on Ha Long bay, they are not actual flowers, they are vegetables, the chap that made our meals just whipped it up in no time, can you believe it!!!

 

 

 

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage site located in Qung Ninh province, Vietnam. The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various sizes and shapes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

Machine Embroidery Designs

 Latest Releases

 

Folklore Machine Embroidery Designs

Released on the 25th June 2019

 

 Folklore Machine Embroidery Designs by StitchingArt

  

6 designs included in the Folklore machine embroidery design set.

The Folklore design is suitable for a 6 x 10 inch or 240mm x 150mm hoop.

The Folklore design is available in DST, EMB, EXP, HUS, JEF, PES, VIP, VP3 and XXX.

The colour chart is included in the design set

As I am now digitizing with Wilcom embroidery software (which is a commercial software) we are unable to convert files to ART format. Bernina embroidery machines will now need to purchase designs in EMB or EXP format. Sorry for the inconvenience.

View the Folklore Machine Embroidery Designs

Mayil Machine Embroidery Designs

 
Mayil Machine Embroidery Designs

 Released on the 28th May 2019

6 designs included in the Mayil machine embroidery design set.

The Mayil design is suitable for a 14 x 8, 14 x 7 or 360mm x 200mm, 360mm x 150mm hoop.

The Mayil design is available in DST, EMB, EXP, HUS, JEF, PES, VIP, VP3 and XXX.

The colour chart is included in the design set

As I am now digitizing with Wilcom embroidery software (which is a commercial software) we are unable to convert files to ART format. Bernina embroidery machines will now need to purchase designs in EMB or EXP format. Sorry for the inconvenience.

View the Mayil Machine Embroidery Designs

 

springoflife4

 

Spring of Life Machine Embroidery Designs

 Released on the 27th April 2019

9 designs included in the Spring of Life machine embroidery design set.

The Spring of Life design is suitable for a 5 x 7, 6 x 10, 8 x 12 inch or 180mm x 130mm, 240mm x 150mm and 360mm x 200mm hoop.

The Spring of Life design is available in DST, EMB, EXP, HUS, JEF, PES, VIP, VP3 and XXX.

The colour chart and instructions are included in the design set

As I am now digitizing with Wilcom embroidery software (which is a commercial software) we are unable to convert files to ART format. Bernina embroidery machines will now need to purchase designs in EMB or EXP format. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 View the Spring of Life Machine Embroidery Designs

 

 

Wild and Free Machine Embroidery Designs

 

Wild and Free Machine Embroidery Designs

 Released on the 2nd February 2019

6 designs included in the Wild and Free machine embroidery design set.

The Wild and Free design is suitable for a 6 x 10 inch or 240mm x 150mm hoop.

The Wild and Free design is available in DST, EMB, EXP, HUS, JEF, PES, VIP, VP3 and XXX.

The colour chart and instructions are included in the design set

As I am now digitizing with Wilcom embroidery software (which is a commercial software) we are unable to convert files to ART format. Bernina embroidery machines will now need to purchase designs in EMB or EXP format. Sorry for the inconvenience.

 View the Wild and Free Machine Embroidery Designs