Some products look so interesting, you just have to have them. After it arrives you think, What am I going to do with it?
Stitchers, quilters, mixed media artists and doll makers are all discovering the texture and fun of working with various unspun silk fibres. Use them for texture, hair, clouds, tree trunks and wherever your imagination leads you.
Here are the results of some of our efforts as well as examples from other artists!
Dyed Silk Cocoons
The cocoon is the metamorphosis home of the silkworm. It is spun in one continuous thread almost a mile long.
The cocoons vary in size. Most of them are an oval shape. They can be cut, dyed, painted and sewn.
During a Project Development day, we concentrated on experimenting with our hand-dyed cocoons to share some ideas with you of some of the fun things that can be done with them.
Silk Cocoon Wall Hanging by Therese Deschesne |
Silk Cocoon Ring by Barbara Cohen |
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Napkin Rings by Trish Murrary Dyed silk cocoons, copper wire and glass beads |
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"Key to my Heart" Earrings by Teri Shaw |
Skunk Cabbage by Karen Selk Leaves and petals made from silk hankies and sliver fused with textile medium. Stamen constructed from silk cocoons. |
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Necklace by Karen Selk Dyed silk cocoons and hand carved bone buttons strung on a cord of silk threads |
Bookmark by Teri Shaw Dyed silk cocoon cut into a star and attached to a silk carrier rod |
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Flowers by Karen Selk Silk cocoons have been cut into petals. Top with cocoon centre, bottom with button centre. | ||
Stuffed Olive & Lemon Zest by Sue Earle |
Clown by Sue Earle |
Flower by Sue Earle |
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Silk Butterfly by Karen Selk Body made with silk cocoons and wings with silk fibre fused with textile medium | |
Tassels by Karen Selk The silk cocoons were hand-dyed then the red and blue and gold cocoons were cut open before the beads and silk cords were attached. |
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Dyed Silk Hankies
Hankies are a ten inch equare of silk fibre held together by a "selvedge". They are formed from whole cocoons that have been soaked in warm, soapy water, the pupa removed and gently pulled and stretched as evenly as possible into a gossamer film onto a square form.
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Hanging Hankie Bag I The silk hankies were hand-dyed, fused together using acrylic medium then stitched and embellished with silk threads, beads and buttons. |
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Hanging Hankie Bag II The silk hankies were fused together using acrylic medium then stitched and embellished with silk threads, silk ribbons, stamps, glitter, beads and buttons. |
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Hanging Hankie Bag III The silk hankies were hand-dyed and then fused together along with carrier silk rods using acrylic medium. Then they were stitched and embellished with silk and metallic threads, silk cocoons, beads and buttons. |
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Stamped Card The card is created with a patchwork of hand stamped silk fusion. The envelope is created from a fused hand-dyed hankie. |
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Dyed Silk Throwsters (Degummed)
Thrown silk waste is a by-product of the twisting of filament in the reeled silk industry. There are many different types of thrown silks that have been twisted with low, medium or high twist, depending on their intended use. When things go wrong in the throwing mill, the fibres tangle around the machine, or are otherwise unable to be used for finished yarns, they become throwsters silk. The curly texture of this fibre is a fun way to add texture and colour to your quilting, stitching, needle felting, silk fusion and other fibre arts.
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Hollyhocks The hollyhock flowers were formed with hand-dyed degummed throwsters silk. |
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Silk Fusion Purse by Karen Selk Silk Fusion base embellished with hand-dyed degummed throwsters silk and cut cocoon florettes. |
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The Honey Farm by Karen Selk The honey farm is based on a view in the Fulford valley of the honey farm. It uses a sheet of silk fusion which was embedded with degummed throwsters silk. The piece was then stitched with a whole variety of silk threads. |
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Dyed Silk in Sericin
These are fibres that have escaped during the reeling process. They are straight and wiry with the sericin still in it.
by Karen Selk |
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Dyed Silk Carrier Rods
These slit tubes are the by-product of reeling silk from the cocoon. Rods are 5" – 6" (13 – 15 cm) long when stretched out; there may be some short pieces and partially wound cocoons in the mix. They are wonderfully textural for stitching, silk fusion and any application needing depth. They can be pressed flat or pulled apart to reveal the interesting criss-cross of the fibres.
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Rain by Karen Selk The background is silk fusion made with tussah silk. Carrier silk rods as well as dyed tussah roving have been fused into the top layer of the fusion and further embellished wih metallic threads and beads. |
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Flower by Karen Selk The flower was formed using rods and cocoons both cut into shapes. The leaves are hand-dyed silk cocoons. |
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Dyed Silk Cocoon Strippings
This fibre is the first silk extruded by the silkworm. It looks like slightly disorganized puffs of carded fibre. Use it to add texture to your collage, silk fusion, needle felting and stitching work.
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by Karen Selk |
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These funky silk fibres are available natural and hand-dyed.
→ Dyed Funky Fibres
→ Natural Funky Fibres
→ Funky Fibres Box
See the work of other textile artists in our Silksters Gallery