10 Most Used Types of Silk Fabrics

Types Of Silk With Pictures:

Knowing all the types of fabrics and their uses is a help, but there are only a few materials that are frequently used. Having a good grasp of the frequently used fabrics and their properties will add much more to the garment.  Here are the different types of silk fabrics for better use in garment making.

Why Silk?

Silk is a soft, lustrous fabric adding beauty to the garment. There are numerous benefits compared to any other man-made replicas of silk.

Silk Properties

  • Silk is the most hypoallergenic of all fabrics because of its natural protein structure.
  • An all-climate fabric.
  • Silk is highly absorbent and dries quickly.
  • Silk is robust, in spite of its delicate appearance and its smooth surface resists soil and odors well.
  • It is the strongest natural fiber and can easily compete with steel yarn in tensile strength.
  • Silk takes color well, washes easily, and is easy to work with in spinning, weaving, knitting, and sewing
  • It blends well with other animal and vegetable fibers.

So, it is important to know the types of silk fabrics and we’re going to look into it.

Types Of Silk fabrics With Pictures:

Here are the types of silk fabrics with names and pictures. These are the most used types of silk fabric for clothing.

Crepe Silk back satin:

It is a satin weave silk with a crepe back with the warp threads cross over three or more of the backing threads. This is a reversible fabric.

Types of Silk Fabrics- Silk Satin Crepe Back

Properties:

  • Medium weight
  • Natural elasticity
  • Soft draping
  • Clinging quality
  • Shiny front satin weave and dull back crepe weave
  • Luxurious silky flowy
  • Biased cut stretch

Uses:

  • Formal Wear
  • Formal dressmaking projects such as bridal gowns, bridesmaid dresses, prom dresses, evening gowns
  • Home furnishings such as table runners, bed drapes
  • Venue Dressing

Charmeuse:

This is also a satin weave like crepe back satin except that it is lightweight. Charmeuse is irreversible, unlike crepe back satin. It has the warp threads cross over four or more of the backing (weft) threads. Check out some lightweight fabrics for summers.

Types of Silk Fabrics- Silk Charmeuse

Properties:

  • Lightweight
  • Very Soft
  • Lustrous Sheen
  • Shiny front and dull backside
  • Bias cut liquidy effect

Uses:

  • Blouses
  • Evening gowns
  • Dresses
  • Loungewear, lingerie
  • High-quality linings

Silk Organza:

Silk Organza is a sheer, thin open-weave fabric. It is similar to cotton organdy except it is made with silk and is transparent. Organza has a crisp drape, which requires special sewing techniques for seams, facings, and hems because they will be visible from the outside of the garment.

Types of Silk Fabrics - Silk Organza

Properties:

  • Heavier and crisper than silk gauze
  • Smooth flat finish
  • Transparent
  • Strong
  • Durable
  • Crisp drape
  • Luxurious
  • Stiff with tightly twisted yarn

Uses:

  • Drape ball gowns
  • Cocktail dresses
  • Interfacing, veils, and undergowns
  • Base fabric for embellished fabrics

Sheer Chiffon(“rag” in French):

A very light, diaphanous fabric, Chiffon is made with a loose, plain weave and tightly twisted single crêpe yarns in both warp and weft. Chiffon is softer and thinner than Georgette.  Because of its slippery quality, chiffon is difficult to cut and sew.

Types of Silk Fabrics - Sheer Chiffon

Properties:

  • Very light and thin
  • Limp drape
  • Soft and supple
  • Sheer
  • Slightly rough
  • Very delicate
  • Gives floaty effect
  • Silkier

Uses:

  • Special occasion dresses
  • Scarves
  • Nightgowns
  • Linings

Silk georgette:

A plain weave crepe fabric with two highly twisted S and two highly twisted Z yarns alternately in both warp and weft. It is similar to silk crepe but is not as soft or lustrous as the crepe. Chiffon and Georgette are the daily used among all the types of silk fabrics.

Types of Silk Fabrics - Silk Georgette

Properties:

  • Heavier than chiffon
  • Strong
  • Grainy texture
  • Durable but Snags easily
  • Lightweight and thin
  • Falls into soft ripples
  • Drapes very fluidly
  • Relatively difficult to sew
  • Doesn’t show pin marks, and doesn’t hold a crease

Uses:

  • Blouses
  • Bias-cut flared skirts
  • Evening wear
  • Dresses
  • Scarves

Duchess satin:

It is a soft silk with fine cross ribs and looks like Charmeuse. Also called polyvoltine.

Types of Silk Fabrics - Duchess Satin

Properties:

  • Very heavy
  • Stiff satin
  • Expensive
  • Medium weight fabric with satin finish
  • Sews easily but pins and needles leave marks

Uses:

  • Elegant mermaid wedding gowns
  • Evening wear
  • Bridal gowns
  • Elegant dresses

Zibeline:

This is 100% silk with a twill weave. Good for structured garments. It has a long nap which is usually made from wool and is sometimes combined with Angora or Alpaca fibres.

Types of Silk Fabrics - Silk Zibeline

Properties:

  • Thick and soft
  • Sturdy silk
  • Heavyweight
  • Warm
  • Lustrous
  • Holds shape

Uses:

  • Skirts
  • Dresses
  • Wedding dresses
  • Coats, jackets, suits

contour fabrication. Pleated draping

Takara(Treasure silk):

The silkworms fed on mulberry-leaves become silkworm cocoons, then become silk yarn threads and fabric after delicately spun and weaved.

Types of Silk Fabrics - Takara silk

Properties:

  • Noise
  • Crisp fabric

Uses:

  • Cocktail evening gowns

Habutai:

Habutai is a plain weave of silk, originally handwoven of single warp yarns and filling yarns of hand-reeled silk, which made it slightly irregular. This silk is the “hand” or touches that many people identify as silk.

Types of Silk Fabrics - Habutai silk

Properties:

  • Lightweight satin
  • Graceful drape
  • Slightly transparent
  • Lesser wrinkles
  • Lustrous
  • Natural in colour, sheer and ivory
  • Relatively easy to sew and doesn’t show pins marks

Uses:

  • Lingerie
  • Dresses
  • Blouses
  • Light jackets

Silk jerseys:

Silk Jersey is a knit two-way stretch fabric. The edges of the fabric are finished with an overlock stitch to prevent fraying. Tucks and cowls are great in this fabric as it casts dark shadows that dramatically offset the lustrous nature of the silk jersey.

Types of Silk Fabrics - Silk Jerseys

Properties:

  • Silky soft
  • Luxe drape
  • High lustre
  • Stretch
  • Twists, two-way stretch
  • Expensive

Uses:

  • Evening wear
  • Goddess gowns
  • Dresses
  • Skirts
  • Tops
  • Scarves
  • Swim cover-ups
  • Pyjamas

These are the 10 most used types of silk fabrics each used for specific purposes, giving the garments their look.

What are silk fabrics examples?

Fabrics that are often made from silk include charmeuse, habutai, chiffon, taffeta, crêpe de chine, dupioni, noil, tussah, and shantung, among others.

What is thin silk fabric called?

Chiffon – this ultra-lightweight plain-weave silk fabric is made from tightly twisted fibres and drapes well. It’s semi-transparent or sheer, and has a little bit of stretch and a slightly rough feel, though it’s smoother and more lustrous than georgette.

Which silk is highest quality?

Mulberry Silk Mulberry Silk The highest quality silk available comes from silkworms produced from the Bombyx mori moth. They’re fed an exclusive diet of mulberry leaves, which is why the luxurious fabric is known as mulberry silk.

What is Coan silk?

Coan silk is made from the Pachypasa Atus. The larvae of this worm can be found in Mediterranean areas such as Greece, Turkey, and Italy. The worms spin white cocoons that are then treated to make raw silk. Coan silk has been used throughout history and was worn by dignitaries during ancient times.

What is the four types of silk?

In short, there are four types of natural silk produced around the world: Mulberry silk, Eri silk, Tasar silk and Muga silk.

What kind of silk is washable?

Washable silk fabrics include the following: Crepe de Chine, Charmeuse, Broadcloth, Habotai, and Sueded Silks.

What are the three grades of silk?

There are three main grades of silk, categorized as A, B, and C.

Which is the softest silk?

Soft and lightweight, Habotai silk is a kind of smooth fabric and has a beautiful drape and smooth surface.

What is Noil silk fabric?

Silk noil is made from the the short fibres that are left over after combing and spinning the long silk threads from the silk worm cocoons. Traditionally a waste product from the silk manufacturing process, these short fibres are what give silk noil it’s distinctive surface texture.

Is all silk mulberry silk?

The Type of Silk in your Silk Pillowcase. Look for a silk pillowcase made from 100% pure mulberry silk. Mulberry silk comes from the Bombyx mori silkworm, a species whose diet consists exclusively of leaves from the Mulberry tree.

What is organza silk?

Organza is a thin, plain weave, sheer fabric traditionally made from silk. Silk organza is woven by a number of mills along the Yangtze River and in the province of Zhejiang in China. A coarser silk organza is woven in the Bangalore area of India. Deluxe silk organzas are woven in France and Italy.

What is Italian silk?

Italian silk is a high-quality material with a superior level of craftsmanship. It’s made in Italy, which is regarded as one of the world’s leading producers of high-end textiles.

What is the most expensive silk fabric?

Mulberry silk is the finest and soft silk which is the most expensive silk fabric in the world! Even Cashmere silk and vucana silk are famous for their quality. Fur: This is the oldest fabric worn since ages.

What is the difference between silk and mulberry silk?

The unique thing about Mulberry silk is how it is produced. … Pure white in color and made up of individual long fibers, Mulberry silk is more refined than other types of silk. Other types of silks such as wild silk or Habotai silk are less uniform in color and texture, with shorter strands.

What is ahimsa silk?

Ahimsa Silk, also known as peace silk, cruelty-free silk and non-violent silk, refers to any type of silk that is produced without harming or killing the silk worms.

What is non mulberry silk?

Non-mulberry sericulture is universally known as forest or wild seri- culture. Tropical and temperature tasar,eri,muga and anaphe are the principle non-mulberry silks. Other varieties i.e. fagara, coan,mussel and spider silks are limited interest, Nearly 95% of the global production of non-mulberry silks is tasar.

Is moth silk a type of silk?

Bombyx mori, the domestic silk moth, is an insect from the moth family Bombycidae. It is the closest relative of Bombyx mandarina, the wild silk moth. The silkworm is the larva or caterpillar of a silk moth. It is an economically important insect, being a primary producer of silk.

What are two types of silk?

Furthermore, silk formations are of two types – natural and artificial silk. Basically, natural silk is obtained from the cocoons of silkworms. Such silk is made up of protein. On the other hand, artificial silk is made up of wood pulp, such as rayon.

What type of silk is Mulberry?

Generally speaking, the term Mulberry Silk is inspired by the local farmers who decided to exclusively use Mulberry leaves as a diet for their silkworms. Nowadays what we call Mulberry Silk, is Silk that comes from the Bombyx Mori or Bombyx Indica, having Mulberry leaves as their only food.

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