Modern points of sale of clothes are striking in their diversity, the counters are clogged with clothes from a wide variety of materials, both natural and artificial. But the main position, as before, is occupied by silk, used to produce different things. This fact is primarily due to the unique properties of the material.
Silk fabric does not stretch or sit. The surface has a pleasant sheen, which, when exposed to sunlight, shimmers in different shades and attracts the attention of others. During the washing process, the material absorbs a large amount of water (almost half of its own weight), but this does not prevent it from drying out quickly. A particularly valuable property of silk is strength. Thanks to all these properties, silk has earned the love of many consumers.
Silk has a significant minus - the price. Many people cannot afford expensive silk fabric, but they managed to cope with it thanks to technological progress, as a result of which products made of artificial material began to appear on store shelves. This fabric is also popular with buyers, although it does not possess such properties as natural.
What is silk material made of?
Silk fabric is woven from natural, synthetic, as well as artificial threads. The last two variations can be safely attributed to one group - chemical. Artificial matter is made from cellulose with chemical impurities, it has several excellent characteristics and affordable cost.
Natural material consists of thin hairs, which include wax, fat and proteins. Silk fiber is created from fibroin proteins and sericin, an adhesive substance. Dyeing and mineral elements are part of the fibers. Natural material, like Chinese silk, belongs to the category of expensive elite fabrics with a large list of positive qualities that its synthetic analogues do not have, namely:
- Increased hygroscopicity. The ability to absorb large amounts of moisture, but dry quickly.
- Hypoallergenicity. The material does not absorb dust, is not electrified, suitable for people with allergies, prevents the spread of germs and mask unpleasant odors.
- Good thermoregulation. In clothes made of silk, a person maintains optimal body temperature in any weather.
- Breathability and vapor permeability. Despite the fact that products made from natural silk fabric have a high density, natural fibers perfectly pass water vapor and air. This provides the best conditions for the functioning of the human body.
- Wear resistance and durability. Silk fabric has a long service life without losing quality. It is resistant even to acetic acid and alcohol. Only concentrated alkaline solution or acid can damage the silk, as well as constant exposure to the sun.
- Fire resistance. To say that natural silk does not burn, of course, is impossible, but when a spark gets on the fabric, it does not light up, but begins to smolder, spreading the smell of singed feathers around.
The benefits of faux fabric
It has been scientifically established that the chemical composition of high-quality fibers has a beneficial effect on the human body. Consider the properties of silk fabric:
- Relieves joint disease.
- It has a positive effect on heart and skin diseases.
- Helps with viral and colds.
- Promotes the process of cellular renewal, thereby prolonging the life of a person.
- Rayon soothes skin irritations and relieves dryness.
Silk material is perfectly draped, which means it is ideal for sewing dresses and curtains. The folds are smooth, and the products are light and airy.
The next advantage of silk is its permanent color. Clothing made of this fabric does not fade during washing and does not stain. Products can be dried in the sun without fear that it will burn out. But, in spite of the foregoing, it should be remembered that the care of silk products should be selected in accordance with its weaving and appearance (we will talk about them below).
Artificial material disadvantages
Despite the large number of advantages, artificial material has its disadvantages:
- The main disadvantages include its ability to accumulate electricity. This property gives consumers great inconvenience when wearing, because at the most inopportune moment a dress or skirt can stick to the body. But the problem is solved quite simply - you need to use a special tool, antistatic. Natural material has no such problem.
- It is difficult to work with fabric. Artificial silk is well cut and ironed, but the edges of the product are very showered. Therefore, many novice craftswomen do not risk taking him to work. In addition, the fabric exhibits increased glide; accordingly, cutting parts is also not easy.
- You can work with silk cloth exclusively with special needles (they are very thin). If the needle is incorrectly selected, cut holes will remain in the stitching points.
- Rayon keeps stains on clothing. Unlike natural material, masking spots and odors, here, if a person sweats, spots will remain. It can be difficult to wash them, stains remain on things even when clean water gets in. In the process of ironing, it is also impossible to wet the fabric, as traces will remain, and the thing will have to be washed.
Types of silk fabrics
In the manufacture of silk fabrics, various weaving methods are used. The most popular are:
- Satin.
- Twill.
- Linen.
- Shallow.
- Coarse.
The main difference of all these types is the beautiful shine inherent in silk.
The composition of the fibers of the canvas is divided into the presence of threads:
- Natural.
- Unnatural.
- Synthetic.
- Blended.
Interesting. The composition of natural and synthetic fibers does not always apply to mixed materials. The canvas may include exclusively natural fibers, but of different origin. For example, in recent years, for the tailoring of suits and dresses, materials are often used in which wool and silk fibers are mixed in different proportions.
These categories, in turn, are subject to invoice division:
- Crepe
- Jacquard.
- Satin
- Pile.
And then there is a division into subgroups for the appointment of tissues:
- A certain direction.
- Piece (for sewing napkins, tablecloths and bedspreads).
- Industrial.
- Jackets and raincoat fabric.
- Decorative.
- For textile haberdashery.
- Lining fabric.
- Shorter.
- Dress and costume.
- Dress and blouse.
Crepe Matter
The crepe type of silk includes canvases that were made using the right or left crepe twist at the base or with the help of a weft. This technique allows you to make the material rough, fine-grained with a moving structure. It drapes well, stretches and has good elasticity. Two types of weaving are used in this technique, depending on what is required at the output - crepe or fully crepe.
The most common types of crepe materials include:
- Crepe chiffon is a translucent, lightweight silk fabric consisting of a double or triple thread of crepe.
- Georgette crepe is an elegant silk fabric, not as transparent as the previous representative of crepe fabrics, moreover, it is more shiny, and consists of three and four threads.
- Crepe-corrugation is a thin silk fabric that is derived from crepe de Chine or crepe georgette. A distinctive feature of this material, as the name suggests, is the “crushed” surface, which is obtained by using weft threads with different crepe twists.
Half-crepe matter
This variety, first of all, includes crepe de chine and light silk. Semi-crepe fabrics are based on silk metaxa raw materials, which adds glossy appeal to the material, and due to the use of linen weaving technology, the fabric structure is well draped, acquires stability and elasticity. Products made from crepe de chine practically do not crease, respectively, are very practical to wear.
The following representatives of semi-crepe materials are crepe satin and crepe satin. The description of silk fabrics can be expressed in this way: they have a rather dense texture, heavy, outwardly almost no different from each other. The front side of the crepe satin and satin is smooth, and the underside is fine-grained. By production, satin twist with crepe torsion of weft threads is used. Satin crepe and satin crepe is used for the manufacture of almost any product: daily clothes, evening dresses, vestments for sleeping and relaxing, curtains, walkways, covers and more.
Semi-crepe rep fabrics include crepe-marquin with pronounced twisting of the thread at the base. Such fabrics are practical, durable, very resistant to wear, have a rough and embossed texture. Business suits, casual and formal dresses are sewn from crepe marquenes.
Another representative of rep weaving is faydeshin (a variation of crepe de chine). This material has a rather dense specific structure, due to which the transverse scar is weakly expressed on the front side of the fabric. This fabric is used for sewing clothes, in exceptional cases curtains.
Satin matter
Satin silk fabrics vary in fiber composition into the following types:
- Viscose base with acetate duck.
- Acetate base with viscose duck.
- With a viscose base with a triacetate duck.
- With a base of triacetate with a viscose duck.
The entire silk satin subgroup is bound by the same properties, such as a completely smoothed canvas surface and average density. The material is produced using linen, twill, satin or fine-grained technology of twisting from metaxa of a weakened gentle twist, which does not give a crepe effect. Satin fabrics are visually similar to cotton representatives, but they are softer and more shiny.
Silk satin subgroups include:
- Satin / Satin / Wet Silk. These are iridescent silk canvases of satin twist, smooth and glossy on the front side and matte from the inside. These fabrics are perfectly draped.
- Silk canvas. A medium-density material with a delicate sheen and the lowest degree of transparency. By external signs, the material is similar to a staple canvas, but practically does not crease.
- Muslin fabric. Thin, not quite transparent silk fabric with overflows of medium muslin torsion threads. The canvas has an attractive appearance, but there is also a minus - the divergence of the threads.
- Chiffon. Thin and airy material. It can be monophonic, and silk fabric with patterns is also found. Most often used for the manufacture of shirts and dresses.
- Tual, full. Both canvases are made by plain twisting, characterized by airiness and ductility. Fular is a lighter material.
Wet silk can be divided into several types:
- Dupont.
- Charmeuse.
- Fi.
All these fabrics have varying degrees of density and gloss. They are used for sewing dresses for evening out and exclusive bedding.
Jacquard fabric
The canvases belonging to this group are distinguished by high decorativeness. Jacquard weaving due to a variety of color overflows from light to dark tones gives volume to the canvas. And the luster inherent in iridescent silk fabric with a pattern visually provides a metallic effect to the surface. A variety of patterns can be found on jacquard canvases: floral, multicolor, geometric or two-color. To emphasize the relief and textured contrasts, additional blotches are used.
In the jacquard subgroup, the collection of fabrics is not very diverse. The main raw material for their manufacture is acetate and triacetate fiber. Jacquard fabrics have a high density and are quite hard to the touch, an important advantage of this material is that it is not whimsical to care for. Scope - tailoring of everyday and elegant clothes, costumes for the stage and home textiles.
Pile materials
This group of fabrics has a high degree of decorativeness and elegance. It is quite difficult to work with pile cloths, therefore, sewing products is carried out only by professional craftsmen with the skills to cut patterns, process seams and others.
The materials belonging to this subgroup are distinguished by the fact that they have a dense pile fastening, an ideal and expressive pattern.
Pile fabrics include:
- Velvet for tailoring dresses. Canvases with a solid, fairly dense pile and a stable vertical arrangement. Most often, this material is produced in a single color, but in rare cases, printed patterns can be found.
- Velor velvet. Dense material with a smooth, slightly inclined viscose pile, up to 2 mm high. This fabric is much more weighty than that used for sewing dresses.
- Etched velor velvet. Viscose fleece is not located in a continuous canvas, but only in separate areas provided by the drawing.
Differences of natural material from analogues of artificial and synthetic origin
It is quite difficult to distinguish natural fabrics from an artificial analogue, which can not be said about synthetic fabrics that do not exist in nature, but are extremely difficult chemical compounds. When choosing products from silk or material, it remains to rely on personal feelings that can fail or arrange a burning test (which the seller is unlikely to allow). How to distinguish materials?
In order to understand what is in front of you, you need to pay attention to the following features:
- Synthetic materials are a little tougher, strongly electrified, do not sit down and do not absorb moisture. Outwardly, synthetics have tints, the brilliance of which is much brighter than that of natural silk. When burning, the threads melt, the process is accompanied by the smell of burnt plastic.
- Rayon is less flexible and very creased. According to the second criterion, it is very easy to determine what material is in front of you, for this it is enough to squeeze the product in a fist and hold it for a few seconds, after that you need to smooth it and evaluate the result. Clear pulps remain on the cellulose webs that have undergone the mercerization process to produce natural radiance. In addition, rayon can be checked by setting the thread on fire. It will light up like a paper with a characteristic odor.
- Natural Chinese silk is very smooth and pleasant to the touch, when applying material to the hand, it seems to “drain” from it. When in contact with the skin, silk does not cause discomfort, quickly taking body temperature and forming the effect of a second skin. This property is explained by the fact that natural filaments are a protein product of the insect's vital activity, therefore they are not rejected by skin receptors. If natural silk is set on fire, it does not burn, but smolders, releasing in the process the smell of burnt hair or wool. After burning, there remains a clotted lump, which can be easily rubbed with your fingers.