1.How to Order from Thai Silk Magic?
2. Is My Personal Information Safe with Thai Silk Magic?
4. What are the Measurements of Our Thai Silk?
5. What is the Difference between Machine Woven and Hand Woven Thai Silk?
6. How much Thai Silk will I Need?
7. How long will I have to Wait for My Thai Silk?
8. How Do I know My Thai Silk is Genuine?
9. Does Thai Silk Magic provide a Catalogue?
10. What is the Minimum Order Size?
11. I've never Imported Anything Before. Is there anything Special I need to Do?
12. Does Thai Silk Magic provide Guarantees for their Products?
13. What is Ply? What is 2-Ply or 3-Ply?
14. What is Mudmee or Ikat Thai Silk Patterns?
17. What is the Best Way to Care for My Thai Silk?
1. How to Order from Thai Silk Magic?
Here are your step-by-step instructions to make your shopping experience with us as easy and enjoyable as possible.
(a) Click anywhere on the image of one of our products.
This will enable you to see a full product description plus price, availability and current stock levels. Please take particular note of the “current stock levels” as at any time we will have limited yet exclusive supplies of all products. The reason for this is that all our products are handmade and each piece is completely original and can never be replicated.
Please Note: We are delighted to help you in any way we can. If you are still not sure if the particular product is exactly what you want then click the "Need Some Help with Your Selection" link that you will find in each product description or use the Selection Help menu tab.
Fabric Samples
We will send out samples of our fabrics on request but please understand that by the time you receive them we may well be out of stock for a particular colour. However, you will be able to see and feel the outstanding quality and textures of our weaving.
Check our website for a particular fabric's availability. Remember your satisfaction is our highest priority and all orders of our handmade Thai silk have LIFETIME GUARANTEES.
All our processes are handmade, our dyes 100% natural and our supplies are "exclusively limited" at any time. So it’s impossible to re-create any additional supplies of any particular product. We are not a factory outlet and we pride ourselves on creating the highest quality handmade items.
This is also the great charm of our product range as every piece we create is a unique work of art by our wonderful weavers.
Currency Conversion
You can select from a range of currencies in our currency converter. Just click the currency type you want and all products will automatically change to your chosen currency. However, all payments wil be processed in US$
Our Product Images
Whilst we have done everything we could to present our products in the most realistic way, our computer images will show differently on different computers. The pixel quality can vary widely but to assist you we have installed a “mouse over zoom” effect on the product page. Just roll your computer mouse over the image to get a much closer look at the product.
(b) If you decide to purchase the product just input the quantity required and click the Add to Cart button.
(c) This will show you your shopping cart where you can check your order and adjust it by clicking the Quantity/Update button. You can also continue to shop by clicking the Continue Shopping link.
Our online store is designed to give you total control and flexibility.
You will be presented with similar products to consider, you can click a link and ask questions about any particular product and you can even check out what other people think by clicking the product customer reviews button.
Please Use Your "Ask a Question" Link ?
You are very welcome to contact us via the ? link located directly under the product image about any of our products. You can use this link even if you wish to know more about Thai Silk Magic, our village or even Thailand. Your inquiries will always be so very welcome and we ALWAYS respond as quickly as we can to every inquiry - usually within 24 hours.
Please Note: For your interest see what our customers are saying about us here:
(d) Your final step is to simply click the Checkout link
Here you will be presented with 2 options:
- Sign-In for New Customer OR
- Sign-in for Registered or Returning Customer
If you are a first time (new) customer of Thai Silk Magic please do us the courtesy of registering an account with us to enable us to look after you.
Please Note: Preferential Patron Members
"Preferred Patron Members" are those very kind folks who joined our site even before our store went online. Even if you are a Preferential Patron member we ask that you complete these simple details including the creation of a password for yourself the first time you shop with us.
This will also allow you to check out faster and enable you to track the status of your order and much, much more.
Once you have entered your details you will be taken to the checkout and payments stage. You have the option to decide where you want your order to be shipped to.
(e) This takes you to your order confirmation page.
Please Note: If you are a Returning Customer, we warmly welcome you back. Simply sign in at the checkout stage with your previously logged details
Our Heartfelt Thank You
Our village thanks you from the bottom of our hearts for your kind patronage. We treasure and value everyone purchases from us as that is the ONLY was we can achieve our KEY MISSION of improving our village lifestyles.
2. Is My Personal Information Safe with Thai Silk Magic?
Your privacy is very important to us and we have designed our policy to ensure you are fully protected. For full details please refer to Our Privacy Policy
Thai silk yarn usually has a relatively coarse texture, is soft and has uneven, slightly knotty threads. This is what makes it perfect for hand weaving and if you take proper care (see FAQ 15 and our web page How to Take Care of your Thai Silk Fabrics?) it will last you many generations – in fact they can easily become family heirlooms.
Please use this link if you would like to know more about silk yarn. And if you want to know how we create our Thai silk fabrics, scarves and products as well as the unique characteristics of Thai silk then you are warmly invited to visit our What is Thai Silk Fabric web page.
4. What are the Measurements of Our Thai Silk?
As all our products are handmade please understand that our measurements will vary a little.
However, in general our Thai silk fabric is approximately 100cm or 39" in width. Lengths of our fabric will vary according to availability but this will be clearly shown in our online store.
Our current supply of Thai silk scarves varies from 30cm-70cm (12"- 28") in width and from 150-200cm (59" – 79") in length.
Please Note: All our future scarf creations will be 40cm – 50cm (16" – 20") in width and 150cm or 200cm (59" – 78.7") in length.
To be honest our first selection of Thai silk scarves were so much fun to create and we didn't consider any standard measurements – hence the wide variety in our initial stock supply
5. What is the Difference between Machine Woven and Hand Woven Thai Silk?
Most machine made Thai silk can look "almost perfect" and has a more consistent weave. Quite often machine woven Thai silk comes in lengths of thousands of meters.
However, every single piece of our hand woven (handmade) Thai silk is a timeless, unique work of craft created by our wonderful team of Thai Silk Weavers.
Every piece we create has the character, thoughts and feelings our weavers at the time it was being created.
So many times we see our weavers express themselves and their inner most spirits in their weaving and any "imperfections" are the real beauty and distinguishing features of these fabulous fabrics.
As our Thai silk is not only ALL handmade AND 100% naturally dyed, no piece can ever be replicated. So if you are ordering fabric (say for a table covering) and are thinking you may want more of the same fabric in the future (say for placemats) then we strongly advise you order a few extra meters with your current order.
There are so many benefits of selecting handmade products and for more information please check out our 8 Superb Reasons to Give Handmade Gifts
6. How Much Thai Silk will I Need?
A normal order is usually about 4 meters (4.3 yards) of silk as a woman's short-sleeve blouse and a knee length skirt requires about this length
However, people come in all shapes and sizes. Please check your design specifications with your tailor, seamstress or interior designer about the length of material required for your own specific needs.
Sorry but we do not provide these professional services.
We are only a small village of enthusiastic silk weavers and not a big factory outlet.
As a guideline the following are approximate lengths of our Thai silk fabric required for clothing:
Short sleeve blouse: 2 meters / 78.7" / 2.2 yards
Knee length skirt: 1.5 meters / 59" / 1.6 yards
Long sleeve blouse: 2.5 meters / 98.4" / 2.7 yards
Calf length skirt: 2 meters / 78.7" / 2.2 yards
Sleeveless knee length dress: 2 meters /78.7" / 2.2 yards
Sleeveless full length dress: 2.5 meters / 98.4" / 2.7 yards
Combination Outfit of long sleeve blouse and calf length skirt: 4.66 meters / 184" / 5.1 yards
Combination outfit of short-sleeved blouse and knee length skirt: 3.7 meters / 146" / 4 yards
Men's short sleeve shirt medium size: 2.5 meters / 98.4" / 2.7 yards
Men's long sleeve shirt medium size: 3 meters / 118" / 3.3 yards
7. How long will I Have to Wait for My Thai Silk?
If the products you order are available then it is our policy to ship them to you within 2 days of receiving your order. Please allow approximately 10 - 14 days for your order to be delivered to you via Thai registered post.
Please see our "Shipping Policy" tab for more details
8. How Do I know My Thai silk is Genuine?
The vast popularity of Thai silk has attracted it's share of imitation fabrics.
In order to ensure that you have the REAL THINGwe have provided 6 simple ways to help you identify the genuine Thai silk article.
In addition we can also give you 5 great shopping tips for genuine Thai silk.
We hope both of these links provide you with the knowledge and confidence to fully enjoy your shopping experiences with Thai Silk Magic.
9. Does Thai Silk Magic provide a Catalogue?
The quick answer is no. As we are 100% online this gives us the ability to keep our overheads as low as possible so we can maximize the potential profits we can share with our village. Please look at Our Key Mission.
As all our products being handmade they will always be in limited supply but we constantly up-date our online store re the availability of our products plus an indication of what's coming soon. Therefore a printed catalogue would be out-of-date as soon as it came of the press!
10. What is the Minimum Order Size?
We do not have any minimum order size and since you are buying DIRECT from our village, our prices for our unique handmade products are the same as if you visited Thailand and then came all the way to our village - we are only 600 km from Bangkok!
We do not charge more for smaller quantities ordered as we appreciate the patronage of every single customer.
Please Note: Any order less than US$100 will attract a $15 flat rate delivery fee. See our Shipping Policy for more details.
However, we have maximum order sizes and these are based simply on the amount of available stock of any product we have at the time of ordering.
Please appreciate that at any time we reserve the right to refuse to accept an order based on our on-going marketing experiences.
We are only a small business operation doing our very best to provide our customers with the highest quality unique products we create and by doing so helping to improve the lifestyles of our village.
11. I've never Imported Anything Before. Is there anything Special I Need to Do?
When you order from us your order will be delivered directly to your door just as if you were ordering from someone in your own country.
Please Note: Please make sure you give FULL AND ACCURATE address details in our online store New Customer registration area.
Be sure to reply promptly to any contact or inquiry from the shipping carrier. Sometimes they may need additional information about you or your company in order to clear your package in a timely fashion.
If you require more information please see our detailed and step-by-step Shipping Policy and Returns Policy documents.
12. Does Thai Silk Magic provide Guarantees for Their Products?
Absolutely. If you are not completely happy with your order then we will refund you every penny at any time. You have our LIFETIME SATISFACTION guarantee on every product we sell. For more details about our unique triple level guarantee please see our "Returns Policy"
We pride ourselves on our eco-friendly products that are safe for people of all ages from babies to grandparents.
Thai Silk Magic has a team approach to continuous quality control with the founder, Amnuai Beckenham, doing regular and final inspections of all products being created for our online store.
At Thai silk magic we have done our very best to provide you with the most accurate images of our products but please note that we cannot guarantee that the image colours on your monitor will accurately reflect the true magnificence of our natural dyes.
Thai Silk Magic also provides three different size views of every product on display with the final view (zoom over effect) allowing our product images to be scanned all over by moving your mouse in order to see up close the fabric and patterns.
13. What is Ply? What is 2-Ply or 3-Ply?
In simple terms ply is the number of threads used for the weft when we are hand weaving our Thai silk fabric. More ply means more thickness and to a certain extent, less smoothness.
The weft is the term used to describe the silk being threaded through the alternatively raised warps (lengthwise threads attached to the hand-loom) and our ladies use wooden shuttles to do this. Sometimes it is referred to as the "filling" yarn.
2-ply yarn simply means a yarn plied from 2 strands. All our yarns are hand spun and that is usually the role of our 3 grandmas who enjoy working with the younger weavers and at the same time sharing their vast experiences and knowledge of all aspects of Thai silk fabric creation.
Our weavers usually focus on 2 and 3-ply hand weaving plus Mudmee or Ikat Thai silk patterns (see FAQ 13 for "Mudmee").
To find out more about this surprising process please visit our How is Thai Silk Made web page.
14. What is Mudmee or Ikat Thai Silk Patterns?
Thai Silk Magic is located in the small village of Ban Dong Yang, in far north-eastern Thailand. This region is often referred to as Isaan and one of the most famous Thai silk patterns comes from here.
It is called Mudmee and it involves hand weaving a 'resist dyeing" or "tie-dyed" silk fabrics. Mudmee is sometimes referred to as "Ikat' silk meaning it comes from the Isaan region of Thailand.
At Thai Silk Magic the tie-dyed fabrics are all dyed with natural ingredients and these days that is quite a rarity as most mudmee fabrics available online use chemical dyes. These yarns are used for either or both the warp and weft fibers – but most commonly on the horizontal or weft threads.
Patterns and designs created this way are extremely intricate and the patterns have been closely guarded secrets and handed down through the generations. The magnificent designs and patterns are the very best of traditional Thai silk hand weaving and the creation of these fabrics takes a great deal of skill as well as a very long time.
Usually mudmee fabric is a four metre piece of cloth that is 2 metres of a solid or two-tone colour and two meters of the mudmee pattern.
These mudmee fabrics are highly prized by the people of Thailand. For many years special times like important meetings or social occasions, weddings, funerals or temple ceremonies resulted in no expense being spared in creating and purchasing mudmee Thai silk.
The magnificent quality as well as the complex designs and techniques today make these fabrics highly sort after all around the world.
Dok Pee Gun is a unique Thai silk pattern created by Amnuai, the founder of Thai Silk Magic. These fabrics are usually 3-ply and have intricate patterns woven into the solid (plain) colours of the Thai silk.
These patterns are similar to the famous Si Sa Ket, Dok Gaew fabrics, but they have a lighter weight and a much softer feel.
Dok Pee Gun is an extremely versatile fabric and are perfect for formal, semi-formal and even casual attire.
Please Note: Our Luk Gaew 3-ply fabrics are similar to Dok Pee Gun and both are of the highest quality handmade Thai silk. The Luk Gaew silk fabrics have larger and more easily visible patterns than those of the more subtle Dok Pee Gun.
Only the very best of the master weavers can create these sensational Luk Gaew fabric patterns. Like Dok Pee Gun, they are extremely versatile fabrics and suitable for all types of clothing as well as curtains and drapes. Our Luk Gaew 3-ply fabrics are without doubt some of the finest examples of traditional handmade Thai silk.
We recommend both Dok Pee Gun and Luk Gaew as our top of the line fabric selections.
Thai Silk Magic shot silks have the combination of different colours for the warp and weft. This produces colour-change or iridescent appearance in changing light conditions. These shot silk fabricswill give you a natural shimmering effect and are medium weight with a soft feel.
Thai Silk Magic uses many combinations of fruits, flowers, berries and leaves to create our shot silk colours. Then we mix them with lemongrass (called "takrai" in Thai), eucalyptus oils and other secret ingredients to make sure the colours remain fast.
The hand weaving of the different colours for both the warp (left to right running threads) and weft (horizontal running threads) requires a master touch to ensure the threads are woven to exactly the right tension. This gives the best colour-changes possible with these natural dyes.
Shot silks are ideal for cocktail and evening dresses, neckties and dress shirts. They are versatile as well as glamorous fabrics being suitable for formal, semi-formal and even casual attire.
17. What is the Best Way to Care for My Thai Silk?
The most important thing to remember when taking care of your Thai silk is to remember that Thai silk is a protein fiber very similar to human hair.
Use reputable dry cleaning services if you are unsure of what to do but make sure you never machine wash your fabric unless you purchased your silk fabric from Thai Silk Magic - with our creations you can use a washing machine. That's how durable they are!
If washing at home use a soft alkaline soap (or even a good hair shampoo) but never wash with other fabrics. Lightly brush the fabric to loosen and remove and dirt particles and let it soak for just a few minutes with a gentle soap and a few drops of baby oil to preserve luster and make ironing easier.
Rinse in 2 or 3 changes of clean water to completely remove the soap and then lay the fabric out on a towel – roll it up to absorb any excess water but do not wring the fabric as this could harm the fibers.
Place the Thai silk garment out of direct sunlight and later iron when still damp at cotton temperatures.
If well looked after, your Thai silk fabric will stay beautiful for many years and in fact could last you a lifetime.
We encourage you to see our How to Take Care of Your Thai Silk web page.
