We have had lots of requests to share a little of our silk making and natural dye techniques. So even though we want to keep our grandmothers' secrets I will give you some general ideas of what is involved to successfully create high quality handmade silk and how we use natural dyes.

It's important to understand that we only use the very highest quality raw silk and some of it comes from our own silk worms. Unfortunately, we do not have the time or capacity to farm all our raw silk requirments so we constantly need to purchase high quality silk - and this is a huge additional cost.

Already this year costs of raw silk in the quality we want, have sky-rocketed by more than 130%. The last purchase we made in June 2011, cost over $83/kilo and if you realise that 1 kilogram of raw silk will only create, for example, about 6 meters of 3 ply fabric, then you have some idea of the impact of these costs. But at Thai Silk Magic we have not increased our prices - well not yet anyway!

Our silk is mulberry silk and our region of Si Sa Ket in Thailand is the home of Thai silkworm industry. The farming of silk worms is called Sericulture and as an important part of Thai history and trade, the sericulture industry is fully supported by the Thai royal Family.

In fact, I was very proud recently to be invited to demonstrate some natural dye processes at a Silk Symposium held at the Queen Sirikit Sericulture Center in Si Sa Ket.

After extracting the threads from the silk cocoons the natural dyeing process begins. Some of the dye colour materials, like the "klarm" wild flowers we use for indigo, must be collected during the monsoon season, after heavy rains, just as the flowers are emerging and before the sun rises. The reason for these requirements is to ensure the flowers are fresh and still moist otherwise the dye colours will not bind properly with the silk threads.

In fact, the seasons as well as the weather and time of day, determine what is available to us at any time. As rainfall and temperatures vary from season to season and year to year, it is often impossible to match perfectly a previous seasons colour - but this just makes it all the more exclusive and special. Sometimes the men of our village help us to collect dye materials as well as mixing them and this can be a very long process (more on this later).

Materials used for our natural dyes apart from wild flowers are special types of mountain grasses (from near the Cambodian border about 30 kms away but these days that is a dangerous place to go with the current political tensions between Thailand and Cambodia); young tree saplings (like the "khea" tree we use for our gold colours or the Siamese Cassia or Jackfruit); tree barks and leaves, selected tree roots (from the Rosella and Siamese Wattle) and wild fruits (like Carambola, Rambutan and Pomegranates).

For colour-fastness we never use chemical mordants like most other silk suppliers. Instead we use a special combination of Lemon Grass, Carambola fruit, Tamarind bark, Eucalyptus bark and leaves and ants! Yes ants but the actual combinations and processes we use are a secret we want to keep and pass on to our next generation. The most important thing is that it really works and we have never had a problem with colour bleaching even after many, many washes.

The dye materials are usually boiled in pure rain water for various periods - up to 5 hours. Quite often this has to be repeated many times, depending on the materials being used and the colours being sought. The temperatures must be keep constant throughout the process. We use specially designed clay pots for our dyeing processes.

Once the dye colours are achieved we then place the silk threads into the mix for 30 minutes to an hour. Then the threads are removed, cleaned in pure cool rain water and hung up to dry in a shady location. Then they are placed back into the dye solution  - this can be as many as 6 or 7 times. When the colour required is achieved the dyed threads are then placed into our natural mordants solution for 30 minutes and then rinsed 2 or 3 more times in rain water to double check the dye colours have fully attached to the silk threads.

The next step is to untangle the dried, naturally dyed silk and this takes a lot of care and time. Even though our thai silk has a tensile strength greater than steel for the same size filament, we must take special care in untangling so as we do not damage the threads in any way. A team of 4 people may take a full day to do this task.

Then the silk is stretched out over about 100 meters to straighten the threads before rolling it up on large spindles ready for spinning. We use PVC piping in the shape of hurldes, to stretch out the silk. However, we cannot do this step of the process if there is any wind at all otherwise the threads will become tangled again. Usually this is done very early in the morning (after sunrise but before breakfast).

Our grandmothers do most of our hand spinning (thank goodness as it's a very time consuming job) and have the spun silk placed on small spindles ready for the hand weaving process.

The next step is to attach the selected threads (yarn) to the frame of the loom. These threads are called "warp" and run lengthwise under tension. Then the long process of attaching the weft threads to the loom - these are the threads that are woven through the warp threads to create the fabric. It will usually take our weavers 2 days to set up their loom ready for weaving but this can be longer, depending on the width, pattern and type of ply being used.

A master hand weaver will be able to create about 2 meters of silk fabric in a 10 hour day. We do not encourage our weavers to rush as we want to maintain high quality rather than high quantity. Of course, all these handmade processes take a lot more time and effort than the large factory produced silk.

However, we do not compete against mass-produced silk suppliers. Our customers love our unique creations. our logo says it all - "Woven By Hand, with love for YOU"  We pride ourselves on the quality and exclusive nature of our fabric patterns and colours that more than likely, we will never be able to replicate.

This is an overview of our handmade Thai silk process and you can easily see it is very time consuming and labour intensive. It is also a "labour of love" as we really do love what we do and are we very proud to be able to carry on the traditions passed down to us by generations of skilled artisans.

What Do You Think?

Have you ever tried using natural dyes? What were your experiences? Did you enjoy it? What natural materials did you use and with what types of fabric?

If there is anything more you would like to know about our natural dye processes then please ask us. Just leave a comment below and I just might let a secret or two out! We enjoy your feedback and so will our readers so please leave a comment and we will definitely talk back with you.

If you enjoyed this post don't forget to use the "Social Sharing" buttons below and help us to spread our message - we really appreciate you doing that. Thank you.

Once in a while you can be lucky enough to discover "diamonds in your own backyard." That's exactly what happened with us a few weeks ago.

We were looking at other possible products we could create from our handmade Thai silk to make available for sale on our village community website. After lots of endless discussions and some really creative suggestions, we came up with the idea of making a range of silk gift items.

Great Ideas But How Can We Do This?

But the question was...what can we make and who will make them?

Well that problem was solved almost immediately as our very well tuned "village telegraph system" got working and to our great surprise, a lovely couple we knew had worked together in Bangkok, came forward with a wonderful surprise.

Our Latest Heroes - Juntar and Somjid

Not only had Juntar and his lovely wife, Somjid, had more than 25 years in the custom made craft industry but they also had awards from both the Thai government as well as regional and local authorities, for the highest quality of handmade craft work.

Juntar and Somjid loved the idea of moving back home from Bangkok as they wanted to bring up their children in a Thai village rather than a big city...so we were all lucky to find each other!

My Fashion Research Experiences

Prior to finalising what our silk gift items would be yours truly went on a "search and almost destroy" mission to find out more about the world of handbags ,neckties etc.

Well what a revelation this was for an Aussie guy with very little fashion sense and even less knowledge of "trends" and "What's Hot right now." Those of you who know me must be really laughing at the thought of me trying to make sense of the fashion world.

I actually ended up in some very active forum discussions where people (who must have had little to do with their time) were heatedly arguing the latest trends and what the differences are between handbags, shoulder bags, tote bags, duffle bags and even purses.

The result of this painfully useless research - we are going to call our items "handbags" - lets keep it simple OK?

Our Silk Gifts Launch...of sorts!

Our wonderful new craftsmen (or craftspeople or whatever the correct term is these days) are now busy creating not only beautiful silk handbags but neckties, cushion covers, sleep pants, boxer shorts and cute little purses.

We launched our first selection of handbags this week with HUGE introductory discounts (maybe way too big actually) and lots of fanfare via press releases (check out this press release for example) and lots of social media mentions.

We really are very proud of the quality work by Juntar and Somjid. Hopefully people will really love these very high quality creations so we can make even more improvements to the village lifestyles we are so passionate about.

Want to see for yourself? Check out our silk handbag page and enjoy your handbag shopping.

But please direct any qustions you may have to Dao..not me as I am still completely "handbag confused and devastated"

How Your Investment Helps Our Village Community

Our Thai village has an average household income of less than $90 per month. There is a severe problem with rural debt and lifestyles are at times primitive.

However, our village folks are proud, work hard and determined to provide a better future for their children.

At Thai Silk Magic we are passionate about helping in any way we can to improve village lifestyles and create better educational opportunities for the children.

When you purchase your Thai silk from us ALL THE PROFITS are shared with our village. Here are some actual examples of the things we do to help our village:

Contribute to the rebuilding of our village school - the story here is that the Government knocked down the old school as it was unsafe and leaked badly when it rained. Then the Government changed their mind and told us that their was no funds left to rebuild.

Students were sent out to other villages and some were taught under the shade of trees in the school yard - not the best educational facilities, especially when the monsoon rains arrived.

So we allocated a major proportion of our early sales revenues to this school rebuilding program that we are proud to say was completed in double-quick time.

Improve fresh rainwater collection systems

Provide uniforms and much needed school supplies to children of the most needy families. We faced a situation in 2009/2010 when we saw tears streaming down the faces of parents as they had to take their children out of school simply because they could not afford the minimal costs involved.

Created our village school's first library

Repaired leaking roofs and power supplies of the homes of our poorest families - many of whom never complained about being completely soaked when it rained and their electrical connections were frail and rarely worked to drive cooling fans and the basic lighting.

Install new cooking, cleaning and washing facilities - we have seen some big changes from the traditional cooking fire to the use of gas and electricity and some of the homes now have washing machines.

Enable families to build safer and more robust homes that will protect them in the monsoon season. We have a long way to go here and just recently when we visited a neighbour my foot went straight through the upstairs floor boards.

Only the most basic building techniques have been used and some of the homes look like animal barns with no windows or glass anywhere.

Set up an educational support fund to assist the further education opportunities of the more needy families. A recent great example was the funding of one of our students to study law at a university about 100 kms away - this was a very proud moment for all of us.

Provide food and basic household supplies to elderly folks that have no land or immediate family support. People without land (often the result of past rural debt problems resulting in the land being reclaimed) have no rice crop which is the basic food staple.

This is a major challenge for us as there is a need to change the way people go about their farm working life. Currently people with land have adequate supplis of rice but there is really no profit to be made from this farming as most of their crop sales go to repay existing loans.

Help with the construction of  safer play areas for children and sponsored children's shows. These shows are great fun and there is more time spent on make-up than the actual performance. But everyone in the village attends and we have shared some very funny experiences. By covering the costs Thai Silk Magic helps in a small way for kids to "live out their stage dreams".

Encouraged, supported and initially stocked a general store in our village - we even have ice cream!

Assisted in the purchase of improved rice farm equipment, especially with the purchase of small multi-purpose tractors. The days of the buffalo doing all the grunt work in ploughing are over but these animals are still kept as revered members of the family.

Educated and helped people to set up their first bank accounts with a focus on saving rather than spending. Amnuai has helped every single weaver to do this as we wanted to make sure their income from their silk weaving was not just spent on things like new motor bikes or better TV sets etc.

Our weavers enjoy our fair-pay principles plus we also pay a bonus. The results so far are that these families are now earning more than double what they did prior to Thai Silk Magic and this will increase as we get more customers to invest in our Thai silk.

Every day we continue to build confidence in the concept that "Thai Silk Magic will help you to help yourself and your family"

A Recent Vistor's Perspective:

A recent visitor to Thai Silk Magic, Elisabeth Prantl, a highly regarded Austrian textile consultant, says it all:

"I discovered Thai Silk Magic and their little village of Ban Dong Yang on my recent country-wide tour of Thailand's textile suppliers. Not only is their handmade silk of the highest quality but I saw for myself just what a positive impact this community project is having on their village.

People were so proud to show me their new kitchen area or their children's new home study area and I was even invited to drive a new tractor - all the result of this community project.

Thai Silk Magic is proud of its early success but there are many challenges ahead in their mission to improve lifestyles. I have not seen this completely unselfish sharing of benefits anywhere else before and I am determined to return to this village to help them in any way I can to achieve their wonderful objectives"

Need Help with Your Selection?

Here are some simple facts about our products that may help your awareness of what Thai Silk Magic can offer you.

We hope by providing this totally frank and accurate description of our products that you will be in a position to make a more informed choice of the products you select from Thai Silk Magic.

We also encourage you to use our "Ask a Question" link about any particular product. Just click the ? under any product image. We will definitely respond to you with 24 hours usually. Thank you. We welcome your custom and our village really appreciates your help and patronage.

Our Fabric Colours - The Real Story

Textures of Our Fabrics

What about the Sheen of Our Fabrics?

Fiber Absorbency of Our Fabrics

What Fabric Should I Buy?

Healthy Silk

Why Choose Our Scarves?

Some Extra Things You Need to Know

The Colours of Our Fabrics

All the fabrics at Thai Silk Magic come directly from our weavers. Our handmade processes and 100% natural dyes mean that our fabrics feature totally natural colours and tones. No finishing or additional weight chemicals have been applied – they are precisely “as is”.

Natural colour dyes and tones include golden yellows, mauves, peach, orange, greens, browns, pinks, reds and of course a range of combinations of these. We also have silk fabric with a range of white and cream colours.

As the seasons and the weather changes so do the range of natural dye colours available even from the same tree, flower or vegetation type. These colours will also vary year-by-year according to climatic and other factors. Even the time of the day when picking the dye material can create colour variations that are impossible to replicate.

This is another real feature of our fabrics and one that completely differentiates us from most other Thai silk providers. You can be certain of one thing with our products - you will never, ever come across anyone else wearing a Thai silk garment with the same colours and tones as yours!

Each fabric piece is totally unique, simple, unpretentious yet refined.

Note: We don't use any chemically enhanced colours or tones so our fabrics do NOT display the artificial, iridescent tones of some other silk fabrics.

Our Fabric Textures:

The feel and texture of our fabrics vary. Our 3-ply Mudmee, Dok Pee Gun, Luk Gaew and plain colour fabrics are slightly heavier yet softer than our 2-ply fabrics.

The grandmothers in the Thai Silk Magic team hand reel all our yarns. They produce fine grades for our more lightweight 2-ply products as well as thicker grade for our heavier 3-ply fabric products.

Note: Our fabrics are NOT the fragile, fine, lingerie style silk so often associated with silk accessories and products.

Thai Silk Magic creates a slightly heavier weight range of products that are soft with a simple natural elegance as well as being very durable. 

We gently and carefully wash and iron your fabric order once before shipping to you.

As Time goes By....

We only wash your order the one time as with more washes our fabrics will become even softer, smoother and more flexible without losing their natural sheen. This is great feature of our natural fabrics and if treated with care will last you a lifetime…or more!

However, if you like to sew, then you know just how fussy silk fabric can be. The edges have this tendency to fray and pull, and some silk fabric will literally crumble at your fingertips if you are not careful. We are also aware that very soft and slippery fabrics are difficult for people work with.

Note: To help we added small amounts of crushed tapioca seeds to make your silk slightly firm. This is easily removed with a careful hand wash.

The upside is that products made from silk have the luxurious feel that you get when you touch it.

With just one wash Thai Silk Magic guarantee that your fabric order will be clean yet very easy to cut, sew and work with. All our fabrics are colour-fast and have the slight imperfections of handmade processes that only add to their uniqueness and beauty.

Sheens:

The natural sheens of our fabrics vary from product to product.

Our 3-ply Dok Pee Gun and Luk Gaew fabrics display the most lustrous sheen and like the 3-ply shot silk fabrics, have one side with slightly more luster than the other. This is the result of the extra yarns used compared to our 2-ply products that display the same luster or natural sheen on each side. 

Note: With Thai Silk Magic products you will NOT see the artificial radiance that can be produced by the use of chemical dyes. Our "shot silk" products will display a natural glow that will shimmer in bright lights and you can be absolutely assured that our eco-friendly products are safe for everyone.

Our "shot silk" products (fabrics and scarves) combine different colours in the warp and weft that create different colour tones as the light changes. This is a traditional and very popular feature of shot silk fabric and scarves.   

Fiber Absorbency:

The cool luxurious feel of certain fabrics against your skin is something that cannot be replicated. More absorbent fibers like our Thai Silk Magic products are more comfortable to wear. They absorb body moisture and humidity. Since they absorb moisture they are less prone to static electricity and will also clean more easily than many other silks. They will keep you cool in warmer weather and warm in cooler times.

What Fabric Should I Buy?

To answer this question keep in mind what you want to use the fabric for.

For clothes you can choose from either our 2-ply or 3-ply fabrics. The 2-ply fabric is lighter and more appropriate for loose-fitting casual clothes but they can also be used to create two-piece outfits for both formal and informal occasions.

In general if you are looking at loose-fitting, casual clothes including knee length skirts, blouses, shirts, scarves, shawls and wraps, robes and pajamas for men or women (guys love the light texture and comfort of silk) or even short sleeved casual suits then your best choice would be our 2-ply fabrics. These fabrics have a lighter weight than 3-ply and are more free-flowing.

For a more formal dress or long sleeve suit, curtains, table covers, place mats, cushion covers, bridal fabrics, lamp shades or wall hangings then make a selection from our 3-ply range including the fabulous Dok Pee Gun, Mudmee and Luk Gaew fabrics. 

If you are selecting silk for a jacket, pants, skirt or blouse then make sure you have the same amount of lining as fabric.

For something completely different try our Mudmee pattern fabrics. These classic traditional Thai fabrics are ideal for a perfectly blended yet different two-piece outfit. They can also be used for skirts, dresses and even make superb wall hangings and lamp shades.

Shot silk is the perfect fabric for your evening gown, dress shirts and even neckties.We have both 2-ply and 3-ply fabrics, depending on what you need.

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 silk fabrics will give you a natural shimmering effect and are medium weight with a soft feel. 

For more information on all of our fabrics see our Frequently Asked Questions segment What Fabric Types? FAQ pages

Note: Thai silk does not like to be exposed to the direct sunlight for long periods. If you are considering our Thai silk fabrics for curtains then make sure you select only our 3-ply plain or Dok Pee Gun fabrics and have ample lining in place.

For Specific Clothing Measurements:

See our FAQ #6 Clothing Guide for more specific information on how much silk fabric you will need for some typical men’s and women’s clothing.

Healthy Silk:

Silk is a breathable and natural fabric that also not only looks good but feels good as well. Silk also has some interesting health attributes.

Silk pajamas aren't just a luxury that feels good, they can actually affect the quality of rest and sleep. Research has shown that what you wear to sleep can actually help to assure that you get a more sound and restful sleep.

According to Max Hirshkowitz, the director of the Sleep Disorders Research Center in Houston Texas, the quality of your sleep is affected by what you wear to sleep.

Mr. Hirshkowitz says that "silk is one fabric that is hard to replace for sleeping". He states that "silk pajamas for both men and women, keeps you far warmer in the wintertime and far cooler in the summer months. In addition, they don't harbor dust mites such as other fabrics may do. They move with the body and slide as you move in your sleep, meaning that you get more rest when you are dressed for bed in silk".

Why Choose our Silk Scarves or Wraps?

Thai Silk Magic weavers have great fun creating our scarves and wraps. Like all our silk fabrics they are created from the highest quality silk and have 100% eco-friendly natural dyes applied to them.

So not only do you get the benefit of the original natural colours and designs created with an environmentally friendly technique, but also a highly practical, versatile and, above all, hard wearing accessory.

Being a product which both avoids the use of precious fossil fuels and is biodegradable, you can wear your stunning accessory with pride, knowing that you have "done your bit" for the environment.

At the same time you can be assured of a simple yet sophisticated and eye-catching look at the same time. What could be better?

Some Extra Things You Need to Know

Silk suits adapt very naturally to almost any weather. They can be worn during summers and even winters. Our silk fabrics are simple, stylish and elegant

For men’s suits colour can make or break your silk suit, so you will have to be very picky. The most common colors of silk preferred by style experts for men are mostly neutral and earth colors, including khaki, beige and brown.

Silk tends to fall naturally and hangs delicately when used as clothing.

This gives silk an appeal over other fabrics that are more stiff and rigid. In addition, our Thai Silk magic fabric will hold its structural integrity and will not rot. Silk is also more heat resistant than many other fabrics, including wool, for example, and is actually rather difficult to burn.

One remarkable property of silk is its high tensile strength and its fibers will not easily be torn or damaged. It is also an elastic material that can be stretched and then will recover to its original size unless stretched beyond 20-25% of its original length.

Silk has the property of being a very flexible material. For example, a genuine Thai silk scarf can readily be pulled through a wedding ring, and it will quickly retake its original shape without a lot of wrinkling. It is light in weight, and it can be easily folded.

Silk can absorb a fairly significant amount of moisture before it feels wet.

Why Buy Organic Baby Gifts?

Organic baby gifts are not just a fashion trend, there are some excellent reasons why many people buy these items. Perhaps you have never looked at exactly what compounds are used inside textile of that fresh brand-new jacket or perhaps sleep-suit you just bought for your new child? 

Your infant's clothes could possibly contain dangerous chemicals and Organic compounds. For example many sleep wear items contain brominated fire retardants that are very hazardous for new babies.

Of course, we should not get things too much out of proportion here as your new child's garments and toys would not be available for sale if they were regarded as really hazardous.

The Impacts of Chemicals on Your Baby

On the other hand we can't overlook the fact that these kinds of chemicals are in existence in many clothes, usually in minute quantities, and the long-term health and well-being outcomes are usually not totally known. There's very good proof that direct exposure to certain chemicals may cause major problems. By way of another example, a fabric that contains Phthalates can have a negative impact on development of the reproductive organs.

Exactly what can we do to limit number of potentially unhealthy chemicals our children are exposed to? Perhaps you can create your very own organic baby gifts by sewing garments at home using toxic free materials. However, not everyone has the time, skills or energy to make their own garments or gifts. A simple solution is next time you are buying a baby gift, is to ensure you purchase 100% natural fabric garments - for all the right reasons you will give organic baby gifts.

What are Organic and Natural Fabrics and Dyes?

Natural textiles are materials that are crafted with absolutely no use of toxins or chemicals in any part of the process. In addition, the negligible use of power means these fabrics are very eco-friendly and no harm to the ecosystem.

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Why Consider Thai Silk Fabric?

A 100% natural fabric like handmade Thai silk, requires all processes including the initial cleaning of the silk, the weaving that is always handmade and the dying methods, contain absolutely no chemicals or toxins. These fabrics can make the perfect organic baby gifts!

In addition, our Thai silk fabric applies no chemical finishers and the colour-fast ingredients must also be totally natural, avoiding the commonly used soda ash. At Thai Silk Magic we actually use a combination of eucalyptus oils, tamarind fruits, shells and ants for our color-fast processes. Organic dyes are derived from trees, plants, vegetables and roots. A remarkably extensive selection of colourfast pigments can be created with these organic silk processes.

Why You Should Seriously Consider Natural and Organic Baby Gifts?

The key concern for the majority mums and dads who purchase organic baby gift fabrics is that they wish to take care of the overall health of their children. Utilizing natural silk textiles and handmade processing practices can reduce remove harmful toxins that your infant can come in contact with and this will also give you greater peace of mind.

Have Peace of Mind

You may even sleep much better knowing your precious little one is completely safe in their 100% natural clothes. They are also environmentally safer as they definitely are not created from nylon or polyester. The two of these usually are made from petrochemicals that are incredibly polluting and contribute to our planets atmospheric problems. The manufacture of nylon discharges nitrus oxide, a really detrimental greenhouse gas! In addition these kinds of products, unlike 100% natural silk, are non-biodegradable, adding to our garbage disposal problems.

What's more, the harvesting associated with many textile crops, such as cotton, can seriously impact on our ecosystem. Cotton requires more pesticide sprays per plant than virtually any other textile crop. In addition to affecting nearby eco-systems and animals, these pesticides can cause the farmer severe illness or even death!

Eco-Friendly Fabrics

Natural and organic silk is handmade and created without using such eco-damaging pesticides, making it more safe for the silk workers and even substantially far more eco-friendly for everyone.

It really is not very complicated to work out the benefits to your precious baby, third-world farmers as well as our planet of buying organic baby gifts.

They're not as highly-priced as you may think and it is also absolutely worth the peace of mind of knowing your precious baby is safe. So the next time you are buying clothes or gifts for your baby or your friend's baby, seriously consider organic baby gifts.

Unique Silk Gifts

Thai Silk Magic has introduced a new range of gift product creations including silk handbags, silk boxer shorts, silk sleep pants, silk neckties and silk purses. All of these superb silk creations would make wonderful unique gifts

Along with our very popular Thai Silk Scarves, these Thai Silk Gifts are hand crafted right here in our village exclusively for Thai Silk Magic customers. Beautifully crafted these silk gifts are available at very affordable prices.

If you are thinking unique, high quality gifts for that special teacher, partner in your life, work associate or for celebrating weddings, graduations or anniversaries - then you must consider OUR HANDMADE SILK GIFTS

Our Thai silk products are completely original handmade pieces of craft art. We never use chemical in any of our processes. All our dye colurs are 100% natural so we can offer you a Eco-friendly and SAFE product for EVERYONE.

Like all Thai Silk Magic's creations, these Unique Silk Gifts are in limited, exclusive supply, so get your original gift for that special person NOW and don't miss this wonderful opportunity.

You are dealing directly with the crafters so you have the chance to get yourself a high quality gift at truly bargain prices.

We look forward to helping you with your unique gifts...and if your order is a minimum of $100 we will deliver to you FREE anywhere in the world.

Thai Silk - The Ultimate Special Birthday Gifts

Birthdays are fun occasions and they are always important to acknowledge but there are times when you want to give something completely different. Something personalised, something really special as a birthday gift!

Show your affection, love and appreciation by selecting special birthday gifts that are personalised and unique. The best way to seek out unique items that are perfect as special birthday gifts is to look for handmade or hand woven products.

Gifts like this are not found in your local department store and your efforts in searching them out will be greatly appreciated.

Why Thai Silk Fabrics?

 
With our innovative Thai silk fabrics you will certainly discover something that will be not only special but truly memorable.

Exotic and eco-friendly our Thai silk fabrics are all hand woven with great pride in our small village and are truly unique works of craft art by our weavers. They make ideal special birthday gifts; and this is the only place in the world where you can find them!

If you are not familiar with our village team,Thai Silk Magic, then you really do have some wonderful surpises in store. Our village not only makes wonderful Thai silk fabrics but we just love making our Thai silk products and have lots of fun doing it. Sure it takes us many hours and days for us to finish our creations but we know our customers will truly appreciate the beauty of our fabric. We want to ensure that every customer is delighted with our products and services.
 

We will be very happy to be providing you with our Thai silk fabrics for your special birthday gifts.

Benefits of Thai Silk Fabrics

Not only are they rare and beautiful; our fabrics are very versatile and can be used for so many purposes for men or women and they are durable – with the right care they will last more than 100 years! Create your own treasured family heirlooms!

Don’t worry about how to use our fabulous Thai silk fabrics. Just talk with your nearby tailor or dressmaker and they will do the rest for you then you will truly impress with your special birthday gifts.

Our Very Special Offer

All of our special birthday gifts fabrics have prices that will make you smile; come with our unique triple level customer guarantee.  

8 Superb Reasons to Give Handmade Gifts

Handmade gifts are different, unique and provide a perfect way to personalize the gift you are giving. Discovering and giving something which is handmade or hand woven and made unique by the craftsperson or artist is a great experience both for the receiver and giver. Thus, giving a gift that you made yourself would truly be rewarding. Similarly, giving a gift proudly crafted by someone else would create the same feelings of appreciation. 

1. Be Different and Unexpected

A great thing about giving handmade gifts is that it is entirely different and could never be anticipated by the receiver. This makes the handmade gift more exciting and memorable. It is very unlikely that you would see the handicraft that you have received in the shelves of popular stores. Handicrafts are made in less volume compared to mass produced gift items which can be found in different states and locations. 

2. Individual and Unique

Handmade crafts have individuality and originality which makes them completely personal. Crafters or those who make handicrafts even encourage customers to make custom orders, like colours, designs, or decorations. Aside from custom orders, the artist who created the crafts, like the weavers from our Thai Silk Magic cooperative, sees to it that they are of high quality as well as being totally unique.

3. High Quality

Not only this, more and more people are showing interest in crafted items. There are craft fairs which showcases the talents of local crafters. There are also craft stores which can carry on with personal or custom orders. In addition to this, local crafters clubs or organizations hold fundraising and other activities that could help them promote crafters and their products.

Another thing which made people think twice about buying craft items in the past was that they were expensive. Although, there would be times when crafts really tend to be expensive you can still find items which do not cost too much. There would be talented craftspeople who are totally competitive with their prices. In order to compete with other crafters, some artists tend to lower their prices to have and maintain clientele. However, for some unique, high quality handmade items one would expect to pay a little more just to be able to have such a special item.

6. Customer Relationships

Another excellent point in purchasing handmade gift items is that quite often there is interaction between the customer and the crafters. To make sure that the customers are happy with their handmade products, crafters build healthy relationship with customers in order for them to deliver or surpass the expected results. A crafter should also welcome criticism and feedback to further improve their handicrafts.

At Thai Silk Magic we appreciate that our customers can only see photographs of our fabrics at our website. As we want to develop good relationships with all our customers we have established a world first customer offer that enables you to actually have your Thai silk fabrics in your hands BEFORE you have to pay for them. We are very proud of our fabrics and as strong relationships of any kind are built on trust our customer offers are based exactly on this principle of trust.

7. 100% Eco-Friendly

There are also many studies and research showing that handmade gifts and crafts are actually more environmental friendly, since they were made by traditional and natural methods. Mass produced items tend to be made in factories that are emitting large amounts of carbon monoxide and also have poor working conditions. We not only use handmade weaving methods at Thai silk Magic but our dyeing processes are 100% natural as well making our fabrics safe for everyone.

8. Durability

Handmade crafts are made in a way that they last for a long time and even transferred from one generation to another. By caring for your unique Thai silk fabrics they will also be extremely durable and can even become family heirlooms.

Handmade gifts used to be perceived as simple but meaningful gifts. But with the increase of people paying attention on handicrafts and personal gifts, their value has increased significantly. It is no longer a gift that you can make when you lack budget or want to showcase your skill. Handicrafts and handmade items are now recognized around the world as high quality gifts with heartfelt meaning.

For some really special handmade gifts please visit our Thai Silk Magic website. Our Thai silk fabrics are exotic, eco-friendly and unique works of art by our village weavers and they are shipped free to you, anywhere in the world. We are happy you took the time to visit our very friendly website and you may also be very pleasantly surprised with our very special customer offers.

What is Organic Silk?

Organic silk is created without the use of any chemicals or treatments using insecticides, pesticides or synthetic additives (often used by some silk suppliers to provide additional softness to their silk fabrics).

Organic silk is most often produced in small villages by indigenous people and is the choice for the purest silk.

It is a highly sustainable crop with cocoons being produced when the silkworms are about 35 days old. Organic Silk is grown in 22 countries all over the world.

Thai Silk Magic is located in our village of Ban Dong Yang which is right in the center of the Thailand silkworm industry.

Versatility of Organic Silk

Organic silk has the versatility to be blended with just about any other fiber. Organic silk has even been successfully and scientifically used in many skin care products to help reducing wrinkles and in hair products to help hair looking glossy.

Untreated, organic silk is not only the highest quality silk you’ll ever wear, it’s also believed to have healing, anti-inflammatory benefits, making it ideal for sensitive skin. This is because silk is naturally hypoallergenic, and is resistant to dust mites and mold. Silk also is a breathable and thermal fiber that helps balance body temperature.

Impacts of Organic Silk Farming

Organic silk farming has far reaching effects by also promoting the sustainability of mulberry trees, which are the silkworms food source Organic Silk Organic silk is incredibly warm and breathable.

We do realize that nature also has chemicals - some very dangerous like arsenic. However, organic silk is a natural product that contains no harmful trace chemicals and will therefore not deteriorate over time. Thai Silk Magic uses no cleaning or dyeing or finishing chemicals and we are proud of our beautifully natural creations.

Even the mordants we use to ensure color-fastness at Thai Silk Magic are created from a secret combination of special lemon grasses, eucalyptus leaves, ants, friuts and the bark from the tamarind tree. And it works brilliantly!

Buying organic products like silk made with organic fibers is a great way to contribute to the eco-friendly consciousness that has risen recently. While being a comparatively healthy and organic natural fiber, silk, like other fibers containing protein chains such as wools and even latex, is an allergen for some people.

Government Regulations - or Lack of It

One of the problems is, however, that there are very few, if any, governmental bodies that regulate whether or not a piece of silk is labeled "certified organic". Silk is a natural fiber but sometimes there are things are done to the fiber that, in some consumer's eyes, make the silk considered non-organic.

Critical Impact of Dyes

The main issue that causes concern in determining if silk is organic is the dyeing processes. Some producers use environmentally friendly non-natural dyes that are claimed to be "organic."

Real organic silk is a material that most closely resembles human skin and the silk organic fabrics are hand woven and dyed by hand using natural dyes. In addition, with organic silk, the mulberry trees they feed on are grown organically, without pesticides or fertilizers. 

The use of 100% natural dyes made from tree bark, vegetables, wild grasses and flowers provide the best option for purely organic silk.

Healthy organic silk can be more expensive than synthetic fibers and certain people are known to have allergies to either domestic silk, wild silk or both.

Eco-fabrics like organic silk do not contain any added chemicals that kill bacteria, and fight odours. In addition, as all our processes including extracting, spinning and weaving are ALL DONE BY HAND.

We use no machinery and therefore this process has little or no impact on our environment - a truly eco-friendly production process!

There is no question that organic silk production is the more environmentally friendly and a sustainable practice of silk cultivation. 

Thai silk fabric has always signified luxury and elegance and is today, still valued highly, dubbing it the "Queen of Fiber."

 

What is Sericulture?

Sericulture, or silk farming, is the rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk.

Traditionally sericulture has been a secondary occupation among farm households in Thailand as their major focus is rice cultivation. For many years farmers produced silk yarn for weaving into silk fabrics for their own use or for sale in the local market.

In recent years some of the farmers have started to sell their cocoons for reeling in factories instead of reeling by hand. However, total production of machine-reeled silk yarn is not sufficient for even domestic demand. So in Thailand we have great potential for increasing domestic silk yarn production.

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The Caterpillar - A Real Eating Machine!

Silk yarns come from the cocoon of the silkworm. The caterpillar hatches from a very small egg and is an eating machine. Their diet of continually eating mulberry leaves results in a semi-liquid protein called fibroin.

When the silkworms start its spinning process in the cocoon, the worm's head is coated with a gummy protein called sericin. The silkworm rotates its body thousands of times extruding one continuous strand of silk the length of 12 football fields. The silk adheres to itself, forming the cocoon. 

Silk Cocoons

Cocoon gathering must be done quickly because if the pupa is allowed to mature, it will want to escape the cocoon. It does this by producing a brown juice that makes a hole in the cocoon and breaks the fibers into short pieces. These short pieces of fiber cannot be reeled or used for silk yarn.

Cocoons are gathered all the year round but mostly after the rice harvest by women from the villages in the northeast parts of Thailand.

Hand Reeling Thai Silk - A Labour of Love

A single thread filament is much too thin to use on its own so the village women combine many threads to produce a thicker, usable silk yarn. They do this by hand-reeling the threads onto a wooden spindle to produce a uniform strand of raw silk yarn. The process can take 30 to 40 hours to produce a half kilogram of silk yarn. At Thai Silk Magic we have a group of enthusiastic grandmothers who perform this very labour intensive yet vital task. And they can catch up with all the village gossip at the same time.

A lot of silk yarn operations use a reeling machine for this task, but there are still many silk threads that are hand reeled. The difference is that hand-reeled threads produce three grades of silk: two fine grades that are ideal for lightweight fabrics and a thick grade for heavier material.

Why is Sericulture Still Important to Thai Farmers?

There are several reasons why sericulture is still attractive for Thailand farm households:

• it requires relatively little investment
• it is a traditional activity with skills often being passed down from grandmother to mother to daughter
• it is practised mainly by women
• it can be an important source of income
• silkworm rearing, reeling and weaving silk fabrics are often carried out near the home
• it can be easily coordinated with other household and farm tasks
• it can provide employment and generate income throughout the year
• it can reduce the seasonal pressures to migrate to the cities

Sericulture is an important part of our Thai lifestyle but it is also something that can be further improved.