OUR WORKSHOP

 

Take a look at our traditional workshop where all our handwoven products (silk scarves, shawls) are made.

 

 

 

GOLDEN HANDS STRECHING FROM PAST TO PRESENT

That same tradition has been carried on for years: the tradition of getting up early in the morning and working throughout the day. Raising silkworms and weaving silk are challenging crafts that require mastership. A product goes through 30 phases, silkworm, yarns, warp, weaving, dying, etc., until it reaches the final phase. Tiring though it is, one forgets about fatigue when performing this job, producing, and enjoying its unique pleasure. So now, let’s now talk briefly about the production phases of silk.

SERICULTURE (SILK FARMING)

Sericulture and silk-weaving can be traced back to 4600 - China. The Chinese had for a long time preserved the secrets of raising silkworms and producing silk fabrics.

Sericulture was introduced to, and became widespread in Anatolia during the Byzantine period under the reign of Justinianos, and through the two priests sent to Turkistan. These priests learnt about sericulture, and introduced it to Anatolia by hiding the cocoons in their walking staffs. Sericulture then became so significant in that period that it started to be regarded as a state secret, an art for the sake of which agency activities were performed.

UNRAVELLING YARNS FROM THE COCOONS

Silk is the soft and bright fiber produced by silkworms. Silkworms produce the fiber in order to spin cocoons for themselves within a thirty days of feding period.

Humans discovered this thousands of years ago, produced yarns out of this fiber, and wove fabrics. Silk is a bright, soft, and elegant animal-produced fiber.

To gain threads in the desired thickness, silk fibers of a certain number of coccons are combined and wound together to unravel the silk. Unraveling silk comprises putting water to boil on wood fire early in the morning, pouring the combed, clean, and flawless coccoons in water which is then 90- 95 °C, and finding...

PREPARING THE WARP

Of the two yarn systems that compose the fabric, the vertical ones are the warp yarns. Warp yarns form a right angle with the weft yarns. These two types of yarns compose the texture of a fabric.   

Preparing the warp takes certain stages; first, the yarn number in the warp is counted according to the type of the texture. Silk yarns in the hank form are passed on to the bobbins according to the length of the warp.  The bobbins are placed in the warping creel, the yarns in the creel are interlaced one by one into the warp beam trolley through the comber board. The width of the warp determines the number of the bands (cycle); a 90 cm...

WEAVING

Fabric weaving technique could be described as the intersection of two yarn systems at a right angle, their interlacing, and finally composing a texture. 
After the warp beam is placed on the weaving loom, it is put into some stages to make it smooth and easily touchable. A certain number of warp yarns are placed on a parallel base beside each other. The weft yarns are interlaced with the warp layer, which should be proceeded in the direction of the weaving activity, and they are combined with the fabric. These basic processes are repeated. What constitutes a fabric are the warp and weft yarns; the warp yarns form a right angle with...