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Product code 101 18-0001
A soft, fine fabric made of exquisite, natural muga silk with just a hint of gold. A true original, woven exclusively in India and exported in limited quantities. A gem in any wardrobe!
Read more| Width: | 112 cm |
| Color: | natural |
| Content: | 100% silk |
| Weight (gsm): | 58 gsm |
| Weight (mm): | 13 mm |
| Drape: | supple |
| Minimum order: | 0.2 m |
| Availability: | seasonal collection |
| Care: |
in stock 31.4 m
This fabric made of natural wild muga silk has a distinctive structure and hue. The fabric surface is smooth, but when examined up close there is a very fine, irregular stripe, the result of miniscule differences in the thickness and color of the thread. The shade of this muga silk resembles that of natural, undyed linen. Though it slightly resembles cotton to the touch, it is noticeably lighter and has the slight, matte sheen, typical of wild silk. In spite of its fineness, muga silk is strong and quite durable.
This muga silk will make a wonderful blouse, shirt, or tunic. Interesting in and of itself, it can make even the simplest piece look great. Choose it for a breezy dress, a throw, a kimono, anything you might otherwise make from a rayon or cotton batiste. Keep in mind that muga silk does not have the drape of some other silks; in fact, it’s more stiff than supple. It will keep its shape well and is easy to cut and sew. This is a good silk for beginning sewers who are just starting to get their feet wet with silk.
This fabric is not very dark and is quite fine, so it tends to be sheer. For garments where this is not desired, we recommend a thin lining in a neutral skin tone. However, if you want to highlight this fabric’s structure, consider a white lining.
Muga is a special type of wild natural silk produced exclusively in Assam, where silk production has a long and storied history. Muga silk is produced by the silk moth Antheraea assamensis, which is native to Assam. The natural color of the fiber ranges from golden beige to a golden yellow; the more saturated the color of this silk gold, the more valued the fabric. In times past, only the nobility could wear it and to this day, the finest, gold-hued muga fabrics number among the most expensive silks (a yard can go for at least a hundred dollars). This may also be because muga silk holds a spiritual value for some groups in India. We stock this gorgeous fabric for you in muted, more affordable shades.
Natural silk comes in a range of varieties that most people have never even heard of. You can find out more in our post on types of silk.
We recommend dry cleaning this fabric at a reliable dry cleaner. In our tests of how to wash silk this fabric stood up to gentle hand washing. If you risk hand washing, use lukewarm water and a delicate detergent for woolens; do not wring or squeeze dry; block dry on a flat surface. Dry iron on the lowest setting. Avoid water droplets.
Yes. Silk is our specialty. All fabrics marked as "silk" in our shop are always made of natural silk. You can rely on the fact that is always natural mulberry silk unless we say otherwise. If it is a different type of natural silk (e.g., wild silk), we will say so. We describe the many types of natural silk in full detail in our post on types of silk.
Washing is generally not recommended for silk – it belongs at the dry cleaners. However, as our big silk wash test has shown, some types of silk fabrics can stand up to a gentle wash program or hand washing without harm if you follow the procedure described. That said, wash silk at your own risk. We definitely recommend testing in advance on a small sample of the fabric – because silk is a natural material it's not 100% predictable. Never use an ordinary laundry detergent – use a special detergent for wool and silk or, if there's no other option, a gentle, silicone-free shampoo.
The fabrics in our core inventory, seasonal collections and limited editions are from repeated production cycles that we have quality-tested – given proper care their colors should not bleed. Fabrics that are on offer while supplies last are one-off products that have not been individually tested, so we recommend testing on a sample. Silk may lose some color when washed in water that's too hot or with unsuitable detergent. Always follow the recommended water temperature and use detergents designed for washing silk or wool. Washing silk, though it is often no problem, is always at your own risk. Read more in our post on How to wash silk.
If you are not going to dye the finished garment, we recommend a high-quality polyester thread for sewing silk. If you want to dye the finished garment, be sure to choose a silk thread (polyester does not take dye). The choice of sewing needle and thread depends on the type and weight of the fabric – for sewing particularly fine fabrics (chiffons, georgettees, light satins, light crepes) a thinner polyester or silk thread and a corresponding thin needle are suitable. Do not use cotton thread to sew silk.
Probably the best way to tell is the burn test. Silk burns reluctantly, leaving a black crumb that you can easily crush between your fingers and smells like burnt hair. Be sure to test threads pulled from both the weft and the warp. In addition to the burn test, there are a plenty of other tricks – check out our post on how to tell real silk.
As you browse our silk selection, you may be mystified by the abbreviation “mm” in our fabric weight column. Millimeters? No. The mm stands for momme (pronounced moe-mee), a traditional measure of silk weight that comes to us from Japan. What can it tell us? Read on for enlightenment.
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