Five Pure Silk Limitations

In ancient time, only the privileged few have assess to silk.  Nowadays, silk is assessable to everybody because of industrial advances.  Silk has many superb qualities that are loved by majority of people.   However, silk does has its limitations.  Here, I want to talk about some limitations of pure silk.

1. Pure silk is expensive.  Silk is more affordable today.  However, compared to other material, it is still cost more to produce. From silk warm to products is a long process.      Extra labors and care are needed to make the absolute 100% grade A pure Mulberry silk, either raw silk or silk fabric.  Silk fabric (sheet or crepe) is judged by its weight called momme (mm) not by thread count (TC).  The higher the mm, usually the thicker the fabric and therefore priced higher.
2. Pure silk does not conform.  The heaviest mm silk fabric is about 25.  Still, compare to other fabric materials, silk is thin and soft.  Silk drapes every thing it covers.  A silk dress will show a perfect body or the fat of any body part.  While it is very comfortable to sleep in a silk sheet, it is also not very easy to make a silk bedding straight and flat.  That’s why silk is usually mixed with other materials to get synergy from other materials.  For example, crepe made of silk and cotton combine both silk’s breathability and cotton’s conformity for best comfortable bedding.  Silk combined with Nylon or Polyester makes the the crepe still shinny but cost considerable less.
3. Pure silk is difficult to sew.  Silk sheet is shinny and reflective of lights due to its dense weaving method.  When comes to sewing, the stitches produce visible dents more noticeable than other materials.  This is unavoidable specially when making bed sheets.  Most silk crepes come with standard 44”or 55” width.  The higher the momme, the narrower the width due to quality control issues.  Wider width silk crepes not only cost more and produce even more defects, therefore not popular and almost impossible to find. 
4. Pure silk is slick.  Silk is soft and breathable.  Even with the dull side facing, silk can be slick.  In silk bedding, with two pieces of silk sheet together, it slides and fall as they don’t stick together.  People who have silk bedding either love it or hate it because of this slick property.
5. Pure silk needs delicate maintenance. The warp and weft are twisted both positive and negative directions to make silk crepe stronger.  However, the extra process also cause more defect if not careful.  Careful maintenance of silk is essential for a long lasting life.  Silk snitches and scratches easily.  Dry clean is the most desire method of cleaning.  Direct sun light exposure is not recommended for raw silk products.

Silk is versatile and has many remarkable qualities.  That’s why silk holds high regards in the market place.  As with everything, there is benefits and limitations like two sides of a coin.  Knowing silk limitations hopefully will enhance acceptance if you embrace all the silk has to offer.