Similarly with silk weaving processLotus silk weaving also shares many similarities because lotus silk is also a natural fiber product with large production in Vietnam, especially in areas such as Dong Thap, Long Giang, An Giang, Can Tho, etc.
Through the session Training for women to weave lotus silkHanhsilk has compiled the process of hand-weaving lotus silk to help women understand the work and the most difficult aspects of this process:
The leaves are plucked, the stems are washed clean, and coconut fiber is used to scrub along the stem to remove thorns. The lotus stems used as raw material can be either leaf stems or flower stems. However, since lotus flowers are used more often, farmers mainly harvest the leaf stems. Young lotus leaves have more fibers than older lotus leaves. The lotus stem harvesting season in Northern Vietnam is from May to September, while in Southern Vietnam it is year-round.
2. Pulling lotus silk:
The tools used by lotus silk gatherers are a wooden table, a small utility knife, and a tray to hold the silk threads. The silk gatherer takes 3-6 lotus leaves, arranges them neatly, makes incisions around them with the knife, then breaks them at the incisions into 4-5cm long segments, and pulls them apart. Skilled artisans then use their hands to pull the silk threads down onto a wet table. After 4-5 repetitions, the artisan twists the threads into larger strands and braids them together. This process continues, and the finished silk threads are placed in a small tray. This prepares the silk for the spinning process. lotus silk weaving
3. Lotus silk thread
The raw yarn, completed in Step 2, is wound onto a spool before being spun onto smaller bobbins. The purpose of this spinning process is to increase the yarn's strength and uniformity, and to mend any broken strands. The yarn is then bundled for washing and drying to soften it. Afterward, it is placed on a loom in preparation for the next weaving process. lotus silk weaving
Step 4: Weaving lotus silk threads
Job weaving lotus silk Weaving on the loom is no different from weaving other types of handcrafted fabrics. The weaver uses both feet to operate the loom, lifting the warp threads and threading the bobbin through to feed the weft threads. With 100% lotus silk fabric, due to the coarseness of the threads, the fabric is thick (approximately 800 warp threads for a width of about 1 meter). The average productivity of an 8-hour/day lotus silk weaver is 1.5 meters of fabric.
It takes approximately 32,000 lotus stems to produce 1 meter of fabric, about 120,000 lotus stems for a single garment, and 25-30 workers for all stages up to step 3 to keep the loom weaving continuously. These are significant numbers that contribute to the value of products made from lotus silk.
5. Dyeing lotus silk fabric
After weaving the lotus silk, the dyeing process begins. lotus silk Lotus silk naturally has a yellowish hue. Currently, weavers do not have a method to bleach lotus silk fabric. To achieve a bright white color, they have to increase the proportion of silk in the fabric. Because lotus silk is very natural, it is usually dyed with natural herbal ingredients such as yam, green tea, turmeric, etc.
Hanhsilk has introduced to you the detailed steps in the process. weaving lotus silkTo learn more about the product and the process of creating products from lotus silk, please contact our Hotline: 0985969864 for advice.
See more about the journey with Hanhsilk lotus silk: https://hanhsilk.com/lotus-silk/
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