All About Silk [Book Review]
Today is another book review. I decided to cover a book on silk fabrics, since this kind of fabric comes with all sorts of questions that are often repeated in the various mailing lists and FB groups I am in. In fact, when I first got involved with silk, I had lots of questions of my own, and this book really helped to make heads or tails on silk.
The book is All About Silk: A Fabric Dictionary & Swatchbook (Fabric Reference Series, Volume 1)
(ISBN 0-9637612-0-X) (or buy direct from publisher here for cheaper). It is volume one in a series of books Fabric Reference Series, by Julie Parker, who both wrote and illustrated the book. There are two other books in the series, one on cotton and another on wool. The book is 92 pages long, and my copy was it's sixth printing from 2000.
The book is a soft cover, with a covered spiral comb binding. The front cover is handy as you can use it as a book marker, although I haven't done so.
(Click on photos twice to view larger image)
What I want you to look at next is the back of the book. If you purchase a version that has the swatches, you will find those in the back of the book in a sealed envelope. I never took mine out, as I bought a swatch pack of samples from thaisilks.com before I bought this book, and had those to help me feel the different types of silks. You are to take out the samples, in their original order, and place them on each type of silk discussed in the book with glue or double sided tape.
Back to the front of the book where there is a table of Contents. The main headers are on general info on silks, 32 Silk Fabrics, Types of Silks, The World of Silks, Care of Silk, Silk Characteristics, The Weaves, Types of Yarn, Special Effects, and Miscellaneous Notes. The main pages are on the first three headers - the rest will be found in a blurb area amongst the main info, so if you are looking for something specific, it is best to either find out where on the Contents page, at in the Index at the back of the book.
The first section in an Introduction that also discusses how the book is layed out. It really helps to read this portion in full. One bit of info I found noted here is that there are no real rules for what fabrics are described as, and that once you know a fabric you may find that different sellers and importers may call one fabric by another name, or that fabrics can have a variety of treatments done to it. This book will help you understand the difference between common types with common names, but nothing is set in stone or law.
This is then followed by a few pages on the silk history and industry. It also has a sidebar on silk's limitations. You really have to keep these limitations in mind when you work with silk, especially in cleaning them and in treating the fabric.
Then you get to the 32 different fabric types discussed in the book. I've since read about other silk fabric types, but these are the solid basic ones that is used most often in the sewing world, and the others may be a variation on a silk fabric discussed here, or just a different name. In fact, each type may have variations described below the main description, including variations in other fibers.
What I like on this page is that it will tell you how to best use each fabric type. It will tell you how that fabric drapes, or doesn't. How it gathers, what types of needles to use (generally speaking - not a specific number), what sort of garment type it works best for (fitted, semi-fitted, loose fit, etc.), and how to best wash the fabric.
This is carried onto the second page in detail for each fabric, as seen below. Here you get a chart of sorts, with checkboxes to help you know more about each fabric. The headers here are Sewing rating (easy to extremely difficult), Suggested fit, Suggested styles, What to expect (like is it slippery, will it stretch or not, will it ravel like crazy, etc.), Wearability (Durable, snag resistant, wrinkles easily, etc.), Suggest care (how best to clean the fabric), and Where to find (local chain store, or specialty mail order)
As I mentioned above, among the checkboxed info area, is a box that has a blurb on a variety of things, from "yarns, weaves, finishes and special effects, bits of history and other tidbits." I found these boxes to be interesting, and learned quite a bit from them, but they aren't extensive.
After all 32 types of silk fabrics are covered, there is a personal swatch collection area. Mine isn't filled out, mostly because I keep those in my own swatch books. If you keep it here or elsewhere, I do suggest collecting swatches of fabrics from your favorite suppliers, so you will know what they have to offer.
Speaking of suppliers, there is a listing of stores most of which are still around. My copy is from 2000, but the publishers offer an updated list of suppliers on their web site (from 2010).
At the back of the book is a Bibliography!! I like those, because it helps to find more books on the subject. After that is an Index, to help you find that specific topic in the book.
And that's about it on the book. It really is a great book that will help provide info beyond what you can normally find on the 'net. Especially the check box info area, which can really help when you are trying to figure out what sorts of silk fabrics might survive heavy use at a renfaire, or what type works best for a veil. And the swatches that are included really let you FEEL each and every silk type, in advance of buying anything at the store or online. It really makes the whole book even better. My best suggestion is if you are new to silk fabrics, or have a lot of questions on silks, buy the book. It is like getting a silk expert in a book.
The book is All About Silk: A Fabric Dictionary & Swatchbook (Fabric Reference Series, Volume 1)
(ISBN 0-9637612-0-X) (or buy direct from publisher here for cheaper). It is volume one in a series of books Fabric Reference Series, by Julie Parker, who both wrote and illustrated the book. There are two other books in the series, one on cotton and another on wool. The book is 92 pages long, and my copy was it's sixth printing from 2000.
The book is a soft cover, with a covered spiral comb binding. The front cover is handy as you can use it as a book marker, although I haven't done so.
(Click on photos twice to view larger image)
What I want you to look at next is the back of the book. If you purchase a version that has the swatches, you will find those in the back of the book in a sealed envelope. I never took mine out, as I bought a swatch pack of samples from thaisilks.com before I bought this book, and had those to help me feel the different types of silks. You are to take out the samples, in their original order, and place them on each type of silk discussed in the book with glue or double sided tape.
Back to the front of the book where there is a table of Contents. The main headers are on general info on silks, 32 Silk Fabrics, Types of Silks, The World of Silks, Care of Silk, Silk Characteristics, The Weaves, Types of Yarn, Special Effects, and Miscellaneous Notes. The main pages are on the first three headers - the rest will be found in a blurb area amongst the main info, so if you are looking for something specific, it is best to either find out where on the Contents page, at in the Index at the back of the book.
The first section in an Introduction that also discusses how the book is layed out. It really helps to read this portion in full. One bit of info I found noted here is that there are no real rules for what fabrics are described as, and that once you know a fabric you may find that different sellers and importers may call one fabric by another name, or that fabrics can have a variety of treatments done to it. This book will help you understand the difference between common types with common names, but nothing is set in stone or law.
This is then followed by a few pages on the silk history and industry. It also has a sidebar on silk's limitations. You really have to keep these limitations in mind when you work with silk, especially in cleaning them and in treating the fabric.
Then you get to the 32 different fabric types discussed in the book. I've since read about other silk fabric types, but these are the solid basic ones that is used most often in the sewing world, and the others may be a variation on a silk fabric discussed here, or just a different name. In fact, each type may have variations described below the main description, including variations in other fibers.
What I like on this page is that it will tell you how to best use each fabric type. It will tell you how that fabric drapes, or doesn't. How it gathers, what types of needles to use (generally speaking - not a specific number), what sort of garment type it works best for (fitted, semi-fitted, loose fit, etc.), and how to best wash the fabric.
This is carried onto the second page in detail for each fabric, as seen below. Here you get a chart of sorts, with checkboxes to help you know more about each fabric. The headers here are Sewing rating (easy to extremely difficult), Suggested fit, Suggested styles, What to expect (like is it slippery, will it stretch or not, will it ravel like crazy, etc.), Wearability (Durable, snag resistant, wrinkles easily, etc.), Suggest care (how best to clean the fabric), and Where to find (local chain store, or specialty mail order)
As I mentioned above, among the checkboxed info area, is a box that has a blurb on a variety of things, from "yarns, weaves, finishes and special effects, bits of history and other tidbits." I found these boxes to be interesting, and learned quite a bit from them, but they aren't extensive.
After all 32 types of silk fabrics are covered, there is a personal swatch collection area. Mine isn't filled out, mostly because I keep those in my own swatch books. If you keep it here or elsewhere, I do suggest collecting swatches of fabrics from your favorite suppliers, so you will know what they have to offer.
Speaking of suppliers, there is a listing of stores most of which are still around. My copy is from 2000, but the publishers offer an updated list of suppliers on their web site (from 2010).
At the back of the book is a Bibliography!! I like those, because it helps to find more books on the subject. After that is an Index, to help you find that specific topic in the book.
And that's about it on the book. It really is a great book that will help provide info beyond what you can normally find on the 'net. Especially the check box info area, which can really help when you are trying to figure out what sorts of silk fabrics might survive heavy use at a renfaire, or what type works best for a veil. And the swatches that are included really let you FEEL each and every silk type, in advance of buying anything at the store or online. It really makes the whole book even better. My best suggestion is if you are new to silk fabrics, or have a lot of questions on silks, buy the book. It is like getting a silk expert in a book.