Discover the intricate steps involved in harvesting and boiling these cocoons, followed by the careful unwinding of long, natural filaments that are twisted into strong, lustrous silk thread.

Harvested by unraveling a silk cocoon in one continuous thread, material made and woven with long strand silk results in an exceptionally strong and high-quality end product. It also allows for a ...

The raw material for silk thread is made by larvae that feed off the leaves of mulberry trees, which are plentiful in this region’s mild climate. Once found in the wild, now the caterpillars ...

Early in a silkworm’s life cycle, it can spin silk in one unbroken single thread from spinnerets on its head to create a cocoon, a protective covering for itself as it is transformed into a moth. The ...

Shiho Fukada for The New York Times Every home once had hand tools that the residents used to spin silk thread. In the Qing Dynasty, founded in the 17th century, Jili silk was used to fashion the ...