Glossary for Silk Texiles
artifacts – anything made or modified by humans, both prehistoric and modern
block printing – a type of printing in which individual wooden blocks are carved and then used to transfer the layers of the image one color at a time onto the fabric
cochineal - a red dye made from scale insects that feed on cactus
cocoons – the pupal casings of Lepidoptera that are made from silk threads produced by the caterpillars
drop-spindles – shafts weighted at the bottom, used for spinning fibers into thread
eri silk – silk produced from the cocoons of Samia ricini (Saturniidae)
fagara silk – silk produced from the cocoons of Attacus atlas (Saturniidae)
hand-embroidery – a technique of using early hand sewn stitches, made using a needle and thread or yarn, to add embellishments to fabric.
hand-loomed – a loom which is not power operated, that holds tension on the warp strings, as the weft is interwoven, making the fabric.
kantha style – an embroidery style from India, which uses a running stich to add detail to a textile
kethia hand-spun yarns -
muga silk – silk produced from the cocoons of Anthereae assamensis (Saturniidae)
reeled silk – silk fibers made from unbroken cocoons.
Skeins – loose coils of threads
spun yarn - made from the twisting of silk fibers to form yarn
stick lac - branches of trees coated with a resin (lac) produced by scale insects (Laccifer lacca) and used to produce a red dye
tasar silk – silk produced from the cocoons of Anthereae paphia, A. pernyi, and A. proylei
temperate tasar silk – silk produced from the cocoons of Anthereae proylei, reared on oaks
textiles – pieces of fabric made from woven (warp and weft) fibers
tropical tasar silk - silk produced from the cocoons of Anthereae paphia
turmeric (Curcuma longa) – a plant in the ginger family, whose root is used for seasoning food and dye production
tussah – silk similar to tasar, but produced in China from the cocoons of Antheraea pernyi
warp – the threads that run lengthwise in a textile, they hold the tension in the fabric as it
is being woven.
weft – the threads that are woven into the warp to make a textile
weft brocading – a decorative technique made by adding decorative threads into the weft along with the structural threads as the fabric is being made.
