Silk satin, mulberry silk? Which is which? Post 506

 I am looking at asking for silk pillowcases, a set of two, for my birthday. They are supposed to make your skin look soft and unwrinkled. More to the point, they feel soft and relaxing,make you want to sleep.

When looking at them on ebay and Amazon, at first I was confused. I was suspicious of silky feel.

Silk and Satin - what's the difference?

When I googled, what is the difference between sil and satin, I received the answer -

Silk is from silkworms. Satin is a type of weave which can be from several type of thread, and fabric, including polyester. 

Price might be your guide.

Now let's look at two more significan words.

Both Sides

Real silk feels the same both sides. Satin fabric is soft on one side, the front, and rough on the reverse. (I orginally mistook silk on both sides to mean that you were not getting a pillowcase with silk on the top and another fabric to go at the back of the pillow. 

Now I understand that silk on both sides means both sides of the fabric, (all over the item, not two different oblongs of material). In other words, silk, not satin.

Mulberry

Now we are closer to being sure of real silk. Silk worms which feed on mulberry plants are said to produce better silk. So, if you see mulberry specified, the advertiser is specifiying a type of silk. So we are almost certainly getting silk not satin.

Silk or Satin

One test of silk is the burning test. Now I am not going to set fire to a pillowcase. I do not wish to start a fire. I do not wish to lose my entire pillocase.

I think the trick is to remove a thread, or a small piece of thread. 

(If you had a garment with a spare button and spare thread, sewn on the awashing label, you could test this piece of thread.)

I think the idea is that a synthetic fibre will melt, like plastic, whilst real silk or cotton will burn. Let me check on that, to be sure I have no remembered it the wrogn was around. You have to take extra precautions, such as lighting the object in a firepoorf plate in the bmiddle of a bowl or water, far away from anything which might be ignited be a spark. Away from draughts, draughty windows, breezes. I am ultra cautious.

Pillow Size

The other aulity to check is the quantity. Are you getting a small suare cushion cover, an oblong cover, Oxford style, housewfe sytle. With or without an edging frill. With or without a fold-over inside flap covering the end of the pillow.

We need an international silk symbol. India has one. But only for Indian products.

You might want a pillowcase to match your existing pillow. Or to buy a pillow to go with the pillowcase.

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