Frequently asked questions

Yes, our silks are 100% A grade pure mulberry silks, unless stated otherwise.  For example, silk cotton voile (30% silk, 70% cotton) and stretch silk satin (92% silk, 8% spandex).

Pongee silk is the same as Paj silk.  In Europe the word pongee is used instead of Paj.

Paj and Habutai have the same structure.  When the weight is more than 6 momme we call it Habutai.  

Our silks and silk scarves are undyed and unbleached. 

They don’t contain any factory finishes or treatments that may prevent dyes penetrating the silk. 

We recommend you wash your silk before dyeing to remove any finger marks or grease from handling.

Yes, silk does shrink when washed. Our silk fabrics and silk scarves are not pre-shrunk.  If you are using silk to make clothes please make allowance for silk shrinkage. 

The amount the silk shrinks depends on how tightly woven it is.  Tightly woven silk fabric shrinks less than a loosely woven silk fabric.  The table below gives you some examples of estimated shrinkage.

“mm” ïs the abbreviation for the word ‘momme’.   Momme is a weight measurement for silk.  The higher the momme, the heavier the silk.  1 momme = 3.75 grams approximately.

We offer a variety of scarf sizes.  Each silk scarf is cut to the specified size, for example 160 x 28cms. Then a rolled hem of approximately 1-2cm is sewn on all sides. This reduces the size of the finished scarf.

Yes, you can request a quote for custom size scarves if we don’t stock the size you want.  Just email us with your requirements so we can get a quote for you.

To email please go to Contact us

You will find information about selecting the right size satchel for your order here

Select the right satchel

We use Australia Post to ship orders.  You can choose either Express Post for faster delivery or Parcel Post if your order is not urgent.

We understand the importance of reducing our carbon footprint so we have updated our packaging by:

• using certified home compostable bubble wrap and tubular wrap to pack orders. Find more information about these products here.
• reducing the amount of packaging where appropriate and use only enough to protect products for shipping.
• improving the way we fold fabrics so less packaging and smaller shipping satchels are needed.  Our customers will benefit with reduced postage costs.
• reusing cardboard boxes for to pack liquids for shipping when necessary. However, we may have to use some plastic to ensure safe transportation.

Customers can reuse the:

• bubble wrap
• Australia Post satchels
• scarf cellophane bags to pack their decorated scarves.  

These are the most common mordants used:

• Alum
• Iron (Ferrous Sulphate)
• Copper (Copper Sulphate)
• Aluminium Acetate
• Tannic acid

You will find instructions here – mordanting natural fibres

Find lots of information about using H Dupont silk dyes and various dyeing techniques on this page –  Techniques