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The luster and strength of silk is remarkable. The thinly woven silk heart in the photo above right, is the best for cards. It was done by two silkworms, one spinning gold the other added silver. |
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Making pure silk hearts |
| Making a silk heart is easy. When the silkworms are ready to spin they are transfered onto a base cut into a heart shape. As they move about on the heart shaped base the silkworms will leave a silk thread which is covered in a thin sticky liquid that binds the silk threads together, spinning hearts in silver or gold. Some silkworms excrete a golden color silk, others excrete a silver color silk. |
| The silk hearts make lovely cards but a very popular gift is just the plain silk hearts as they are. |
| Teenager enjoy to decorate the room, mirror or anything the mind can think of, with these pure silk hearts. Having said that, the hearts are popular at any age and for many reasons. |
| It is also a very nice gift for anybody who likes to read, as a bookmark. |
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The luster and strength of silk is remarkable. The thinly woven silk heart in the photo above right, is the best for cards. It was done by two silkworms, one spinning gold the other added silver. |
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| When are the silkworms ready to spin |
| About 27 days after hatching, silkworms begin spinning cocoons. |
| Watch them at this stage. As soon as the silkworm starts spinning, usually in a corner, remove the worm and put it on the heart shape base. |
| After 2-3 days spinning the silkworm's body will start to shorten and the silkworm will slow down. Remove the worm at this stage and put it into crumbled paper inside a carton box with a lid (punch some holes into the lid for air circulation). One box can be used for as many worms as can fit comfortable in it. Each pupa inside it's own crumbled paper cocoon. The crmbled paper need not cover the cocoon completely, it is just to give the moth something to cling to when it emerge and to prevemt pupa lying one on top of the other. The pupa will develope without problem without the silk cocoon. |
| How to make the heart base for the silk hearts |
| You will need a bottle with a thin neck. Press a roll of paper or a cork stopper in the opening of the bottle neck. |
| Cut a heart shape about 15-20 cm long, out of a thin but strong carton. Use a long pin with a small head, not the large round headed pins, through the heart base into the cork of the bottle. The pin must hold the heart without the base tipping over and the heart must be large enough so that the silkworm will not be able to touch the neck of the bottle, when the silkworm leans over the edge. Some tape under the heart base onto the bottle can help to keep the base steady. |
| Place the silkworm on the heart and the rest is up to him. Once the Bombyx mori larvae is ready to spin it will keep on spinning a thread as it moves. Two or more silkworms can be on the heart at the same time. Add new silkworms until the heart is completed, as the older ones become sluggish and ready to pupate. |
| When the silk heart is the desired thickness it can be peeled off the carton base. |
| The silk hearts can be used as bookmarks or make them thinner and use them to decorate a card. |
| They make a lovely frame for a photo. After the heart is thick enough put the photo on the silk heart and let the silkworms spin a few threads over to keep the photo in place. |
| These silkheart gifts is something very special for a very special person. |
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