Silk scarf

Embroidered Seidenhüfttuch with coins, as well as the oriental dance is used

A silk scarf (also called foulard or silk scarf ) is an accessory belonging to female or male clothing , which is usually made of pure silk as a square piece of fabric .

use

Silk scarf / foulard in the classic Equipage style

A silk scarf can be worn in different ways:

as a headscarf
as a scarf
as a bracelet
small-format silk scarves as a pocket square for men

processing

Silk scarves are available in many sizes: A small so-called Nicki scarf is about 50 cm × 50 cm in size. Other classic standard sizes are 70 cm × 70 cm, 90 cm × 90 cm or 110 cm × 110 cm. An elongated silk scarf is generally referred to as a scarf or silk scarf (French foulard). Silk scarves can be monochrome, self-painted or lavishly printed. There are also countless types and qualities of silk: crepe satin , chiffon , crepe de chine , twill , satin , habotai, pongee , jacquard, bourée, georgette or wild silk. The classic silk scarf is square, made of pure silk twill and 90 cm × 90 cm in size. It can be bound in a variety of ways.

Colors and patterns

Silk scarves depicted on paintings in portrait and still life painting are an allegorical symbol for the transience of beauty. A popular hobby is silk scarf painting, a kind of batik technique for embellishing monochrome scarves. A well-known Internet provider lists around 250 different books on this leisure activity. In the meantime, the standard sizes 110 × 110 cm and 140 × 140 cm are also becoming established in fabric painting .

Binding instructions

Silk painting

Silk scarf with Gutta technique in the making, stretched on a wooden frame

Double-colored scarf in Bandhani technique, design: Kamaldeep Kaur

The classic basis of hobby silk painting is pongee, but stronger color effects and sharper contours can be achieved on crepe satin and chiffon . The contour means can be colored or colorless ( gutta ), the latter can be washed out after painting, whereby interesting colorless contours can be achieved. You can first draw the contours and then, after drying, paint in the surfaces - the silk paint runs quickly, but does not stain the areas on which the contouring agent has been applied. Modern silk colors can be fixed simply by ironing. They are mostly colourfast and washable.

Silk dyeing

There are various techniques for dyeing and painting silk in the professional and craft sector. They include multiple dyeing with different colors, the use of different contour means to produce complex patterns, e.g. B. the Japanese Yūzen , up to the computer-controlled fabric printing and dyeing machine. The Indonesian batik is sometimes used for silk. The different dyeing of the individual threads before weaving is also one of these techniques.

Another group of techniques is known as tying & dying / tie-dye . This artistic textile technique of tying and dyeing is called Shibori in Japan . Traces of it can also be found in various countries in Southeast Asia. The technique is also known internationally under the Malay-Indonesian name Plangi . In India this craft is only practiced in two states, in Gujarat and Rajasthan, two neighboring regions in western India, and is called Bandhani .