Process diagram: Silk production

The diagram illustrates how silk fabric is produced, in a process that consists of eight stages.

Overall, the process is linear. Silkworms are raised and spin cocoons, the silk thread is extracted and made into dyed yarn, and the yarn is finally woven into cloth. The first three stages involve the silkworms themselves, the next two turn the cocoons into thread, and the last three produce cloth.

The process begins when silkworm eggs hatch into larvae. These larvae then feed on mulberry leaves for about a month. Each worm subsequently spins a cocoon of silk thread. At this point, the cocoons are heated to kill the pupae, a stage called stifling.

The second half of the process turns the thread into cloth. First, the threads are unwound from the cocoons by reeling. Several threads are then twisted together into yarn, so silk thread is obtained from the cocoons rather than from the worms themselves. Next, the yarn is coloured in vats during dyeing.

In the final stage, the dyed yarn is woven into cloth.