Prairie Silk

The Elves have always loved true silk, but raising silkworms and processing the fiber into something useful is rather a lot of trouble, and the resulting fabric is quite delicate and needs special care. The great horticulturists of House Vauxt set out to create better replacement, and after much trial and error came up with the prairie silk plant.

Properties

Material Characteristics

Appearance is similar to true silk. When woven, it creates a lightweight, lustrous fabric. It accepts most conventional dyes well. Unlike true silk, prairie silk retains its strength when wet and is not susceptible to shrinkage. It is very durable, withstanding all types of weather and repeated washing.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Prairie silk is cool to the touch. It always feels cooler than the ambient temperature, and even when set in direct sunlight, will not feel as warm as adjacent objects.

History & Usage

Everyday use

Mostly used to create cool, lightweight clothing to be worn during the summer or in hot climates. Also used for ornate formal wear, banners, curtains, pillows, bed sheets, pajamas, and various decorative textiles.

Industrial Use

Several cities have thriving industries for preparing prairie silk fiber, spinning it into thread, weaving it into various varieties of fabric, dying said fabric, and sewing the finished fabric into clothing.

Refinement

Prairie silk fiber needs to be separated from the rest of the plants and made into fibers capable of being woven into cloth.

Environmental Impact

Growing prairie silk plants requires a considerable amount of land and water. Fields are often fertilized to maintain productivity, and runoff can impact local waterways.

Reusability & Recycling

Old prairie silk clothing can be cut up into rags useful for polishing metal and glass. Otherwise not really recyclable, but does biodegrade quickly.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Most medium or larger markets will have a variety of prairie silk items. It is more expensive than cotton or linen, but much cheaper than true silk.

Type

Textile

Color

The most common color is pearly white, but golden, bronze, copper, sage green, and sky blue varieties also exsist.