Lotus Blossom Inle Lake Burma
A lotus pond on Inle Lake. Here lotus stems are harvested.
Extracting the fibers from the Lotus stems
This was painstaking work. She had to cut the stem but not sever the fibers. Then she laid them on her table and rolled them into one thread using the palm of her hand. Then on the the next section of lotus stem. Repeat same for 8 hours per day.
Spinning the fibers into thread
The fibers must be spun within 24 hours of cutting the lotus stalk. No wonder Lotus Silk is so expensive.
Dyes used in Lotus Slik
Many dyes are made from the Lotus flower itself.
Years of Experience
I think she is making skeins of dyed fibers. I wonder how many years she has done this work.
The Final Step: Weaving
We were allowed to walk about the factory. It was comprised of several two story buildings…floating buildings. They were airy and seemed like a good place to work. The women drank tea together and there was a small swing strung up for their children to play on as the mothers worked.
After our tour we were, of course, led into the showroom. It surprised me that lotus silk was pricier than regular silk. I bought a scarf made of half regular silk and half lotus silk. I loved the lotus silk in it’s natural color which is an off white, but was too frugal to spend the money on it.