The Exhibits

The exhibits in the Art of Silk Museum are all from the Tsiakiri Brothers’ Factory or, in the case of the older items, from the homes of Tsiakiri family and relatives where they were used in home silk production.

 

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All of the exhibits are in working order and we are happy to demonstrate their use. They are also accompanied by video demonstrations and an electronic guide is available to all visitors (PDA) with detailed information about each exhibit.

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School parties and pre-arranged groups can also see silk reeling and weaving in action and participate first hand in these activities.

 

 

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In the appropriate season (spring through to late summer) live silkworms will be raised so visitors can also see the full process of sericulture from egg to moth.

Exhibits

Hand Loom No1
Date : 1929
Place of Manufacture :Soufli, Greece
Manufacturer: Local Craftsmen

History
This is the first loom bought by the Tsiakiri family and our Great Grandmother, Pagona Tsiakiri, first wove with this machine. Throughout the Second World War and the German occupation, together with her mother, she wove cloth and scarves which they sold in the villages of North Evros, keeping the family supplied with many of their essential needs, such as wheat and corn. This loom has been carefully preserved and stored and is an heirloom of the Tsiakiri Silk Weaving Company. Today you see the loom set up with a cotton warp and the design of the weave is a characteristic raised pattern of silkworms that was used as a decorative effect for runners and doillies.
Use
An experienced weaver could weave up to 3m of cloth a day on this type of loom.
Reeling Machine
Date : 1927
Place of Manufacture :Milan, Italy
Manufacturer: Unknown
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History
This reeling machine was acquired by Tsiakiri Brothers in 1970 and was in use for only a short time, approx. 1.5 years, until it was replaced by a more modern and productive model. Since then the machine has been in storage until it came again to the light of day to become a part of this exhibition.
Use
Used to unwind the silk thread from the cocoons
More detailed information
The cocoons are placed in the basin of hot water for 15-20 minutes to soften he natural glue, called Sericin, that holds the threads tightly together. As they soften they are agitated with the rice fibre brush to remove the fuzzy broken remnants of fibres that held the cocoon secure and to start unwinding the thread. They are then moved to the next trough, also filled with hot water, where the threads from 15 to 20 cocoons (more depending on thickness of thread required) are gathered together and passed through the eye in the ceramic ring to make one thicker thread. This is then unreeled from the cocoons over a series of rollers and onto the winding wheel opposite to form a hank of thread.
Roman Scales
Date : 1961
Place of Manufacture : Italy
Manufacturer:T.Speroni
Made of: Metal
Use
Very accurate metal scales used in conjunction with the "Prova" (Test Wheel) to ascertain the thickness of the silk thread which is measured in "Denier". Thread thickness is measured in "Denier" or "Td" which is the weight of 9000m of thread.
More detailed information
So as to reduce the amount of thread needed to sample for a denier count, the length of thread was reduced and the weight divided accordingly. Therefore it was only necessary to wind 450m of thread onto the Prova wheel to weigh on this scale for a precise measurement of the thread's denier.
Traditional Local Costume
Date : 1903
Place of Production : Soufli, Greece
Composition :Silk		 silk_museum
History
This outfit was made in 1903 and was worn for the first time by Eleni Papatsaroucha. It has kindly been donated to the museum by Mrs Myrto Papatsaroucha-Kalesi. Traditional Soufli silver belt buckle as worn with local costume.
Hand Operated warping machine
Date : 1967
Place of Manufacture :Greece, Athens
Manufacturer:Unknown
Bought with assistance from EOMMEX (Hellenic Small Business Organisation) in 1971.		 silk_museum
As so many threads are required for the warp it is not possible to lay them all at once. Therefore it is laid in strips, side by side, on the warp cylinder until the required width (according to the width of cloth desired) has been set down. It is then unwound from the cylinder onto the Warp Beam (the back part of the loom).
Tsikriki
Date :1937
Place of Manufacture :Greece, Soufli
Manufacturer:Local Craftsmen
Made of: Metal, wood and leather
Use :
This machine was designed for spinning the cocoon and waste fibre thread, thereby allowing speedier production with greater quantities of thread than would be possible using a hand spindle.