Is Silk Fabric Organic, Sustainable, and an Eco-friendly Option?

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Thousands of Silkworm Cocoons
(Photo courtesy of A of Doom) 
When I started painting on silk, I gave little thought to it's original origin.  And now that I am pretty firmly entrenched in using reclaimed silks in my art, I find that while I personally know I do my best to stay eco-friendly - I have wondered about the processes used to manufacture silks! 

I happened to run across a great post from www.organicclothing.blogs.com about this exact subject.  They supply a LOT of great information.  

 I'd highly recommend reading their post "Raw & Organic Silk: Facts behind the Fibers" if you're at all interested or concerned about buying silk fabric or goods. I'm going to be sharing their post with my students.  

 They also have a lot of other informative articles - overall I'd say they were a great resource!

 OH, and my conclusion to the question I posed (is silk fabric organic, sustainable, and eco-friendly?), is a big MAYBE.  Yes, much of it is... but not all.  And probably less-so when gotten from large manufacturing facilities.   However, when gotten from thrift stores - that's about the best eco-friendly source I know!   

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