Pongee is a commonly available silk fabric. It is thin, soft and
tan-colored. It is also known as China silk or Habutai (Habotai), a
Japanese word meaning ‘soft as down’. The fabric is very
light, sheer and plain-weave, mostly used as scarves. It is also used as
dresses, blouses and linings. Pongee is a traditionally summer fabric.Pongee originated from China known as Chinese penchi which mean woven at home. From China, it was brought to Japan via Okinawa. In Japan, it has a history of more than 1,300 years and is known as Oshima Tsumugi. Pongee is the top-quality silk fabric of Japan. The mud dyeing method is unique in Oshima Pongee and has been practiced since the 7th Century.
Pongee is either made from low quality, dirty and dupion cocoons that was an unavoidable product of raising silkworms or from wild tussah silk or certain other silk wastes. It is spun into a yarn and hand woven in a plain weave. While spinning the yarn has to be twisted and joined. This creates a small knot giving rise to nubby texture of the woven fabric.
Characteristics of Pongee Silk Fabric
- It is thin and soft.
- It has nubby texture.
- It is tan or ecru in color.
- It is medium to light-weight.
- It do not crumple easily.
- It looks better if ironed while dry.
- It is not uniformly dyed, hence printing is preferred.
- Pongee is mainly used as scarves, because of its softness and light-weight. It is also used as dresses, ensembles, summer suits, blouses and linings. Today, Pongee is popularly used for silk painting.
- It is not recommended to make fitted garments from Pongee as the seams (joining place at stitches) tears from the stress.
