Make Your Own Mawata
by Janel Laidman
Mawata is the Japanese term for silk hankies or caps which are basically opened cocoons. Making your own mawata is easy and fun! To make your own mawata you will need
- silk cocoons
- water
- dish detergent
- washing soda
- a source of heat. I use an old stock pot on top of my stove.
- a frame to stretch the silk on. I use the nine inch canvas stretcher bars available at my local art supply store. It helps to have a finishing nail in each corner of the stretcher frame, but you can also just use the sharp corners of the stretcher frame.
Begin by putting about 4 liters (one gallon) of water into the stockpot and bring it to a simmer. Add in 1/4 cup of dishwashing detergent and 1/4 cup of washing soda. Then add the cocoons. I weight them down by putting a small plate over them to hold them under water. Simmer the cocoons for about 30 minutes until they are soft but haven't fallen apart.
Remove the moths
Allow the water to cool down to a lukewarm temperature. Then, using your fingers gently begin massaging one end of the cocoon under water until you have an opening that will allow the moth pupa to come out of the cocoon. Take the pupa out and look at the cocoon. You will see another dark little bit in there, that is actually the caterpillar's remains. Remove that part as well, then rinse the cocoon in clear water, and set it aside. Do this for several cocoons.
Stretch the cocoons
Working underwater, begin by enlarging the hole where you removed the pupa, then gently pulling from the center outward until you have an even layer of silk. Try not to get thick and thin spots. It helps to gently swish the cocoon under water as you pull, and to keep working your hands around the diameter of the cocoon.
When the cocoon is about the size of your outstretched hand, hook one corner onto your frame and gently pull the silk over to the next corner, then the next corner and finally the last corner. You have now made a mawata! Continue opening and stretching cocoons by adding them on top of your stretcher frame until you have about 10-15 layers on your stretcher frame. Gently pull them off of the stretcher frame and lay them on a towel to dry.
Making mawata is like eating peanuts, you can't stop at just one! Just don't eat the pupae by mistake....
To find out what to do with your mawata, see our article on Spinning a Silk Hankie by Beth Smith. |
