I'm falling in love with these peace silks, all so amazing to touch and incredibly eye-catching. They catch the light, and have a rustically luxurious feel that is all but addictive.

This one is no different; at 5.2 ounces per square yard it's a bit lighter than our Luminous Sophisticated Peace Silk but has similarly compelling qualities.

Strong enough to use for light home dec and crafts projects, as well as stunning wedding dresses, pants, skirts, jackets, and more. Also splendid for baby blankets, either as the whole thing or simply as the trim, if there's a baby you want to introduce to the finest things in life.

Handwoven on antique looms in a small town in India, where members of a women's cooperative create this beautiful fabric as part of their way to support their families and educate their children. Beyond perfect for luxurious decorating -- marvelous for curtains, pillows, glorious bedding, and so much more. Undyed -- what you see is the natural color of the beautiful silk threads. Note that this is a natural, hand-loomed fabric and frequent irregularities (which some less-imaginative people might call flaws) are to be expected. Indeed, they're part of the charm!

Tussah silk, also known as "peace silk", is wonderful not only because of its unique sheen and hand but also because, unlike in the creation of traditional silks, the majority of the silkworms are not killed in the fabric's production. Instead of a domesticated silkworm that eats only mulberry leaves, the tussah/tussar moths are wild and larger (with a wingspan of up to 6"). They live on oak and juniper leaves, and the oak's tannin produces a light gold or tan colored silk. Tussah silk is generally denser and more insulating than spun silk, and is less processed. When the moth hatches from the cocoon it breaks the filament length, which makes the fibers short and coarse instead of the longer, more lustrous ones you'll see when the silkworms are killed. The fabric tends to have irregular slubs and unravel easily, so you'll want to serge or hem the edges before washing.

PLEASE NOTE: As is not uncommon in hand-woven fabrics, the newest batch is a bit different than our previous version in both weave and color; if you have a swatch predating 9/1/2010, do request a new swatch before purchasing yardage.