In an engaging interview, Joanna, a mother of twins living in South Bay, recently spoke about her fond childhood memories of silkworms and how she’s passing this tradition on to her family. Many schools encourage students to raise silkworms for a hands-on experience in observing natural ecology and creating crafts from silk. Joanna has embraced this opportunity to recreate traditional silk fan-making during the silkworms’ crucial cocooning season and has come up with a variety of fun, family-oriented silk projects.
When discussing the silk fan-making process, Joanna shared her methods and challenges. “I researched various fan-making techniques and purchased paper fans online to reuse their bamboo frames,” she explained. However, she noted the difficulty arises when silkworms drop off the fan while spinning silk. “You have to keep a close eye on their movement and adjust them back into position so they can continue spinning.” After four to five days, the spring silkworms create a delicate layer of silk on the fan’s frame, and with a bit of floral embroidery, the silk fan is completed.
Once she successfully crafted her silk fan, Joanna got inspired to use leftover silk to make silk soap. “I previously used silk protein for my skincare routine, and it proved to be effective for moisturizing and cleansing,” she said. This time, she decided to use goat milk as a base for her handmade silk soap, providing her family with soap that’s both practical and beneficial for their skin.
For parents who might worry about the complexities of making silk fans or soap, Joanna has some simpler suggestions. “Try making silk cocoon hair accessories or silk flower frames with your kids,” she recommended. The hair accessory is easy to create by cutting the cocoon into a flower shape and gluing it onto a hair tie; adding beads can enhance its elegance. For the silk flower frame, children can practice spinning silk, wrapping it around a picture frame, and then adding dried flowers to complete the project.
Joanna elaborated on the silkworm lifecycle, stating that silkworms spend the winter in egg form and hatch into silkworms in spring. “From hatching to cocooning takes about 20 to 28 days. April through July is the ideal time to work with the spring silkworms. Parents can create crafts while the silkworms are spinning or wait a few days after they’ve fully formed cocoons—just be careful to avoid seeing half-transformed silkworm moths.”
She also loves cooking with her children and, during the silkworm-rearing season, prepared a delicious treat that resembled live silkworms using mochi. She wrapped steamed white mochi in dark green matcha powder, adding black sesame seeds for the silkworm’s spots and eyes. “Everyone who saw the silkworm snack couldn’t believe how realistic it looked and were hesitant to eat it!”
In showcasing her creative projects, Joanna continues to inspire families to bond over learning and crafting, cultivating both skills and cherished memories.
