The Dream Silks Product Range
The Dream Silks product range includes Doonas, Mattress Pads (also referred to as Mattress Protectors and Mattress Covers) and Pillow Protectors.
We design, test and manufacture our own products specifically for the Australian market.
We also make available through our website a number of other bedding related products such as pillows that we have sourced and tested and feel confident to put beside our own product line.
Silk has a variety of key features that make it stand out from traditional bedding available in the marketplace today.
In addition to the conscious and sub-conscious experience, silk offers very tangible benefits.
Silk is NATURES OPTIMAL FIBRE that drapes and caresses your body without bulk.
Silk is as WARM as down or cotton at approximately half the weight. No more cumbersome heavy quilts to achieve peaceful and restful sleep. This is greatly appreciated by older people who may have ailments and who welcome no restrictions on their lower extremities.
DREAM SILKS doonas are BREATHABLE so that there is not a heat trap. To fully understand this one must first understand how traditional bedding works. Other forms of bedding insulate the body by trapping air between the body and the fabric. This commonly results in sweating or throwing the doona onto their partner. The on-again-off-again pattern with traditional bedding defeats restful sleep. DREAM SILKS offer a consistent temperature by reflecting one’s own heat and without the insulating factor.
Our Dream Silks doonas are designed with the highest quality AAA long strand silk available. The fibres are removed from the cocoon in continuous strands (up to 1500 feet long). The silk is stretched the full length and is sewn in a quilting fashion out to the edge of the products. This means the silk inside CANNOT SHIFT OR MOVE and it WILL NOT MAT. This combined with the knowledge that silk is nature’s STRONGEST fibre (tensile strength greater than steel), provides a long lasting consistent product. Silk is the only known fibre which, in its natural state (cleaned but not processed), is completely non-allergenic. This coupled with the knowledge that silk is resistant to DUST MITES, BACTERIA and MOULD has elevated silk as a must have for those suffering from asthma, allergies, etc
WASH Dream Silks products in a large front load washing machine. TUMBLE DRY on cold air cycle only. This feature distinguishes silk-filled doonas from most all others.
Dream Silks doonas are a practical and cherished GIFT for loved ones.
Properties & Benefits of Dream Silks
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Non-Allergenic: It is generally acknowledged that there are no known allergies towards silk. Silk, as in our duvet, does not break down and create dust. Silk also does not retain moisture and is not a good environment for mold, mildew, dust mites and bacteria. Dust mites also do not like silk because it is an excretion of an animal, no bug will live in another bug’s excretion.
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Breathable: Unlike other types of bedding that most people are familiar with, silk breathes and therefore will not trap heat and moisture. This makes it much more comfortable for those people that tend to be to warm (hot) while they sleep but still gives adequate warmth to a cooler sleeping partner.
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Lightweight: Silk can be up to half the weight of most duvets for the same amount of warmth. As an example, skiers and mountain climbers use silk under garments, allowing them to be warm without perspiring excessively. This makes silk filled duvets very comfortable for people who have difficulty moving under the weight of most duvets and for those people who like the warmth but just do not like the feeling of weight on them.
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Washable: Dream Silks bedding line are very easy to wash. It is recommended to use a front loader washing machine (to prevent wear and tear). Wash in cold water using a mild detergent, such as Woolite, Zero or Baby’s Own. Oxi Clean is safe to use if needed to brighten the cotton. Hang to dry indoors or if hanging out doors, it must be away from direct sunlight (UV rays and heat from the sun can damage the silk). If using the dryer, it must be dried either on a air fluff or cold air cycle only.
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Quality and Durability: We use only the highest grade of raw silk available. Silk by diameter, is stronger than steel yet soft and cuddly. The only things that will ever change the texture of silk are extreme heat and/or harsh chemicals such as bleach. Just remember NO HEAT, NO BLEACH. The outer shell is 100% cotton. 233 thread count mercerized cotton percale. There is no bunching, shifting or moving. The silk is a full size bat sandwiched between the cotton covers and sewn through side-to-side, end-to-end. Also, because of the construction of the duvet, there is no need for shaking and flattening the duvet to make it look good on your bed. Your bed always has that clean tailored look. All of Dream Silks™ products in Australia have a 5 years manufacturers warranty on materials and workmanship.
Difference Between Dream Silks and Other Silk Bedding
Is there any difference between a Dream Silks doona and those of lesser quality?
Although silk doonas are somewhat rare and relatively new in Australia, there are a number of companies around promoting them.
It is important to know that all silk doonas are not the same.
Key questions to ask are:
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Is it continuous long strand silk or stretched cocoons?
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How much silk is contained inside the outer shell?
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Is the doona machine washable? Can it be tumble dried?
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Is the doona able to be dry-cleaned if needed?
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Is the doona offered in standard Australian bedding sizes?
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What type of warranty does the manufacturer offer?
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Is the head office based in Australia and are they easy to contact?
Long Strand Silk?
Most of the silk doonas on the market are formed by manually stretching out the silk cocoons into thin wispy layers which are then piled on top of each other to make a sort of silk padding. This is then put inside a thin outer layer. The feel and properties of the doona will be very similar to that of a Dream Silks doona. However, Dream Silks doonas are much more durable and easier to take care of because they are made of continuous long strand silk.
Continuous long strand silk means that each strand of pure raw silk runs unbroken from top to bottom. There are tens of thousands of such strands all aligned and running top to bottom. In the Dream Silks doona these strands are all box stitched into place so that they never move, mat or clump. There is never any need to shake the doona out to even out the fill, or the need to restuff it.
Silk doonas made using the "stretched cocoon" method cannot be washed and in most cases they cannot be dry cleaned. Over time it is also possible for the silk fill to move around or clump up. This does not happen with the Dream Silks doonas.
How Much Silk?
Check the weight of the silk doonas being advertised. Many are extremely thin and light and contain a lot less silk than a Dream Silks doona. Sometimes the price might be slightly cheaper, but the product may contain a lot less silk inside.
Washing & Drying
Because of the special way Dream Silks doonas are made, they can be machine washed and tumbled dried. They can also be dry cleaned if desired. This is not the case for nearly every other type doona on the market, especially other silk doonas. Most require dry cleaning on a regular basis which can be very expensive. Dream Silks save you money by not needing to be dry cleaned.
Australian Sizes?
Most silk doonas that are imported from China do not fit standard Australian doona covers. Many are also made for European bed sizes and require unusual solutions of tying different sections together to make up the necessary doona size.
All Dream Silks doonas are specifically manufactured for Australia and fit all standard Australian doona covers perfectly.
Warranty
All Dream Silks doonas come with a 5 Year manufacturers warranty on materials and workmanship. In the unlikely event of a manufacturing defect or fault, your doona will be replaced or repaired at no cost to you.
Most other bedding manufacturers offer warranties of 6 months or less, or no warranty at all.
Australian Head Office?
Another important question is where is the head office of the company that manufactures the silk doona. Overseas companies or independent dealers working from home are hard to contact for help or service.
Dream Silks are manufactured by Five Star Selections Pty Ltd, an Australian company with a warehouse and offices in Sydney, Australia. We can be contacted at any time by telephone, fax, email or in person for re-orders or customer service questions (see our contact page for full details).
Silk Production
The most spoiled worm in existence
Producing silk involves two essential components. Number one is the care of the domesticated silkworm (Bombyx Mori) from the egg stage through creation of the cocoon. Number two is the growing of Mulberry trees, whose leaves provide the food for the worms. The silkworm builds its cocoon by surrounding itself with a long continuous fibre or filament. From spinnerets in its head, two filaments are bound together to form a single filament. The two components are fibroin, a protein material, and sericin, a gummy substance that is the cement.
Silk is a continuous filament within each cocoon, having a usable length of 600 to 900 metres (2000-3000 feet). It is freed from the cocoon by softening the sericin and the locating the filament end. When tourists visit silk factories they will take the silk strand and manually stretch it out to its full length by having numerous people gently string it out (2000 + feet). Modern techniques are mechanical, by reeling or unwinding several cocoons at the same time and twisting the filaments together. Several silk strands twisted together form a thicker, stronger yarn. Various yarns are produced differing by the amount of fibres and the different twists that are used.
Silk containing sericin is called raw silk. To remove the gummy substance, the silk is boiled in soapy water. What remains is a yarn which is very soft and lustrous. This is the stage we purchase our silk. Silk in this form is completely non-allergenic and is resistant to mold, dust mites and mildew.
Silk in this stage is very strong, having a tensile strength greater than steel of the same thickness. Additionally because silk is very smooth, it does not readily retain soil making silk very easy to clean. The key things that can damage silk are bleach, high heat and prolonged exposure to sunlight (uv rays). Silk has been found in good condition in shipwrecks having lasted in the ocean for centuries.
Because of the durability and ease of care, silk quilts and doonas have been known to last a lifetime. Many Chinese seniors still have their original silk they were given as children.
History of Silk
Silk is nature’s finest fibre that has for centuries been synonymous with excellence, opulence, durability and mystery. Once only available to nobility, it is highly treasured and appreciated for its smooth feel and gentle warmth. Silk has long been recognized as a symbol of good taste and well-being which is a concept that has been carefully preserved in the production of the Dream Silks doonas.
The origin of silk production is on record as existing in China sometime before the third millennium BC. For many centuries the Chinese guarded the secrets of the source and production of silk zealously. Smuggling of cocoons or imparting knowledge outside of the country by foreigners was dealt with swiftly and harshly. Many death sentences were carried out.
Until AD 550 when two Persian monks smuggled silkworms out of China in the hollows of their bamboo canes, silk was not successfully produced outside of China. These hardy worms delivered to Constantinople were the beginning of all varieties of silk production throughout Europe.
Silk flourished in Europe until 1854 when a devastating silkworm plague wiped out almost all of Europe’s production. Louis Pasteur discovered the cause and was able to develop a means of control for the plague, but the damage was done. Countries such as Italy didn’t fully recover until well into the 20th century.
This plague greatly increased the value of the silk and to this day remains an important luxury material cherished around the world. Silk is a staple economic producer for China and is an important product in Japan, Thailand, and Italy.
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