Shanghai silk flowers

Last updated 2026-10-22 — Shanghai silk flowers mainly involve the following six processes: The first is material sizing. The raw materials for silk flowers are mostly made of silk fabrics, which are generally soft in texture, not easy to cut, and the petals tend to have frayed edges, making them difficult to shape. Therefore, a sizing process is required. Bean flour is used as the sizing agent. In the past, sizing was done manually, which resulted in low production and was not suitable for assembly-line manufacturing, and drying relied on the weather. Now, mechanical scraping and steam drying are used. The second is cutting. According to the designed petal shapes, a knocking knife and a cutting machine are used to cut the material, replacing the previous method of manually hammering petals with heavy wooden mallets. The third is dyeing, which is a relatively important part of the production process. To accommodate color variations, facilitate overprinting, and meet the special needs of small-batch production, a cold dyeing method using alcohol as a penetrant is generally employed, with scientific proportions of water, penetrant, and dye. Color cards are used as color references, replacing the previous method of relying solely on experience and visual estimation. The fourth is shaping. In the past, petals were shaped by hand through holding, ironing, twisting, and pulling. Now, molds and mechanical stamping are used to make the petal veins clear and improve quality. The fifth is setting. The shaped petals contain a certain amount of moisture, making them relatively wet and soft, so they need to be dried and set to ensure the overall lifelike appearance of the flower. Electric ovens are now used instead of traditional fire (coal) stoves for drying. Finally, there is assembly, which is generally divided into three steps: gluing the flowers, attaching the set petals to form flowers according to the actual sample; piecing the flowers, using parchment paper to sequentially assemble the flowers, leaves, twigs, and stems into a complete silk flower product; and finally packaging them into boxes. The products feature bright and harmonious colors, reasonable structure, full shape, soft lines, and a blend of realism and beauty, possessing a high degree of artistry and aesthetic appeal.