Over five thousands of years ago, a woman in China was drinking tea when a silkworm cocoon fell into her cup.  She unraveled the cocoon and proceeded to wrap the thread around her finger.  It was this strange occurrence that the history of one of the world’s most valuable fabrics was born.  Though this legend may seem like a myth, it is in fact the true fate of every silkworm to this day.  In Hoi An, Vietnam, I had the opportunity to see the beginning stages of the silk scarf being born.  I walked into the silkworm factory where I could see and hear hundreds and hundreds of silkworms munching on mulberry leaves and forming the important cocoons.  Here we learned that the mulberry trees are crucial in making silk and that the silkworms must have a specially controlled environment while they are eating in order to produce the best silk.  They must be kept at 65 degrees F and cannot be subjected to loud noises or strong odors like fish, meat or sweat.  As we wandered through the factory we discovered the entire silk process from boiling the cocoons, pulling out the silk thread, to dying the silk and finally weaving it into beautiful designs.  I was in awe and couldn’t help but stop and stare at the silk scarf I was wearing and marvel at the work that went in to its creation.  The fact that my silk scarf’s creation depended on a worm eating mulberry leaves was amazing.  Yes, it may be the fate of every mulberry silkworm to live just long enough to create this silk but it is this fate that has given us this beautiful, versatile fabric that has become a symbol of luxury and beauty. Never again will I forget where my scarf, its fabric and its textile was born.  - Lindsey