About Us

 

 

 

LilySophia is passionate about traditional Chinese silk and cotton products.

 

As the founder of LilySophia, I originally grew up in a city of the Yangtze Region of China.  One of the most beautiful memories of my childhood was raising silk moth larvae (caterpillars) as my pets, which I did from the age of eight.  This work required great care and responsibility, from hatching the larvae out of tiny little eggs, growing them to the point where they could spin a silk cocoon.

 

Growing up in a city, it was always hard to find mulberry leaves to feed the larvae, as these were mostly found in the countryside.  Somehow, I always managed to get them from my friends.

 

Once I found some leaves, I needed to take great care to keep the leaves fresh in a bamboo basket.  This was achieved with a piece of damp cloth on the top of the leaves, but it was hard work keeping the cloth damp in average spring/summer temperatures of about 35 degrees.  This required a lot a concentration from a little child as there were many other things I liked to do, such as going out with my friends.  However, I was always worried about the caterpilars dying from a lack of fresh leaves, so I never forgot them!

 

Caterpillars do not drink water, only eating fresh but dry mulberry leaves.  The leaves must not be even a tiny bit wet as this would make the caterpillars ill, subsequently killing them.  I would dry the fresh leaves on a dry cloth before feeding them to the caterpillars.

 

It was an absolutely beautiful process to do and to watch, as the caterpillars grew to maturity and spun a silk cocoon.  I raised larvae almost every spring/summer throughout my childhood until I left home for university.

 

Silk is natural and hypo-allergenic, it gives me great pleasure to share the beauty of silk with my customers.  I want LilySophia to give you the chance to purchase some great silk products while I am able to keep this beautiful and precious childhood memory and passion alive.

 

Lily