Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley
A golden cape woven from the silk of over a million wild spiders is on show at the V&A museum in London.
![Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Spider-silk-cape-by-Simon-Peers-and-Nicholas-Godley-3.jpg)
Working in Madagascar, Simon Peers from the UK and Nicholas Godley from the USA created a hand-operated machine for harvesting silk from the spiders based on a design from over 100 years ago.
![Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Spider-silk-cape-by-Simon-Peers-and-Nicholas-Godley-8.jpg)
Golden orb spiders were collected from the wild, harnessed to the machine so the silk could be extracted and set free again at the end of each day.
![Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Spider-silk-cape-by-Simon-Peers-and-Nicholas-Godley-1.jpg)
It takes about one week for the spiders to regenerate their silk so the same spiders can be used again and again.
![Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Spider-silk-cape-by-Simon-Peers-and-Nicholas-Godley-4.jpg)
23,000 spiders are needed to create about 28g of silk, which is naturally golden in colour.
![Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godleyc Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Spider-silk-cape-by-Simon-Peers-and-Nicholas-Godley-5.jpg)
The display also includes a four metre-long piece of fabric woven from the same spider silk and is on show at the museum until 5 June 2012.
![Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Spider-silk-cape-by-Simon-Peers-and-Nicholas-Godley-6.jpg)
See a scarf made by silk worms crawling across pieces of card in our earlier story.
![Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley Spider-silk cape by Simon Peers and Nicholas Godley](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2012/01/dezeen_Spider-silk-cape-by-Simon-Peers-and-Nicholas-Godley-7.jpg)
Here are some more details from the V&A museum:
The only large textiles in the world to have been created from the silk of spiders will go on display at the V&A in January 2012.
The four metre long woven textile was made from the silk of more than a million female Golden Orb spiders collected in the highlands of Madagascar. The hand-woven brocaded textile is naturally golden in colour and took over four years to create. It will be shown together with a new golden cape, woven and embroidered in Madagascar, which will go on public display for the very first time at the V&A.