Kasuri Fabric with Indigo and White Squares

Hand-dyed and handwoven, this vintage Kasuri panel has a geometric design consisting of a checkerboard of indigo and indigo-and-white squares. The fine cotton fabric is a balanced plain weave; the cloth is light-weight with a good drape. The panel has three small holes near one end and three small holes near the center. The panel has been patched in three places. One patch consists of indigo-stenciled fabric, and two patches are indigo-dyed cotton. They are stitched to the fabric with cotton thread. The indigo patches appear to reinforce the fabric for its original use while the stencil-dyed patch connects and joins two separate pieces of the fabric into one long piece.

Kasuri is a dyeing and weaving technique know as ikat in other parts of the world. Warp and/or weft threads are dyed in a predetermined pattern before they are woven; as weaving progresses a geometric or figurative design emerges. The patterns have “fuzzy” lines that are a hallmark of the technique.