Posts Tagged ‘Ikat’
Feb 14
Tying Ikat Clouds in Uzbekistan
“To tie a cloud”. What an image this phrase conjures. In the town of Margilan, in the Fergana Valley of Uzbekistan, one can find many artisans who “tie clouds”–ikat weavers who, over the past 28 years since Soviet rule, have revitalized their heritage textile making. This valley is the center→ Read more
Oct 04
Ikat The World Over
Handweaving of ikat cloth is not for sissies. The laborious and skillful process of resist-dyeing and weaving fine threads is not one quickly learned. Take me for instance–this resist-dyeing process has intrigued me since college when I spent a semester teaching myself warp ikat, studying whatever I could from the→ Read more
Jul 06
A Textile Travel Find: Central Asian Quilts with Ikat
Every month when we publish our monthly calendar of world textile events, textile travel lust hits me. For the past two years, we’ve highlighted exhibits or events that align with ClothRoads’s mission of supporting indigenous textiles and artisans worldwide. And while we note exhibits in far-flung places of the world→ Read more
Aug 17
A Textile Tour of Tribal Weaving in Indonesia
“The most exciting textile tour you are ever likely to find – the trip of a lifetime!” This is the lead sentence for the Tribal Weaving of the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia that hooked me this past May. Did it hook you? Indonesia has been at the top of→ Read more
Apr 07
Jaspe: A Guatemalan Resist-Dyed Handwoven Cloth
Guatemalan resist-dyed fabric called jaspe should never be taken for granted. Yet I undervalued this handwoven cloth for many years until a recent visit to the homeland of jaspe in Salcajá, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala.→ Read more
Aug 06
Uzbekistan Ikats Then and Now
When asked to choose my favorite textile, I have difficulty in responding. Truth is, I have to say handwoven silk Uzbekistan ikats are at the top of the list, perhaps because I lived there for eight years. But their bold colors and patterns make wearing an ikat outfit intimidating, at→ Read more
Mar 19
Kasuri and Indigo: Threads That Blur and Bind
Patterning in threads that blur. Indigo-and-white, naturally-dyed cloth with hand-woven designs. Cotton fabric so soft from years of wear that parts are threadbare. This kasuri yukata I wear has a story and I long to know it.→ Read more
Oct 30
Woven Dreams of T’nalak Ikat
Strip, split, knot, design, tie, dye, weave, pound, iron. Each of these steps goes into the weaving of the exquisitely complex T’nalak, a resist-dyed (ikat) abaca fiber, which is backstrap woven by T’boli women in the southern Philippines.→ Read more
Oct 24
Patan Patola: India’s Heirloom Double Ikats
As we neared the end of the narrow, dusty street in Patan, Gujarat, the quiet domestic scene belied the world-renowned workshop we sought. A few women gathered on a first floor veranda to gossip and hang laundry while a chestnut vendor ambled by. Our destination, a modest building with a narrow corner→ Read more
Sep 12
Scarf of the Month: Naturally Dyed Weft Ikat from Laos
In last week’s blog, I introduced you to the various types of ikat. Admittedly, ikat has intrigued me since college when, without really understanding its complexity, I registered for an independent study in ikat. Without any direction, other than a few books available at the time, I figured out a→ Read more
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