Inspired by everyday objects and re-interpreted by a master artist, ikat's iconic patterns take form
The process begins with fine white silk threads which will become the "warp" in the weave giving the fabric its pattern and color. Approximately 400 meter lengths of this thread are wound on a large vertical spinning rack to form large bundles of threads call "skeins"
The circumference of these skein lops is 4 meters. (each skein represents two threads in the width of the final fabric).
After about 100 skeins have been created, they are looped on a rack comprised of 2 parallel steel pipes, 2 meters apart, and tied off with string to keep the individual skeins separate from each other. (The string is not removed during the entire dyeing process which results in the ubiquitous white blurred line found every 2 meters on traditional handwoven ikats).
The rack holding the skeins looks like the stretched strings on a harp measuring 2 meters in width and 2 meters long.
At this point, an artist marks a pattern on the outstretched bundles using a sharpened wooden stick dipped in wet charcoal. The artist has over 100 patterns memorized and can recreate past fabrics or improvise new ones at will
" ...The artist has over 100 patterns memorized and can recreate past fabrics or improvise new ones at will..."
What is drawn represents the pattern on half of the final fabric since the skeins will ultimately be divided in two to create both sides of a symmetrical pattern. So, in effect, what starts out as a 2 meter width of skeins will be reduced down to about 18 inches width of fabric. (This accounts for traditional ikat's narrow width).
Marked pattern
Once the pattern is marked, a specialized craftsman begins to wrap certain areas of the bundles using a combination of plastic wrap and cotton thread. The areas of thread under this wrapping will resist the dye, leaving the area white.
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