Resistance dyeing and the Lao WEFT IKAT

Below is another gorgeous piece of Lao cotton IKAT or MUTMEE, carefully handwoven into a smooth fine cotton textile. These textiles use resistance dyeing methods, similar to tie-dying, where the threads of the fabric are resist dyed before being woven to allow a pattern to appear. These threads are hand dyed, many numerous times , to achieve the desired colour. This type of textile is a weft Ikat weave where the warp threads are a solid, plain colour. This method of resist dying and Ikat weaving is similar to the Japanese Kasuri  (the Japanese word for ikat) method of the weft ikat. The weft ikat is more complex than the warp ikat method, where the overall pattern is pre-laid in the resist dyed warp threads and the weft threads are solid colours. Ikat is an intricate art, requiring a skilled weaver to plan in advance, to know precisely where the pattern will fall on the textile, to produce a pattern that is culturally relevant or visually appealing.

Silk weft – tying the threads for resist dyeing before weaving.
(image courtesy of BTS Adventures)

I have paired this with a light aquamarine 100% silk dupion to highlight the sea blue hues of the cotton. These beautiful reversible cushions will instantly transform your room and will be 35×60cm pillows or lumbar cushions, taking advantage of the width and pattern of the textile.  We have also listed limited edition fabrics to our  online store. These may be purchased in 25cm lengths for your convenience.

Handwoven IKAT fabrics in store now!

100% handwoven Silk Ikat Scarves also in store!