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How is traditional ikat fabrics woven?

How is traditional ikat fabrics woven?



To woven ikat, warp and/or weft threads are tied and dyed in a specific sequence before being woven (the warp is the lengthwise thread or the one you traditionally use to find a grainline, while the weft is the crosswise or selvedge-to-selvedge grain).  This is a painstaking, meticulous process. Preparing thread for ikat dyeing involves carefully bundling the thread and stretching it out in frames, marking the pattern on the thread, tightly wrapping the areas to resist dye, and then lining up all the threads on the loom before weaving.

Uzbekistan only the warp yarns are bound tightly and dyed. In warp ikat it is only the warp yarns that are dyed using the ikat technique. The weft yarns are dyed a solid colour. The ikat pattern is clearly visible in the warp yarns wound onto the loom even before the weft is woven in.

Nowadays, Particularly in the Fergana Valley, the numbers of manufacturers producing ikat completely by hand has grown exponentially. It is here that ikat textiles are produced for fashion companies like Gucci or Dries van Noten etc.

Source : wikipedia.org

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