Ikat
Ikat is a process of "wrapping to pattern"
the yarns before dyeing and weaving.
The strings used for wrapping the yarns
have to resist the dye and thus a pattern is placed in the yarns. For
multi-colors, a process of over-dyeing is done until the yarns are ready for
weaving.
In warp Ikat, the yarns for the warp are
measured on a warp stretcher to the exact length of one warp. In weft Ikat, the
weft yarns are measured on a weft stretcher, but more than one piece of textile
can be woven on the warp prepared for weft Ikat. Thus longer lengths of the same
design can be woven.
It is likely that warp Ikat is older than
weft Ikat, but the history is far from conclusive. In peninsular and island SE
Asia, the change to weft Ikat seemed to coincide with the introduction of silk
from China and India that was traded into the region by the 6th century AD
The weaving of silk in weft Ikat was
easier than in warp Ikat and the demand for this luxury item brought about a
change in techniques, including the introduction of the frame loom. In mainland
SE Asia, the origins of silk are more likely to be indigenous and thus the
beginnings of weft Ikat are not clear.
Here frame looms have been in existence
for a long time, together with the weaving combs and weft Ikat equipment. Warp
Ikat is only found in very simple designs among some of the T'ai groups of Laos
and Thailand while hilltribe groups still practice the technique using backstrap
looms.
Compound ikat, which is the technique of
combining warp and weft ikat on the same piece, is found in simplistic forms
among the Khmor Sung of northeast Thailand, the Red T'ai of northeast Laos, the
Minangkabau of West Sumatra, Indonesia; but the best known areas for compound
ikat of excellence are Gujarat, India and Tenganan in Bali.
Warp ikat is best suited to the use of
cotton or other plant fibers. Thus the colors used in theses textiles revolve
around those suitable for natural ayes on cotton. The most popular colors are
indigo and mengkudu red (Morinda citrifolia) which is used on white or natural
cotton yarns tied to resist the dye in the ikat technique.
Weft Ikats made in silk tend to use
yellow (turmeric), a dilute form of indigo to make green, and a deep crimson red
make from the lac insect. Orange, green and purple are created by the overdye
process. Cottons made in weft ikat are mainly indigo and white.
02. December 2004