IKAT silk

When rushing through Istanbul Grand Bazaar last week, I stopped to admire Ikat silks, these ones hand-woven in Uzbekistan. Now, I'm no expert in such, but grew very interested in these pieces, as some of the sellers seemed to be so proud having them in their selection. Of course partly they were pure polyester, accidently slipped to the pile probably ;), but some of them were genuine, like these ones shown in the photos.

The more complicated the pattern (like below), the more valuable the piece is. I rather like the bit simpler ones, so does that suggest I have a cheap taste :)?? That would be the first!! Well, the 'designer' cushion covers made of these silks cost around 100-150 euros / piece, so no exact relief on the finances expected here...

'Ikat, or Ikkat, is a dyeing technique used to pattern textiles that employs a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dye on either the warp or weft fibres. Bindings, which resist dye penetration, are applied to the threads in the desired patterns and the threads are dyed. Alteration of the bindings and the dyeing of more than one color produce elaborate, multicolored patterns. When all of the dyeing is finished the bindings are removed and the threads are ready to be woven into cloth. The defining characteristic of ikat is the dyeing of patterns, by means of bindings, into the threads before cloth constrution, the weaving of the fabric, takes place. Herein lies the difference between ikat and tie-dye. In tie-dye the fabric is woven first and the resist bindings are then applied to the fabric which is dyed.' (source)

If you are interested to read more, there's quite some nice information on Posh Interior Design 's website. And lastly - wish to purchase some, google ikat silk, and you find quite a few websites, with a huge variation in prices. Your call :).

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