“Fruity and Juicy” cotton silk ikat fabric, dyelot 2
We have a new dyelot of "Fruity and Juicy" cotton silk ikat fabric which is available at this link:. This multicolor cotton silk blend ikat was hand dyed and handloom woven in Margilan, Uzbekistan . This is a perfect ikat pattern for projects where you need to add a pinch of fresh and vibrant colors.
Differences with an old dyelot
New dyelot has a mat antiqued finish and is 4 cm (1.8") wider. This ikat dyelot has a beautiful moire pattern.
Ikat lampshades we love: our top 3 favorite stores
Handloom ikat fabrics are widely used in fashion and for soft furnishings in interiors. One niche area in interior decoration in which ikat fabrics are not used so widely is lighting. Today we would like to share with you a few examples how human genius used bold ikat patterns for creating some of the most amazing ikat lampshades. Here is our top 3 favorite stores which have been using ikat fabrics in their collections.
Sustainable fabrics and our ikat fabrics
I wanted to share this very interesting article from "The Good Trade" blog about sustainable fabrics. Here is a link to the whole article: "Sustainable Fabrics 101: Everything You Need To Know Before You Shop". The article talks about fabrics in relation to fashion, specifically fast fashion since that's where the most environmental damage comes from. However, all points covered are applicable to interior design and interior decoration.
Ikat fabric for upholstery: 3 examples of pairing antique chairs with ikat fabrics
Ikat fabrics are widely used for upholstery. They are “go to” fabric when it comes to creating Boho Interiors with subtle and not so subtle ethnic touches. Using ikat fabrics also creates amazing results when ikats pair with antique and
“Bukharian pattern” pure silk ikat fabric by Rasul Mirzaakhmedov
I recently discovered a book "The yarn connecting generations" published in Tashkent in 2017. The book is in Uzbek and Russian. The book is a tribute to works of two ikat artisans from Margilan - Turgunboy and Rasul Mirzaakhmedovs, a famous father and son duet. They revived some Central Asian ikat patterns lost during the Soviet times and created many new ones. Turgunboy Mirzaakhmedov passed away years ago - God bless his soul. Rasul, the 9th generation abrbandi ikat maker is continuing his legacy. It was interesting to read the book since I personally knew late Turgunboy aka and know Rasul.
Why are modern day Uzbek ikat fabrics narrow?
Today's topic is the narrow width of Uzbek ikats fabrics. Many of you ask us why Uzbek ikat fabrics are so narrow. With this post I will try to explain why.
Ikat fabrics and arrival of communism
Ikat weaving has been practiced in Central Asia for centuries by artisans. The arrival of bolsheviks with an idea of communism about 100 years ago put an end to individual craftsmanship and made all manufacturing, including ikat making a government domain. Only state owned textile companies made ikats. Attempts to make ikats at home as a side business was a crime for which artisans could go to a jail. This sounds wild but the Soviet idea was to have everyone economically equal. When someone works secretly at home, in addition to working for a state textile factory, he/she gets richer than others. That was unacceptable to the Soviet regime. The fact that ikat weaving has survived is partly due to these "crimes" committed by artisans by working in secret.
Hot pink ikat fabric and grande Oscar de La Renta
We have something in common with great Oscar de la Renta. It’s not only love for Uzbek ikat fabrics. It is specifically love for hot pink and white ikat fabric.
Take a look at this summer dress from Oscar de la Renta’s Resort 2015 collection. This is a dress made of a Ikat pattern fabric combined with a gingham pattern. I don’t know if the fabric is a handmade ikat fabric. From the description of the dress at www.matchesfashion.com this dress is Ikat and gingham print versus being a real ikat fabric. You can read more about a difference between ikat fabrics and ikat print fabrics following this link.
What is a difference between “ikat fabrics” and “ikat print fabrics”?
We often come across fabrics defined as “Ikat print fabrics” which leaves us a bit confused. What in the world is Ikat print? How is it different from Ikat fabric? These are questions we would like to cover in this post and hopefully clarify the difference.
Let’s start with Ikat terminology. Wikipedia defines Ikat as follows:
“ikat is a dyeing technique used to pattern textiles that employs resist dyeing on the yarns prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric. In ikat the resist is formed by binding individual yarns or bundles of yarns with a tight wrapping applied in the desired pattern (ikat means "to bind" in the Indonesian language). The yarns are then dyed. The bindings may then be altered to create a new pattern and the yarns dyed again with another colour. This process may be repeated multiple times to produce elaborate, multicolored patterns. When the dyeing is finished all the bindings are removed and the yarns are woven into cloth”
As you can see the ikat making process is as follows: 1) bind, 2) dye and 3) weave.
Textures and colors of Uzbek ikat fabrics
I have noticed that sometimes the best way to answer customers' questions is by making a short video. Oftentimes it is also a good way to communicate texture and colors of Uzbek ikat fabrics..
However, when it comes to colors things can get tricky.
First of all, we all have different screen resolutions and as such, we all see colors differently.
Secondly, the colors of the fabric depend on the lighting. We try to take photos in the natural light. However, indoors with artificial lighting the colors of Ikat fabrics will be different.
Free shipping on orders $99!
It looks like air shipping is getting somewhat normalized. Orders are reaching Americas and Europe within a somewhat reasonable timeframe. Hallelujah!
This being said, post office workers are still reluctant to give us a timeframe within which orders will reach a specific country. This is understandable because each country is handling its Covid-19 situation differently. From recent order deliveries we feel that shipping with registered air mail is going back to pre-pandemic days. That is delivery within 10-14 business days to major metropolitan areas. Rural areas may take longer. However, if you need your order by a certain date please contact us so we can arrange your shipping with DHL, FedEx or Aramex.