5 Things You Should Know Before Buying Ikat Fabric
Ikat fabrics have become the latest buzz in the world of fashion and home decor, catching the eyes of those who crave a blend of tradition and style. However, diving into the ikat trend and buying ikat fabrics without a proper understanding of what you're getting into can lead to surprises. This article serves as your friendly "ikat fabric buyer beware," aiming to arm you with essential insights before you invest in these textiles. Please note that everything we cover in this post applies to ikat fabrics made in Uzbekistan. So, let's unravel the ikat mystery together.
1. Ikat Fabrics and their Narrowness
One of the characteristics of ikat fabrics from Uzbekistan is their distinctive width. These textiles typically measure between 40-50 cm (approximately 16-20 inches for our imperial friends). This specific range of width is not a random choice. It is a direct reflection of the limitations imposed by the traditional handlooms on which these fabrics are meticulously woven. We have a blog post specially dedicated to this aspect of Uzbek ikat fabrics. Due to these constraints, for projects requiring more expansive pieces of fabric, you'll find it necessary to join together multiple strips of ikat, ensuring the ikat patterns align seamlessly.
Retro Ikat fabric from Soviet Uzbekistan
I love photography, especially black and white photography, especially black and white photography with stories. This post is about Uzbek Soviet ikat dresses made of ikat fabrics in images of 20th century.
Soviet era and Industrial Age
The Soviet Union, a newborn country in the early 20th century which united 12 relatively poor republics (lated added 3 baltic states), did not have time and resources for luxuries. The goal was to provide basic standards of living to everyone - a very noble goal, I must say, given that most people had very low standards of living. Hence, luxury fabrics like hand woven Ikats became a sign of bourgeoise and ikat making traditions became significantly simplified.
How to care for ikat fabrics?
How to care for ikat fabrics? This is what this blog post is about. Let me start off with a bit of a history. Ikat, as you may already know since you are on this website, is an Indonesian term
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.
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.
Covid-19, interior decoration and sustainability of Uzbek ikat fabrics
Those of us who live in cities and spent months in quarantine this year have changed during this pandemic. I am one of those people. Home has become an epicenter of everything. If before we considered going out or entertaining
Uzbek ikat fabrics as a wall art
Zoom meetings by now have become a norm for many of us. They are our new meeting rooms and how we appear in those meetings is important. For myself I identified several things which make a Zoom video conferencing a
Bold ikat patterns of Uzbek ikat fabrics
In a variety of ikat fabrics made around the world one can identify Uzbek ikat fabrics by its bold ikat pattern. Ikat textiles traditions are not unique to Uzbekistan. Many other countries also have long established ikat weaving cultures. However, just like food and music can tell a lot about the a culture, the same holds true for fabrics and patterns.
A tiny bit about Uzbek culture:
Uzbeks are social. Very social. In Uzbekistan we believe that a tight knit supportive family is a foundation of good happy life. Uzbek families are usually large, especially in villages.Gatherings are celebrated widely with music, dancing and a lot of good food. Uzbeks in general like things that are vibrant, colorful and festive. This is very evident in clothing and bold ikat patterns of ikat fabrics made and worn in Uzbekistan.