The weather is dry but overcast which is good for taking photos of fabrics out of doors.
This is Ikat with a cotton warp which is tie dyed and a fine silk white weft. It is woven in 5 and 1 twill so the other side is very muted. The warp would be sett ( by me) at 30-35 epi for the warp yarn thickness whereas it is actually set at 60 epi, meaning it is a warp faced fabric. This type of fabric is called atlas by the Uzbekistan people.
Here is another length of atlas.
And this is what we think of as Central Asian colours!!! I do not care for these colour combinations.
And this is a spectacular piece of shibori I bought in Dun Huang. The stall had five pieces of which this was the best. I tried to discover where it had been made because it is like Okinawan shibori - but not quite. It mostly uses lines of stitching. I got the impression she was saying it was old and certainly it had been used and is staining. I will ave a go at washing it. When I asked our guide what he thought of it, he said, without hesitation, that it was old and second hand and the technique used to be employed in Dun Huang but not any more. So there we are. Whatever its provenance, it is very good.
The photo shows half the cloth. It is really tablecloth size and I shall use it that way.
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I'm glad you're home safe, and that you found some textile treasures to bring back with you. What a journey! I've followed your travels with interest.
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