Monday 10 June 2013

Ikat and Shibori

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.

 

1 comment:

  1. 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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About Me

I am weaver and - -. I dye my yarns with acid dyes, I paint my warps, put fabric collages and stencils on my weaving. I have three looms, a 12 inch wide, 12 shaft Meyer for demos and courses, a 30 inch Louet Kombo which is nominally portable but has a stand, two extra beams and a home-made device containing a fan reed. And last a 32 shaft Louet Megado which is computer controlled, has a sectional warp and a second warp beam and I am the proud owner of an AVL warping wheel which I love to bits and started by drilling holes in. I inserted a device for putting a cross in. I have just acquired an inkle loom and had a lesson from an expert so I can watch TV and weave at the same time. I am interested in weaving with silk mostly 60/2 although I do quite a bit with 90/2 silk. I also count myself as a bookbinder with a special interest in Coptic binding.