INCREDIBLE IKAT

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

IKAT
Ikat, or Ikkat, is a style of weaving that uses

a resist dyeing process similar to tie-dye on either the warp or weft before the threads are woven to create a pattern or design.
India Ikat is known as Bandha of Orissa,

patola of Gujarat, Pochampally in Andhra Pradesh .

word manikat means resist Tie and dye technique.

Many scholars feel that this type of textile design originated in Malay

and Indonesia.
They give two reasons in support of this theory.

The first of course term Ikat which has Malayan origin. And second

since this craft developed in coastal states like Gujarat, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh etc., it may be presumed that the technology is an imported, one which came through trade that existed through sea route

CLASSIFICATION
When both the warp and the weft are tie-dyed before

weaving the pattern or design is known as a Double Ikat. When either the warp or the weft are tie-dyed before weaving the pattern or design is known as a Single Ikat. When the warp are tie-dyed before weaving the pattern or design is known as a Warp Ikat. When the weft are tie-dyed before weaving the pattern or design is known as a Weft Ikat.

IKATS AROUND THE WORLD

INCREDIBLE INDIAN IKATS

BANDHAS OF ORISSA
POCHAMPALLY OF ANDHRA PRADESH

PATOLA OF GUJRAT
Weavers community are the Salvi community of

Gujrat. Important places are-Patan Surat Ahmedabad Vadodra Broach Most intricate double ikat design are in ikats of Gujarat.

BANDHAS OF ORISSA
Weavers community are the Mehers and Patras

community of Orissa. Important places are-Bhubaneswar Nuapatna Sambalpur Bolangir Bargarh Berhampur Motifs are very clear and unique for its Gitagovinda Script inscription called PHETA.

POCHAMPALLY OF ANDHRA PRADESH

Andhra Pradesh. Important places are-Pochampally Koyalgudam Siripuram Chautupal Putapakka Elanki Motifs are not very clear. Ikat production in these areas started in 20th century.

HISTORY OF IKAT

Ikats have been woven in cultures all over the world. Like any craft or art form, ikats vary widely from country to country and region to region. Designs may have symbolic of ritual meaning or have been developed for export trade. Ikats are often symbols of status, wealth, power and prestige. Perhaps because of the difficulty and time required to make ikats, some cultures believe the cloth is imbued with magical powers.

HISTORY OF IKAT

In Central and South America , Ikat is still common in Argentina Bolvia ,Ecaudar , Gautemala and Mexico.

India , Japan and several South-East Asian countries have cultures with long histories of Ikat production. Double Ikats can still be found in India , Guatemala, Japan and the Indonesian islands of Bali .

There are known links between ikat production in India and South-East Asia. Patola Cloth, a double ikat from Gujarat, western India, used to be exported to Indonesia for the use of the royal families.

As early as the fifteenth century Gujarati merchants brought patola to Indonesian rulers, an activity taken over by the Dutch at the beginning of the seventeenth century to gain concessions in the spice trade. The patterns in the Patola Ikats are strikingly similar to the double ikats produced in Bali, Indonesia.

Ikat weaving from the Island of Sumba, Indonesian.

Detail of a classic Gujarati patola from the early 19th century

IKAT - is a type of weaving where the warp,

weft or both are tie-dyed before weaving to create designs on the finished fabric.
Great care must be taken in tying resist.

The precision of the wrapping determines the

clarity of the design.

When finished and unwrapped

Raw materials such as yarns and dyes are resourced from the nearest

market.
Then convert them into cones/bobbins with the help of winding

machine.

Semi-circular frames with pegs are used for preparation of

weft.

At first they make the designs on graph paper. Then the design is transferred to the threads. It is generally in the

ratio of 1:7 to the graph.

Dyeing

with First(lightest) Colour.

Repeat the

(Tie & Dye) process for Third/Fourth Colour as required according to the Colour in the Design after tying.
After tying,

the silk threads are dyed.

Then the

ties are removed revealing with designs and texture created by the ties on the woven fabric. This is a labor intensive craft!
Placing of

the Tie & Dye weft on Tie & Dye Frame for Rewiding

For cotton Warping preparation is done at small scale as well as at large

scale Then go for sizing,done on the street.

They attach the new warp to the old warp. It takes 15 days to do the denting. Joining takes 3 days. So it saves time.

Traditional pit loom are still used, looms were set into low mud

walls, and the weaver sat on the ground.

By moving the treadles weaver could lower the shafts. Each shaft consisted of a large number of vertical loops of thread

(known as heddles) through which an individual warp thread is passed.

They brush the warp yarn with a wax which enabled the fine silk

threads to withstand the tensions and movements of the weaving.

They also use extra weft

patterning
They also use dobby and

jacquard for borders

 After the threads are dyed the loom is set up. The

pattern is visible to the weaver when the dyed threads are used
Dying the weft makes it much more difficult to make

ikats with precise patterns. The weft is one continuous strand that is woven back and forth
Weft ikats are usually used when the precision of the

pattern is not the main concern.

 Double ikats are the most

difficult to produce. In the finest examples from India and Indonesia, the warp and the weft are precisely tied and dyed so that the patterns interlock and reinforce each other when the fabric is woven.
The most precise ikat is the

Japanese oshima -- thrice-woven cloth. The warp and weft threads are used as warp to weave stiff fabric, upon which the thread for the ikat weaving is spot-dyed. Then the mats are unraveled and the dyed thread is woven into oshima cloth.

The looms used are:

1. Traditional Pit loom: 2. Frame loom: 3. Raised loom:

A pit loom is a loom which takes less room

.Its uniqueness is that the weavers sit with his or her legs in the pit. This type of loom leaves the weaver hand free to pass the weft shuttle.

2. Frame loom
The improved version of the pit loom is the

frame loom . The entire structure of the loom is raised on the ground by fixing and jointing wooden battens.

The raised loom is also a version of a pit loom. The only difference is that in a raised pit loom the

weaver sits on a raised top instead of digging a pit.

The Peacock The peacock symbolizes beauty. A dancing peacock symbolizes coming of the rains and is therefore associated with prosperity.
The Elephant Elephants are associated with fertility and cosmic waters. The elephant-headed God of learning, Ganesha.

Mallepu: its like jaismin flower.