I purchased my first piece of 2/1 twill ikat in Chiang Mai in 2001, and as well as loving the soft pattern edges created by tying and dyeing the yarns before weaving, I was transfixed by the way the weave structure affects the colours as the fabric moves.

Ever since I found out that this kind of cloth is a specialty of Cambodian weavers, who call it hol, I had hankered to visit Cambodia and see its production for myself.

In 2012 I finally made it to Cambodia, and you can imagine my delight when I stumbled upon this pair of hol shops in Phnom Penh.

Stay tuned for details of my visits to Cambodian villages specialising in the production of these gorgeous jewelled fabrics.

See the hol weavers I visited in Phnom Chisor