Inle Lake: Lotus Threads

At a weaving centre perched on stilts over the waters of Inle Lake, I saw the painstaking work involved in making lotus thread, traditionally used for monks’ robes.

After scoring the outside of the lotus stems with a knife, the stems are broken and pulled apart a short distance, twisted to join the strands that develop…

…joined to the previously made segment…

…stretched along a board…

...and rolled:

This process is repeated countless thousands of times. A metre of fabric can require the stems of 6000 lotus flowers.

The lotus thread is coiled loosely in a pot to dry…

and reeled into a skein:

To see the fabrics woven with this unique thread, see Inle Lake: Lotus Weaving