Kushutara pieces are expensive because they are so labour intensive, so I have purchased only one large piece. The remainder of my “collection” is in the more affordable form of the photographs on the other pages of this website. Continue reading
Along with mathra, Sethra is a very popular plaid associated with Central Bhutan. Continue reading
The addition of sapma motifs to sethra or mathra woven for a woman’s kira is a more recent innovation and designated “pesar” or “new design.” Continue reading
I have not had the opportunity to weave yathra, and only the briefest opportunity to watch it being woven. Continue reading
Fabric woven from wild silk is coarser than that made from reeled silk due to the thickness and unevenness of the thread.
Frame loom for weaving yathra, Bumthang
In addition to the backstrap loom two other kinds of looms are used in Bhutan: the frame loom and the card loom. Continue reading
Mathra is a predominantly maroon plaid, originally from Kurtoe, but now more closely associated with Bumthang. Continue reading
Warp preparation for the backstrap loom is done by winding the threads around a series of upright bamboo, wooden or plastic poles.
The Bhutanese describe the width of these supplementary warp patterns in “legs” which are counted in the cross-hatched bars that run at right angles across the yellow and red stripes. Continue reading
In this close-up, you can see how the supplementary weft threads in this type of pattern (on the green ground in this gho) are taken all the way to the rainbow stripes, and the point where they reverse direction is hidden there. Continue reading
