I have not had the opportunity to weave yathra, and only the briefest opportunity to watch it being woven. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Bhutan
Rangjung & Radi: Raw Silk
Other Bhutanese Looms
In addition to the backstrap loom two other kinds of looms are used in Bhutan: the frame loom and the card loom. Continue reading
Bumthang: Mathra
Mathra is a predominantly maroon plaid, originally from Kurtoe, but now more closely associated with Bumthang. Continue reading
Warp Preparation for Backstrap Loom
Aikapur Technique: Supplementary Warp
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
Aikapur Technique: Supplementary Weft
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
Thrima Technique
Thrima means “to coil” and there are several ways the Bhutanese coil the supplementary weft threads in their kushu designs. Continue reading
Sapma Technique
Sapma designs look very similar to supplementary weft patterns from non-Bhutanese weaving traditions, except that the Bhutanese technique is not visible on the reverse of the fabric. The other difference is that thread ends are worked as pairs. Continue reading
Kushutara Technique
Kushutara means brocaded dress, and refers to cloth decorated with the intricate kushu techniques, involving discontinuous supplementary wefts. Continue reading





