Tag Archives: tie-dye

Textiles imitating textiles: Chinese embroidery

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P1200152I am fascinated by cross-pollenations between textiles of different cultures (such as batik influenced by patola designs, or block-printed fabrics imitating Thai kit designs) as well as across media (such as stone carvings depicting patterning in clothing). In October, I finally made my first visit to the National Textile Museum in Washington DC, and saw the exhibition China: Through the Lens of John Thomson and found another skilled imitation of one textile technique in another textile medium. Continue reading →

Zoucheng: Zha-ran Butterfly Technique

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21 Dec Dali - 179Among pieces of tie-dye I had purchased in Arimatsu in Japan, were some pieces of indigo-dyed heavy cotton. I was fascinated with the small butterfly stitch-resist patterns, but despite scouring books on shibori techniques, I failed to find out how to create them myself. Continue reading →

Phnom Chisor: Hol weavers

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Ever since I bought my first piece of piece of 2/1 twill ikat silk in Chiangmai in 2001, I had wanted to see it woven, and finally in 2012 I was bumping along in a tuk-tuk heading out of Phnom Penh to Phnom Chisor to visit hol weavers. Continue reading →

Phnom Chisor: Hol weaving

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Cambodian hol is woven on a plain warp, with all the design being in the pre-patterned weft (see Hol Weft Preparation). Once the warp is wound onto the board that will hold it at the foot of the loom, the hundreds of ends of very fine silk must be threaded through the reed (heddles are created once the warp is on the loom).

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Patan: Patola

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Patan in Gujarat is famous for the tradition of weaving patola, or double ikat since the 12th century. The process of tie-dyeing both warp and weft threads with such a fine pattern, and weaving so as to align these patterns in both sets of threads requires enormous skill and care.  Continue reading →