Have you ever held a piece of fabric between your fingers and wondered how many people touched it? Every artisan involved in textile production contributes just one part of the story. In the case of beautiful, bespoke Ikat fabrics, every piece of cloth has enough history to fill a book!

When you choose to craft or create with Ikat fabric, you can become part of that story, too. Artisans create this fabric using a unique dye-resist process that gives it a sense of character that you won’t find in any other cloth.

What’s the story behind the unique fabric. . . . can you still buy it today! Keep reading to learn more!

Ikat Fabric History

The term “Ikat” (pronounced like E-Cot) comes from the Malay-Indonesian word for “tie.” This is because tying up the threads is the first part of the process when creating the fabric’s unique patterns.

Though the Malay-Indonesian name has persisted, it’s unclear exactly where the Ikat process began. Cultures throughout the Asian continent have examples of textiles dyed and woven using similar processes. Scholars believe it may have originated in India, or the general maritime region of Southeast Asia.

From there, the technique seemed to spread to nearly every continent. It was prevalent in South America, Africa, and the Meditteranean before the nineteenth century. Even so, the style remains closely associated with Southeast Asian culture in the contemporary world.

IKat Fabrics Explained

Imagine that you have a blank sheet of paper in front of you. The paper could be white, or any other color. If you took a paper shape and set it on top, you would be masking some of the original color.

Now imagine taking a crayon and coloring over the entire sheet of paper, including the additional paper shape. When you remove the shape from the paper, negative space will remain. The original color of the paper would show through.

Artisans create Ikat fabric using a similar color resist technique. Before weaving, artisans wrap individual fibers to mask them from exposure to the dye. They do not weave the fabric until after they have dyed the threads and removed the masking material, meaning every single piece of Ikat fabric is unique.

Once the individual strands have been woven into cloth, it is ready for sale, and you can use it to create any number of projects. Today, you can buy this labor-intensive Ikat fabric, or printed fabric intended to resemble it. If you want to learn more about Ikat fabric options, you can shop here.

Craft a New Story with Ikat Fabrics

So much love and labor goes into the creation of Ikat fabrics. If you are a fiber artist or crafter, why not add your contribution to the story of this gorgeous, storied cloth? Ikat fabric comes in many weights and designs, so you’re sure to find something that suits your next project!

Haven’t discovered your next project just yet? Check out the rest of the blog for more posts on style and fashion! We’ll provide the inspiration so that you can get to work!