Fashionista 2020

Traditional Indian Dresses

Ikkat Silk Sarees

Photo Curtsey: Adi Mohini Mohan Kanjilal 

Ikkat or Ikat is a dyeing technique used to textiles that employs ‘resist dyeing’ on the yarns prior to dyeing and weaving the fabric. There are three kinds of Ikkat, Warp Ikkat, Weft Ikkat and Double Ikkat. Warp and weft are two terms for the two basic components used in weaving to turn thread or yarn into fabric.

Warp is a yarn that runs up and down and Weft runs back and forth. When both are used in the same saree is called Double Ikkat. 

Ikkat is created by dying the warp is similar to make than either weft or double ikkat. First the yarns are wound onto a frame then they are tied in bandles. The bundles are covered with wax like batik. The warp yarns are then wrapped tightly with thread or some other dye-resistant material to prevent unwanted dye. The procedure is repeated, depending on the number of colours required to complete the design. Multiple colours require multiple rounds of tying and dyeing. The newly dyed and thoroughly washed bundles are wound onto the loom to produce the wrap. Wrap threads are adjusted for the desired alignment for precise motifs.

Weft ikkat uses resist dyeing for the weft yarns. The movement of the weft yarns in the weaving process means precisely delineated patterns are more difficult to weave. The weft yarn must be adjusted after each passing of the shuttle to preserve the pattern

Double ikkat is a technique in which both wrap and the weft are resist-dyed prior to weaving. This form of weaving requires extreme skill for precise patterns to be woven and is considered the premiere form of Ikkat. Obviously the amount of labour and skill required make it the most expensive.