Luna Bazaar has traveled throughout Asia and the Pacific Islands in search of crafts and designs for your home. One of our most fortuitous finds was Ikat cloth, which is made into pillow covers. Once you have seen an Ikat pattern like the one below, you will be able to recognize it anywhere you go:
Hand-woven Ikat Pillow Cover in Blue from Luna Bazaar
The cloth is woven by women who have handed down this traditional form of weaving from generation to generation. The women live in rural areas where daily activities are determined by the season. During the planting and harvesting seasons they are employed in the fields. When the rainy season comes, there is no work for them to do. They are able to earn income during this time by practicing their art of Ikat weaving.
In Ikat weaving the pattern determines how the threads are dyed.
In modern weaving, the pattern is created by raising and lowering horizontal and vertical threads of different colors. (The horizontal and vertical threads are known as the “warp and weft”.)
Ikat weaving is completely different. The pattern is created by dying the thread multiple times. The weaver must know which colors to apply to each portion of the length of thread. This is where the skill comes in! In order to prevent one section of thread from being dyed the color of the neighboring section, the threads that are not to be dyed are tied up tightly with string. Hence, the term “tie-dying”.
The original “Tie-Dye” – Ikat Weaving
Exclusive Ikat Pattern Printed Paper Lantern in Olive
We were so impressed by these beautiful patterns that we created paper lanterns to match our Ikat pillow covers. These are 18″ printed paper lanterns that sell for only $10.95. Available patterns are in Olive, Orange, and Rose.
Those of you who are new to Luna Bazaar may not know that we also have a collection of personal accessories and gifts. Included in the collection are these two Ikat items: the Bracelet and Clutch:
Bracelet: Ikat fabric covered in clear resin
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