Beyond The Beauty: The Hidden Cost Of Ikat’s Popularity

First, the washed warp thread is strung onto the backstrap loom placed on the ground, on which, with steady hands, a pattern is sketched. The thread is then tied with a string or straw so that certain sections resist the dye. Depending on the design, the tied thread is soaked in different dye baths; after which the bindings may be reorganised, and the thread is dyed again to form a different pattern. In the final stage, the bindings are removed, and the thread returns to the warp of the loom to be weaved.