Introduction to the Beautiful Indonesian Ikat Fabrics
Ikat Fabric is one of Indonesia’s well known types of textiles. It is handmade, a hand-woven fabric.
You can find it in various places such as Java, Bali, Sumatra, Sumba, Flores, Maluku, Kalimantan and Sulawesi. And, Behind each piece of ikat fabric, you can trace various artistic and cultural values, depending on where it comes from.
In several places, they have different names for the fabrics as there are also various patterns. For example, in South and West Sumatra, they call it Songket. In North Sumatra, they call it Ulos. Ulap Doyo in East Kalimantan and Geringsing in Bali.
In Indonesia, we know three kinds of ikat fabrics based on how it is made. Lungsi, Pakan and Double. Lungsi is ikat fabrics whose motif is based on the vertical yarn while pakan is based on the horizontal yarn. And double means that both lungsi and pakan motifs are used on the process of creation.
At first, ikat fabrics were worn as traditional and prestigious clothing on certain occasions or as ritual objects. Yet, nowaydays, it has turned out into fabrics used by designers (local and international) and there is no limit to its using.
These fabrics are so beautiful that some made it into dresses, some others into skirts, blazers, pants, blouses, and many more. Not only that, you can even apply ikat fabrics on your home decoration, such as tapestry, cushion cover, curtain, table cloth, etc.
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