Hello Sewing Friends!
Today I am happy to add some classic Indian cottons to the IKAT COLLECTION on MARCYTILTON.com.
What is ikat exactly? Ikat is a method for coloring fabric through a process called resist dyeing. Tie-dye and batik are dyeing techniques that take place after a fabric has been woven. Resist dyeing is very different. It takes place before yarn is woven into cloth. The result is a lineage of artisan fabrics featuring the rich patterns and saturated colors that ikats are famous for.
Although all of our new cotton ikats come to us from India, the word ikat actually comes from Malaysian. It means ’to bind’ which is what happens to yarn in the resist dye process. Ikat is a skill-intensive tradition practiced for millennia around the world, and its exact origin remains a mystery. Today India produces some of the best.
We hope you enjoy working with and wearing these authentic artisan cottons (and one silk). Most are hand dyed and hand woven. All are exquisite examples of the soulful fabrics created by a textile tradition passed down through generations for millennia.
Happy Sewing!
