Ikat Weaves

Ikat is dyed before it is woven. The yarn is tied in bundles, dipped, untied and then woven, so the pattern emerges from the thread rather than sitting on top of it — which is why an ikat edge feathers slightly instead of ending sharp. Single ikat ties the warp or the weft; double ikat ties both, and the two have to meet on the loom.

Here that becomes cotton ikat sarees, ikat kurtis and kurtas, ikat dresses and ikat jackets — the ikat often kept to a yoke or a panel and set against plain cotton.