The apparel is not only about the beauty, nor is it only
about image -it has been part of the human civilization. This rings
especially true for the Sumbanese, who has since ancient time been
august in creating and assembling their wardrobe…
The exhibition on Sumba, held in Jakarta recently, has reminded us
that the island-one of the 550 in the East Nusa Tenggara province- is
not only blessed with breathtaking underwater sceneries or magnificent
pearls, but also stunning woven fabric.
The traditional ikat (resist dyeing) woven fabric is indeed a
familiar sight in Asia, but the people of Sumba has managed to prove
that a weaving skill inherited from their ancestors can produce ones
that deserve special honors.
The beauty of Sumba’s woven ikat is inseparable from the
technique-regarded as being the oldest in Indonesia’s traditional
textile history-used in making it. The secret of this method lies in the
tieing of the lusi,or lungsin (warp) thread.
The warp thread is known in the weaving process as a thread that is
stretched on the loom according to the fabric’s desired width. Both of
its ends are tied and will function as buffer threads. The pakan (weft)
yarn, will then be inserted to intersect with the warp thread.
For the double ikat weaving process, the warp and waft threads are
binded with waterproof materials before they are dipped in the dyeing
mixture. This process is repeated according to the number of colors
desired.
The warp thread is tied to produce the pattern’s design when it is
dyed. One first has to arrange the threads in a wooden or bamboo frame
to get ties that matches the desired design. The design is formed by
tying the fabric, which has been stretched bit by bit according to the
design, using kalita or gewang threads, or plastic threads.
After dyed with the first color, the fabric is dried and the next
phase will be to undo the kalita (bind) in the next pattern to be dyed.
The binding is carried out during the dyeing process. Thus, the dye
would be absorbed to the edge of the bound threads, resulting in a faint
mix of colors. Yet this “imperfection” is what makes ikat fabric
special.
Source : warisanindonesia.com
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