Ikat Freebie & A quick Lesson

I’ve got a soft spot for Ikat patterns and will use them whenever I can, web or home. While I’ve known about the style for years I never really knew what it was, or apparently, how to say it. I’d always assumed it was said like it was spelled, ‘i-cat’. So, so wrong! This fun word is properly pronounced ‘ee-KAHT’.

What is Ikat · ‘ee-KAHT’

The word Ikat comes from the Malaysian word ‘mengikat,’ or ‘to tie’. At its simplest form ‘mengikat’ is the process of dying fibers before they are woven into a textile. Traditional methods would take loose yarn, tied into bundles using grasses or wax treated cotton. These wraps would prevent the die from touching the wrapped area. After the first round of dying the bindings get adjusted to create a new pattern and the yarns dyed again with another color and so on to create an intricate pattern. Once the dying process is done the bindings are removed and the yarn then gets woven to match the dyed pattern. Basically the surface design that you see on any true Ikat pattern is created in the yarns. Perfectly lining up those individual pieces of yarn to recreate that pattern while weaving is what causes the beautiful blurriness to the Ikat patterns. After learning how much labor and skill it takes to create these patterns, I have a whole new appreciation for the style and hope you do as well. Enjoy this Ikat freebie.

Right click for the one above, or get it without my watermark in the freebie section. Do you use Instagram? Use #helloyoudesigns with your stock creations to be featured in our feed. Contact me if you have a stock photo request. I’m always looking for ideas on what to post.

The disclosure: Feel free to use this image through out your social media, website or printable stuff. Just Please don’t use it for anything that you will be charging money for.