Ikat

Ikat Fabric from Madeline Weinrib.

Daphne Brown chair from Madeline Weinrib

Vixen rug from Georgia Chapman, the Melbourne-based designer and maker of Vixen textiles, fashion and homewares.
Italian chair in Blue Mu Ikat from Madeline Weinrib Atelier
Black Luce Ikat Bolster Madeline Weinrib




Madeline Weinrib pillows

Ikat is a very ancient way of creating designs in fabric by resist-dyeing the threads before the fabric is woven. Traditional Uzbek Ikat cottons are often dyed in lively and engaging motifs representing the village life and beliefs of the people. Ikats are often symbols of status, wealth, power and prestige. Ikat fabrics are woven by hand on narrow looms in a labor-intensive process. Uzbek Ikat fabrics are generally 15.7”to 23.6”wide. Hand wovens, free of the chemical additives and stresses of power-loom production, are vastly different in appearance and feel from machine-made fabrics. Plain weave Ikat fabrics, due to the unique weaving, look the same on both sides of the fabric; there is no right side and wrong side to the cloth. The Uzbek typically have 2” to 3” solid borders along each selvage. Because of their narrow width it is good for pillows or table runners etc. Modern Uzbek Ikats in cotton and silk are brightly colored with good imported natural dyes.
Today the Ikat patterns have inspired many beautiful upholstery fabrics and rugs. The vibrant exotic nature of this style of fabric lets it look wonderful in contemporary, Asian, and Mediterranean settings, or on a Louis the Umpteenth chair.