Ilkal

When I was in college I loved wearing my Ilkal sari with its deep earthy colour. Of course at that time I didn’t know it was called Ilkal nor did I know where it came from. I just loved the soft feel of the cotton that clung to me.

Today I have just one left in my cupboard. Unlike the red and white silk pallu that is commonly found in the Ilkal, this one has plain thick bands .

The border and pallu are woven separately and attached to the main body of the sari with a loop stitch technique.

Made in Northern Karnataka, the Ilkal saris perfectly complement our skin tones with their strong, bold colours.

Unfortunately I don’t have any left in my cupboard and will have to search the net for illustrations.

Ikkat

Ikkats which are found in far reaching places like Indonesia, South America and even Spain, have their origins in the Cave Temples of Ajanta! I found out all these interesting facts while researching these fabrics.

Here the warp and weft threads are dyed in beautiful colours before weaving.The pattern that emerges is a subtle mingling of pastel shades and bright contrasting colours.

IKKAT fabrics are ideal for curtains, Upholstery and cushion

I also found this You Tube video uploaded by Sandeep Sangaru that best explains and illustrates the tradition of Ikkat from Gujerat. These saris are undoubtedly time consuming and expensive but believe you me, they are totally worth it.

[Tweet “Ikkat is a process of resist dyeing the yarn before weaving in order to make an intricately formed pattern. “]

Ikkat from Odisha and Telengana

The other Ikkats are from Odisha and Telengana. The Ikkats from Odisha and Telengana are made from cotton as well as silk fibres. They are also made Ikkat from Odisha is slightly different. These are normally made from pure cotton.

And finally the Ikkat from Telanga which is also known as Pochampally, the town from which it originates.

Aren’t these weaves simply stunning? 

I hope you are enjoying this brief introduction to our textile traditions. It may seem that all that we weave is worn as a sari but of course that’s not true. Sadly, the sari itself is slowly being moved to the back of our wardrobes and only worn during special occasions…….

Disclaimer : I am neither a textile manufacturer nor a historian . I am just passionate about textiles and fabrics. I have gathered all my information from the Internet. Please excuse any errors and omissions.

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