Black & White Silk Ikat Fabric – Feathered Ovals

A black-ground cloth — rare in Uzbek ikat, where the ground is usually white — with white oval motifs running down it in columns, each oval feathered at the edge where the dyed warp shifted. It is the monochrome for people who want ikat’s texture in a dark room, and the silk warp gives the black a low sheen. Half silk, half cotton, 42 cm wide.

Product details

• Product type: handwoven ikat fabric, sold by the metre
• Origin: Margilan, Fergana Valley, Uzbekistan
• Weaving technique: warp ikat — the threads are tie-dyed before weaving; handloom, no power looms
• Composition: 50% silk, 50% cotton
• Width: 42 cm (17 in)
• Main colours: black ground; white
• Design / motif: white feathered ovals on black
• Sold by: the metre — one unit is 1 m (1.09 yd), cut in one continuous length from 1 m up
• Condition: new, uncut from the bolt
• Care: hand wash at 30 °C with a mild detergent, no wringing, dry in the shade, iron on the reverse; or dry-clean

Suitable uses

An evening jacket or dress, a waistcoat, cushion fronts on white or camel, a lampshade. Pairs with the black-and-white zigzag (IF0637). Dark grounds show wear least. More cloths of this kind are under Silk Ikats.

Handmade note

Handwoven on a wooden loom, so expect what the loom leaves: motif edges that feather where the warp shifted, a hairline of colour variation along the length, and a selvedge that is not perfectly straight. The pattern is dyed into the thread, not printed on it, and shows on both faces — the test described in our handwoven versus printed ikat guide. Colours differ slightly between dyelots, so order the full length you need at once.

Cut to order and dispatched from Bukhara within 24 hours by tracked airmail: USA 9–18 working days, Europe and the UK 8–16, elsewhere 10–20.