Black, White & Blue Silk Ikat Fabric – Diamonds in the Heart

Black and white first — thick, uneven stripes that run across the width like a zebra’s flank — and then, at the centre of each repeat, a diamond of periwinkle blue with its own small heart. The stripes are not straight: every one has the soft, torn edge of ikat, and against them the blue reads as the only calm shape on the cloth. Sixty per cent silk in the warp gives it a definite gloss; the cotton weft keeps it from being flimsy.

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: 60% silk, 40% cotton
• Width: 42 cm (17 in)
• Pattern repeat: about 225 cm
• Main colours: black; white; periwinkle blue
• Design / motif: bold zebra stripes with blue diamond hearts
• 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: dry-clean recommended; if washing, by hand at 30 °C with a mild detergent, dry in the shade, iron on the reverse

Suitable uses

A statement jacket or a straight kaftan, the front of a large cushion where the diamond can sit centred, a lampshade. The stripe is strong enough to carry a whole garment; pair it with plain black or white elsewhere. 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. Colours differ slightly between dyelots, so order the full length you need at once. Washing and pressing are covered in how to wash ikat fabric.

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.