Silk, Cotton or Velvet Ikat: Which to Buy for What
Buy cotton ikat if the piece will be washed, sat on or made in quantity; silk-cotton adras if you want the sheen and the drape for clothing or cushions; velvet ikat only where the cloth is the point, because it costs roughly five times what cotton does and comes in the narrowest width we weave. Everything below is the reasoning, with the current prices and widths from our own shelves.
What is the real difference between them?
All three are woven on the same hand looms in Margilan, and all three carry the pattern in the threads rather than on the surface — the warp is bound and dyed before a single line is woven, which is why every motif has a clouded edge. What changes is the fibre and the weave.
- Cotton ikat is plain-woven cotton, matt, with body. It creases, it washes, it wears.
- Silk ikat on this site means adras and shoyi — a silk warp over a cotton weft. The silk is where the pattern lives, the cotton is what gives the cloth its handle. We stock three grades: half silk and half cotton (102 pieces), 60/40 (65), and 70/30 (83). More silk means more sheen and more drape; more cotton means more body and an easier wash.
- Velvet ikat — bakhmal — is a pile cloth. The pattern is dyed into the warp and then the pile is cut, which blurs the motif further and gives it depth. It takes far longer on the loom, and the price says so.
What does each one cost per metre?
Measured from the live catalogue today:
| Cloth | Pieces in stock | Price range | Typical price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton ikat | 144 of 156 | $3.70–15 | about $8 a metre |
| Silk ikat (adras, shoyi) | 207 of 259 | $8–19 | about $15 a metre |
| Velvet ikat (bakhmal) | 52 of 66 | $39–48 | about $42 a metre |
One unit is one metre (1.09 yards), cut to order. The gap is the thing to notice: velvet is roughly five times cotton and three times silk, metre for metre, and it is also the narrowest of the three — so a project in velvet costs more per square metre again.
How wide is each cloth, and why does that decide the project?
A Margilan loom gives 40 to 42 centimetres, and most of what we sell is exactly that: 154 of the silk pieces are 40 cm, 60 are 42 cm. Velvet is narrower still in practice — 65 of the 66 velvet pieces are 40 cm, and there is one at 60.
Cotton is the only one of the three that comes wide. Of the 156 cotton pieces, 28 are 65 cm and 20 are 50 cm. If your project needs width — curtains, a tablecloth, upholstery, anything where a seam every 40 centimetres would ruin it — the answer is cotton, and specifically our 50 cm and 65 cm sections.
Width also decides small things. A 45 cm cushion front cut from 40 cm cloth needs either a seam or a plain border strip down each side; from a 50 cm cloth it comes out of one piece with room for the seam allowance. That single centimetre-count is worth checking before you order, and it is the first line on every product page.
What does each cloth actually cost for a real project?
Using the typical prices above, at the usual 40 cm width:
| Project | Cotton | Silk | Velvet |
|---|---|---|---|
| One cushion front (0.5 m) | $4 | $7.50 | $21 |
| A knee-length dress (8 m) | $64 | $120 | $336 |
| A pair of curtains (6 m) | $48 | $90 | $252 |
This is why velvet tends to be bought for one cushion, one bolster, one panel on a headboard — the piece where the cloth is meant to be looked at — while cotton is what people buy by the several metres.
Which cloth for clothing?
Silk-cotton adras, almost always. It is what Uzbek tailors have cut for generations, and the 40 cm width with its repeat every couple of metres pieces well down a bodice or a sleeve. Plan seven to ten metres for a knee-length dress at that width. A 70/30 shoyi hangs lighter and catches more light; a 50/50 adras has more body and forgives a beginner’s seam.
Pure cotton makes a good summer dress, a shirt or a child’s coat, and it is the sane choice if the garment will be washed often. Velvet is for a coat, a waistcoat or a collar — not for a whole dress, unless the budget is not the point.
Which cloth for cushions and upholstery?
For cushion fronts, any of the three works; the choice is really about the room. Cotton sits quietly beside linen, silk adds a sheen that reads as luxury under a lamp, velvet is the one people touch.
For upholstery — a seat, a chair back, anything that takes friction — choose cotton or velvet, not silk-cotton. A silk warp polishes and wears where a body rubs it, and a seat will show that within a season. If you want a full guide to sizes and inserts, our ikat cushion cover guide covers the arithmetic.
Which cloth for curtains and tablecloths?
Cotton, in the widest cloth you can get, seamed at the pattern repeat rather than at an arbitrary line. Silk-cotton makes beautiful curtains but fades faster in a sunny window, and velvet at 40 cm wide would need a seam every 40 centimetres and cost several hundred dollars a pair.
On a table, use a plain cloth over the embroidered or patterned field where plates and glasses go. Silk does not like red wine.
Which fades, which washes, which lasts?
Cotton washes by hand at 30 °C and takes an iron on the reverse. Silk-cotton washes the same way but prefers dry-cleaning once it is a finished garment, and its reds and indigos may release a little colour on the first wash — wash it alone. Velvet should not be washed at home at all; dry-clean it, and never press the pile flat.
All three fade in direct sun, and the reds go first. That is true of the cloth in a Margilan courtyard and it is true in a bay window in Brooklyn.
What if you want the pattern to match across pieces?
Buy the metres in one order. A dyelot here is a single warp of twenty to thirty metres, and when it is sold it is gone; a re-dye of the same design is never identical, because the binding is done by hand each time. That is the technique rather than a fault, but it does mean two orders a month apart will not match.
Frequently asked questions
Is silk ikat pure silk?
Not on this site. Every silk ikat we sell is a silk warp over a cotton weft — 50/50 adras, 60/40, or 70/30 shoyi — and the percentage is stated on every listing. Pure-silk atlas is stocked only occasionally and labelled when it is.
Why is velvet ikat so much more expensive?
It is a pile cloth: the warp is bound and dyed like any ikat, then woven with an extra pile warp that is cut by hand afterwards. It takes far longer on the loom than a plain weave. Today velvet runs $39–48 a metre against about $8 for cotton.
Which ikat is best for upholstery?
Cotton or velvet. A silk-cotton blend polishes and wears where a body rubs it, so it is a poor choice for a seat. For width, the 65 cm cotton section is the practical place to start.
How wide is Uzbek ikat fabric?
Mostly 40–42 cm, the width of a Margilan loom. Some cotton is woven at 50 and 65 cm on wider frames. Velvet is almost entirely 40 cm. The width is the first line on every product page.
How much fabric do I need for a dress?
Seven to ten metres at 40 cm width for a knee-length dress, depending on the pattern and your size. Send us the pattern and we will confirm before you order.
Can I wash ikat fabric?
Cotton and silk-cotton, yes: by hand at 30 °C with a mild detergent, no soaking, no wringing, dried flat in the shade. Wash reds and indigos alone the first time. Velvet should be dry-cleaned.
Is the pattern printed?
No. On a handwoven ikat the pattern is as bright on the back as on the front, because it is dyed into the threads before weaving. A printed imitation shows a ghost on the reverse and has crisp motif edges instead of clouded ones.
Can I buy a sample before ordering several metres?
Yes, and for anything where the colour matters we would rather you did. Order the three-swatch sample first.
Written by the Alesouk workshop team in Bukhara. Prices and stock counts in this article were taken from the live catalogue on 22 September 2026 and will drift as dyelots sell.