East Sumba ikat, from our house
Every thread carries its weaver's name.
We weave hinggi and lau with dyes from roots and leaves, four to eight months for one cloth. Bring the loupe close: the ties show thread by thread.
Move the loupe across the cloth
Works at the weaving house
Every cloth carries the name of the one who wove it, and the months it took.
From cotton to cloth
Five steps, four to eight months, all of it in our yard.
Step 1 · 3 weeks
Spinning
Cotton is spun into thread on a jungga, then wound.
Step 2 · 6 weeks
Tying
The warp is stretched on a frame and the motif is tied with gewang fibre, thread by thread.
Step 3 · 4 weeks
Indigo baths
Dipped again and again in the indigo jar until the blue runs deep. The tied parts stay white.
Step 4 · 6 weeks
Morinda baths
Some ties are opened, then the thread goes into morinda root for its red.
Step 5 · 8 weeks
Weaving
The patterned thread is woven on a backstrap loom, a hand's width a day.
Who weaves
Mama Rambu Kahi
Weaver · since 1981
Ina Lowa
Dyer · since 1995
Umbu Djama
Motif tier · since 2004
From our buyers
Mama Rambu sent photos of the cloth at every dye bath. When it arrived it felt as if I had waited the seven months with her.
The colours did not run after three hand washes, just as she said.
We commissioned a hinggi with horses for our son's wedding. Every motif was explained to us one by one.
A cloth for your family, in the motif you choose.
Tell us who it is for and for what occasion. We send photos of every step on WhatsApp.