Ikat (Pochampally)

The word ikat comes from the Malay and Indonesian 'mengikat', to tie or bind, and names a resist-dyeing method where bundles of yarn are tied off before dyeing so the pattern is already in the thread before weaving begins. Pochampally in Telangana is India's best known ikat hub and is particularly associated with double ikat, where both warp and weft are pre-dyed.

Region: Bhoodan Pochampally, Telangana, part of a wider Indian ikat tradition that also includes Sambalpuri ikat in Odisha and the double ikat Patola of Gujarat
GI status: GI tagged as Pochampally Ikat.

1. 01Bundles of warp, and for double ikat the weft as well, are tightly bound with a waterproof material in the pattern the weaver has planned.
2. 02The bound yarn is dyed; bound sections resist the dye and stay the base colour, while exposed sections take it up.
3. 03This bind-and-dye cycle repeats for each colour in the design, often with the help of an asu machine, a wooden frame device used locally to align and stretch the warp threads precisely before they go on the loom.
4. 04The pre-dyed yarn is woven, and because the dye is already in the thread rather than printed on afterwards, the classic soft, slightly blurred edge of an ikat motif comes from the weaving itself, not a mistake.

• Look at the edges of a motif: real ikat has a soft, feathered transition between colours; a printed copy has a hard, clean edge.
• Pochampally is woven in cotton, silk and a cotton-silk blend called sico. Ask which, since the feel and price differ a great deal.
• Genuine handloom ikat shows minor, human irregularities in the pattern alignment; a power-loom or printed version is mechanically perfect.

WEIGHT

Light in cotton, medium in silk or sico.

WARMTH

Cotton ikat is cool and suited to daytime heat; silk ikat runs warmer, better for evening or cooler weather.

BREATHABILITY

Good, especially the cotton and sico versions.

DRAPE

Falls softly without heavy stiffness; holds a pleat reasonably well.

WRINKLING

Cotton ikat creases readily but recovers with a light iron; silk ikat resists creasing better.

Best season: Cotton ikat: spring, summer and monsoon. Silk ikat: winter and cooler evenings

WASHING

Cotton and sico ikat can usually be gently hand washed in cold water after the first colour-fixing soak; silk ikat is safer dry cleaned.

IRONING

Medium heat for cotton, low heat for silk, cloth between iron and fabric for either.

STORAGE

Fold in muslin or cotton. Cotton ikat tolerates ordinary folding better than a heavy silk does, but still benefits from an occasional refold.

STAINS

Treat cotton ikat promptly with a mild detergent; take silk ikat to a dry cleaner instead of treating it at home.

PERFUME AND DEODORANT

Scent skin before dressing rather than spraying the saree directly, particularly if it carries any zari border.

The geometric ikat pattern reads best in a simple Nivi drape without excess pleating that would hide the motif; a plain contrast blouse lets the pattern stay the focus.