Indonesian Cotton Tubular Skirt

Stripes in rust, black, and cream, with diamond-patterned bands marching down the length.

This tubular skirt is from Flores, Indonesia, and dates to the 20th century. It is cotton. Ikat is a resist-dyeing technique in which the threads are bound and dyed before weaving, so the pattern appears as the cloth is made on the loom. Long rectangular woven cloth made of many horizontal bands. Wide dark bands carry pale geometric motifs, separated by narrower stripes in red-brown and cream. The edges look slightly uneven, as in handwoven work. It is 24 inches wide and 60 long.

A weaver with a real appetite for pattern.