Indonesian Ikat Textile Pillow Case

Firmly, a dark rectangular panel banded with pale flowers and diamond designs.

This ikat textile pillow case is from Flores, Indonesia, and dates to the 20th century. It is cotton. Ikat is a method of dyeing threads in patterns before they are woven, which gives the cloth its softly blurred edges, and Flores is one of the Indonesian islands known for it. Held in frame, a flat rectangular piece in near black, with horizontal bands of cream patterns. Rows of small flowers and thin lines frame a central band of larger stars and diamonds. The weave is fine and the edges are slightly rolled. It is 21 inches wide.

Dark and tidy, with a pattern that keeps its own time.