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Skirt
The bold patterns on this skirt were made by dyeing selected areas of the weft yarns before they were woven into cloth. The weaver began this labor-intensive process by binding white cotton yarns tightly together with strips of leaf or plastic to form different patterns, then dyeing the yarns with indigo. After dyeing, the strips were removed, revealing areas that remained white since the tied areas "resisted" the dye. The yarns were then woven into cloth, creating white patterns on a dark blue ground. In Guatemala, where this skirt was created, this patterning technique is called jaspe. The same type of patterning is practiced in many areas of the world, including India, Japan, and Central Asia, and is often called ikat, after an Indonesian word meaning "to bind." Jaspe cloth, woven on Spanish-style treadle looms, is commonly used to make skirts by indigenous women in Guatemala. For this skirt, the fabric was sewn together into a wide tube for the wearer to wrap or pleat around her waist and secure with a handwoven belt. Learn more about textiles from Guatemala in Common Threads, an interactive learning experience. cotton; weft-predominant plain weave with weft-resist-dyeing
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