INDIAN TEXTILES.

Putaruru Press, Volume VII, Issue 273, 31 January 1929, Page 1

INDIAN TEXTILES.

TIED AND DYED. The beautiful “tied and dyed” textiles originated in India have also been found in other countries (says the New York Times). The Japanese colour silk fabric in the same laborious and complicated manner, but use only small cloths and wear the finished article as brightl ornaments in the hair. The same type of textile has been found in a small mountain on the island off Cyprus, where the women still make the fabrics for scarfs —for their own use, not for commercial gain—though the custom is dying out. The women of Northern India have made the colouring of these fabrics a thriving industry. They stlart the process with a piece of ccjtton or silk of one colour, pulling out small folds and tying each fold with a thread or fine string. When a number of folds have been tied up following a certain design the whole piece is dipped in a dye of a second colour. The part covered by the string retains its original colour, forming a circle or dot. Then more folds are tied and a third colour is used. By continuing this process the most intricate designs are made, and the result is an elaborately figured textile. Such fabrics, because of their lightness and delicacy, are sometimes called “running water/* due to the fact that they can hardly be seen when placed in a stream, or “floating air,” being so light and transparent when tossed in the wind.