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Category of Thai Silk

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At the present time, weaving is done mostly in the northern and north-eastern regions. Their products differ due to the influence of regional beliefs as well as the traditions of minority groups. Northerners like to weave both cotton and silk with raised patterns or yok dok (brocade) whereas north-easterners namely the Lao minority groups prefer producing mudmee fabrics using the ikat or resist dying technique. The Lao Song minority is, however, the exception as their preference is that of the northerners. Fabrics produced locally are grouped into three categories according to their weaving methods: Plain cloths, chintz and brocades.

Plain Cloths The weaving pattern for this type of fabric is the simplest, with one over and one under technique. Both weft and warp are of the same colour.

Chintz The technique used for this type of fabric employs various coloured threads for both the warp and weft and the finished products are stripy or tartan depending on the combination and dissemination of colours in the weft and warp threads.

Brocade or commonly called yok dok. This employs a design with extra decorative wefts. Besides the three main types above, there are a few other popular designs using supplementary yarns with the warp or weft threads; each different treatment has a special name. All of these will be examined in detail in the ensuing pages. Famous types of Thai fabric • Khit • Jok or Praewa • Luang or Namlai • Yok dok • Mudmee

Pha Khit Pha is the Thai term for cloth or fabric and khit is the name of the design. Both silk and cotton can sbe woven in khit which is achieved by continuously introducing into the base wefts yarns that are different in colour or thickness to produce decorative patterns with the help of a shed stick. This kind of fabric is used mostly for making sitting mats for monks, blankets, shawls and pillow cases. Khit fabrics are common products of the northeastern part of Thailand. They are also found in a few central and northern provinces, for example areas, a mixture of khit and jok designs is used to make a more colourful variant.

Pha Jok Jok is the term given to a design using the same technique as that for khit except that this time the supplementary yarns are introduced into the wefts discontinuously and instead of shed sticks, porcupine quills or fingers are used to make the silk introduction. Also, while the weft threads for the khit design, are uni-colour, this jok design has colourful wefts. It takes a long time to achieve a jok design so jok fabrics are generally woven in narrow strips and used as decorative borders for the Phasin or tube skirts. Skirts decorated this way are called Phasin teen jok. Country people wear this kind of skirt to the temple or on other ceremonial occasions. These fabrics are also used as decorations for triangular-shaped pillows, rugs etc. Famous jok fabrics are from Haadsiew, Sukhothai Province; Laplae, Uttradit Province; Koobua and Donrae, Ratchaburi Province. In Suphan Buri, Chai Nat, Uthai Thani and Phichit, weavers decorate Phasin in mudmee design with a jok border, making a beautiful variant. As for Kalasin Province, a combined jok and khit design produces another interesting pattern with the name praewa.

Pha Luang Pha Luang is the local name in Nan Province whereas in Chiang Rai this kind of fabric is called Pha Namlai. The Tai Lue in Chiang Rai, however, call it Pha koa. The technique is first to isolate yarns into colour areas; then, to hook and dovetail these together at regular intervals (=Luang), thus making a flowing pattern similar to water currents which is called namlai, hence the name. The best of these are from Nan, Chiang Rai and Phayao provinces.

Pha Yok This brocade resembles the khit fabric in design but uses special silk, silver and gold threads either real or dyed for the weft supplements. The whole piece or just the lower border can be made in this way. Northern women are very skillful at this,especially in Chiang Mai, Lamphun and Lampang provinces. In the northeastern region, it is only found at Roi Et Province, in the south at Poomriang in Surat Thani Province and Nakhon Si Thammarat. Pha Mook This fabric is a specialty of the Thai Puan minority at Haad Siew, Sukhothai Province and at Laplae, Uttradit Province. They like to make Phasin this way. Their technique is that while weaving they hook on special warp threads and establish patterns.

Pha Kao Yor This fabric is actually woven on looms with 2, 4, 6, or 8 treadles in the yok dok design, using cotton or synthetic threads. It is a well known fabric of the south named after Yor Island in Singkla Province and used in making Phasin, Sarong and Pha khaoma as well as shirts and dresses. There are quite a variety of motifs in this Yor design, and the most popular include Dok Rajawat, Loogkaew, Dok Pikul, Dok Jig, Dok Chook, Kod Krit. Another famous fabric from this island is Pha Hangkarog.

Pha Mudmee This fabric is woven, using the resist- dyeing technique to create designs. There are three methods to this technique; the first is to tie-dye the warps; the second is to tie-dye the wefts and the third is to tie-dye both the warps and the wefts. Any of these methods must be done before the actual weaving begins. Where to tie-dye is up to the weaver. In the past, the only dye used was from aniline plants which made the fabrics blue but now many chemical dyes are used and more colours are possible. Both cotton and silk mudmee are made although the silk one is more beautiful. Consequently, more effort has been put into designing more refined motifs and making this still more colourful. The second method is used in the northeast and Central Thailand. The north, however, prefers the first. A mixed technique, a combination of khit and mudmee, is also used in some provinces like Rajaburi, Supanburi, Uthai Thani and Chainart. At Poomriang in Surat Thani the Sam Kasat (three kings) fabric woven with the brocade cum mudmee technique, using cotton, silk, and cotton together with silk threads is quite popular. The beautiful Surin silk mudmee fabrics have many singular designs like Lai Pra Tabong which are influenced by the ancient Khmer. During the Early Ratanakosin Period, a kind of Surin fabric named Pha Sompakpoom was used in making official uniforms. Mudmee fabrics that seem to be very popular among foreign customers include the plain and natural-dye fabrics.

 

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