Silk ikat, the national fabric of Uzbekistan, is one of the most remarkable textiles in the world. Like other patterned textiles, ikat uses a resist-dyeing technique that allows select regions to be dyed different colors. Unlike batik and tie-dye, however, ikat threads are dyed before being woven together; water-resistant bindings are tied around bundles of threads to prevent the dye from reaching those areas (thereby creating the pattern), and only then are the threads put on a loom. The result is a slight blurring along the boundary where colors meet—a neat, almost pixel-like effect that earned ikat the Persian name abr or “clouds.” Read Less