Supplementary weaving

Last updated February 25, 2019

Supplementary weaving is a decorative technique in which additional threads are woven into a textile to create an ornamental pattern in addition to the ground pattern. The supplementary weave can be of the warp or of the weft.^[1] Supplementary weave is commonly used in many of thetextiles of Southeast Asia such as in Balinese textiles, the textiles of Sumba and the songket of Sumatra, Malaysia and Brunei.

Balinese textiles are reflective of the historical traditions of Bali. Bali has been historically linked to the major courts of Java before the 10th century; and following the defeat of the Majapahit kingdom, many of the Javanese aristocracy fled to Bali and the traditions were continued. Bali therefore may be seen as a repository not only of its own arts but those of Java in the pre-Islamic 15th century. Any attempt to definitively describe Balinese textiles and their use is doomed to be incomplete. The use of textile is a living tradition and so is in constant change. It will also vary from one district to another. For the most part old cloth are not venerated for their age. New is much better. In the tropics cloth rapidly deteriorates and so virtue is generated by replacing them.

The textiles of Sumba represent the means by which the present generation passes on its messages to future generations. The pieces are deeply personal, they follow distinct systematic form but also show the individuality of the weaver and the village from which they are produced. Internationally, Sumba's textiles are collected as examples of the highest quality textile design and are found in the major museums of the world as well as the homes of collectors. One hundred years ago the Dutch were already exporting textiles from the island of Sumba. Today great numbers are still produced by a relatively small number of women, mainly on the eastern coastal districts of the island. These cloths are made not only for export out of Sumba, but also for trade with people from the interior for ritual use, where by custom the process of ikat was forbidden.

<i>Songket</i> Indonesian or Malaysian fabric figured with colored or metallic supplemental wefts

Songket is a fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of the Malay world. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. The metallic threads stand out against the background cloth to create a shimmering effect. In the weaving process the metallic threads are inserted in between the silk or cotton weft (latitudinal) threads in a technique called supplementary weft weaving technique.

Supplementary of the warp weaving

An additional set of threads are incorporated in the warp to create the design.

Supplementary of the weft weaving

An extra set of threads are woven into the weft between two regular weft threads to create an ornamental pattern in addition to the ground weave. Songket textiles are an example of supplementary weaving of the weft in which metallic threads are used to form the pattern.

History

Evidence from certain important textiles displaying ancient iconography and significant in ritual, suggests that supplementary weft patterning techniques existed before the period of Indian influence in Southeast Asia. Nevertheless, there is no doubt that the earliest weaving decorations in the region was predominantly warp oriented. However a fundamental shift from warp to weft decoration seems to have occurred throughout many parts of Southeast Asia during the period of Indian influence. The development of weft ornamentation is evident in woven patterns found throughout Indianized areas. In Cambodia during the Angkor period and in Thailand from the 11th to the 14th century, carved statues and sculpture s record figures wearing textiles with stripes running down the torso.^[2]

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References

↑ Maxwell, Robyn J. (1990). Textiles of Southeast Asia: Tradition, Trade, and Transformation. Australian National Gallery. p. 418. ISBN 978-0-19-553186-2.
↑ Maxwell, 1990, p.158.

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[1] Maxwell, Robyn J. (1990). Textiles of Southeast Asia: Tradition, Trade, and Transformation. Australian National Gallery. p. 418. ISBN 978-0-19-553186-2.

[2] Maxwell, 1990, p.158.