Posted by Agung on Saturday, 6. February 1999 at 09:36 Bali Time:
In Reply to: Ikat posted by Allan on Friday, 5. February 1999 at 03:53 Bali Time:
I agree that Jani's is an excellent shop in Ubud to purchase authentic natural dyed ikats. There are other places as well. Yes, washing ikats is a good idea, especially for new ones. It gets the stiffness out (which is inherent in natural dyed new ikats). Wash them in the salt water of the ocean as this really softens them nicely. This is especially true of the geringsing ikats from Tenganan. These are the most prized of all ikats as they posses the power to prevent illness, thus their name...without sickness. If you purchase synthetic cheap machine made ikats, there is no guarantee of what the chemical dyes may do upon washing.