Ikat is known to be one of the oldest techniques of resist dyeing. Although we use the term “Ikat”, which is derived from the Malay word mengikat (to tie or to bind), the actual technique originated independently in different parts of the world (South and South-East Asia, Central Asia, West Africa and Central and South America). 

In Ikat, the patterning of a textile is achieved by tying fibre resists tightly around the yarn after it is stretched out on a frame, and then dipping the entire tied frame into a dye. After the frame is dyed and the resist around the yarn removed, the fabric is woven to reveal a design wherever the dye did not colour the yarn. For example if the original yarn is white and the dye is indigo blue, the woven fabric will turn out indigo blue with white patterns all over the fabric. This skill calls for a great amount of precision because the yarn is tie-dyed and the pattern is revealed only after the yarn is woven into the final fabric.

Ikat can be done on the warp yarn or the weft yarn, and sometimes for a full bodied and clear design, it is done both on the warp and weft yarn. The process is intricate and very labour intensive.

In India Ikat is practised largely in Orissa and Andhra Pradesh. It is done on cotton as well as on silk.