Mudmee Silk of Isan

Mudmee is ikat done on the weft. The weaver counts out the thread, binds it in tight bundles wherever the colour must not reach, dyes the skein, unbinds, rebinds and dyes again, sometimes through five or six rounds, and only then puts it on the loom. The pattern exists before the weaving does, which is why the edges of every motif carry the soft feathering that identifies the technique. Designs run from small repeated diamonds to naga serpents and temple forms. Chonnabot in Khon Kaen province is the classic centre, Kalasin weaves the denser praewa cloth, and villages across the north-east keep looms in the shade under the stilt houses.

What you actually see

• The bound skeins - thread tied off before dyeing, the pattern set in advance.
• The feathered edges - the soft blur that proves the cloth is true ikat.
• The under-house looms - weaving in the shade beneath stilt houses.
• Praewa cloth - the tighter, denser weaving of Kalasin.

When to go

The cool months are the comfortable time to travel the north-east and also when the silk fairs run, Khon Kaen's around the turn of the year. Villages weave year-round, but mornings are when the looms are busy. Going with a driver or a local contact makes the difference between watching from the road and being shown.

Honest expectations

Real mudmee is slow and priced accordingly, and a length that seems cheap is almost certainly printed cotton or a machine imitation with sharp pattern edges. The villages are scattered and poorly signed, public transport barely reaches them, and there is rarely anyone who speaks English. Expect a long drive for an hour of weaving.

Nearby

Khon Kaen's silk fair and the temple towns of the middle north-east.