Fabricadabra's Blog

Fabricadabra's #1 best selling ikat pillow cover

Ikats have experienced a resurgence of popularity in apparel and home furnishings over the past few years.   So many people are asking when this trend will go away. In reality, I think ikats will be around for as long as they already have been.  (Ikats date back to as early as the 15 th century and have been a classic weaving technique along the Silk Road, in India and in Central and South America.)  Appreciation for them has always existed and will continue to.  Since they are ubiquitous right now, some people are just plain sick of them.

I have loved ikats for as long as I can remember and don’t think I’ll ever tire of them.  I have truly enjoyed seeing them as upholstery fabric on furniture, as artwork on walls and as great throw pillows. Madeline Weinrib deserves huge kudos for bringing them back into the world of home furnishings in a highly visible manner. Her pieces are impeccable and 100% silk,  but they are also too expensive for the average consumer.

At Fabricadabra, I have been selling lots of ikat pillows and sales are still trending upward on them. I do think that a big part of the success of them  on my site is that they retail at $30-$40 each. I sell them without the filling to make shipping inexpensive. But, I also use the ikat on the face and back, rather than using a less expensive solid on the back. Mine are a blend of 50%silk/50% cotton, which helps to keep the prices affordable.  I buy my fabrics directly from a weaver in Tashkent Uzbekistan and do not work through a broker. This helps to keep the cost down, too.

Currently, I sell only pillows but I am seriously considering seling the fabrics by the yard. One seeming limitation with this is that ikats are handwoven on small  looms typically produce fabric that is only 15″-20″ wide. So, if  one wanted to use the fabric for wondow treatments, a duvet or even to upholster a chair, there will be visible seams in the fabric. The seams can align with the pattern repeat to look less obvious or they cannot be pattern matched. This actually results in a very interesting look.

The surrounding have been my top five best selling ikats through  Summer  and into September(although I expect a shift to deeper colors through the Winter).  I have a number of new ikat designs and colors in work that I will introduce within two weeks.   I have added three amazing solid color ikats to collection for Fall that are already for sale on the website. These tie back colors in some of the multi-colored ikat pillow covers. I hope you enjoy them!

One of Fabricadabra's top 5 best selling ikat pillow cover

One of Fabricadabra's top 5 best selling ikat pillow cover

One of Fabricadabra's top 5 best selling ikat pillow covers