Technique :  Three twill Mudmee fabric weaving using the chemicals for fabric dyeing
 Making process (in detail) :

1. Pattern design
   Kru Eam derives the original patterns from the ancient patterns by copying and writing the patterns on the graph paper to be used as a model for the Mudmee process.
2. Silk yarn bleaching
   This process is to remove sericin, and various contaminants attached to the silk before further dyeing process.  Firstly, dissolve bleaching powder in hot water (1 sachet of bleaching powder per 1 kilogram of silk yarns) then boil silk yarns for 30 minutes.
   Turn the silk yarns back and forth to allow thorough bleaching until the yellow yarns gradually turns white. Then rinse in clean water for 3 times. Twitch the yarns for further sun-dry process. The finished bleached silk yarns will become more softened and whitened and easy to dye.
3. Warp silk yarn dyeing
   Warp silk yarns are chemically dyed in black by dissolving black chemical dyeing color in hot water (2 sachets of chemical dyeing color per 1 kilogram of silk yarns). Add 2 tablespoons of salt and boil silk yarns for 30 minutes. During the time, turn the silk yarns back and forth to allow thorough dyeing. Set aside and leave to cool them down. Rinse in clean water for 3 times. Then twitch the yarns for further sun-dry process.
4. Weft silk yarn preparing
   Divide the bleached silk yarns into groups for tie-dyeing process, called “Khon Mee”. it is to circle the silk yarns around Lak Khon Mee (a stick) to the left and right to the specified number of silk yarns. Then tie the silk yarns into 1 lam and further tie the next lam until it reaches the numbers per pre-designed in the graph paper. For this Hol fabric weaving, 33 lams of silk yarns, called 1 hua, are unconnectedly tie-dyed from each lam.
5. Mudmee and weft silk yarn dyeing
   Tie the silk yarns according to the designed pattern in the graph paper by using the non-absorbing to color materials such as banana tree fiber or plastic rope to cover the dye color from the tied yarn area. Next, dye with chemicals dyeing color for 3 times by adding 2 tablespoons of salt in hot water and boil silk yarns for 30 minutes. During the time, turn the silk yarns back and forth to allow thorough dyeing. Set aside and leave to cool them down. Rinse in clean water for 3 times. Then twitch the yarns for further sun-dry process. Mudmee and Hol fabric dyeing process results in following main pigments: red, yellow, green, blue and black.

1. “Mudmee” process using banana tree fiber or plastic rope to cover where the natural silk yarn color, or red or blue is needed.
2. Dye silk yarns in chemical yellow color. Rinse and leave to dry.
3. “Obb Mee” (the second Mudmee process to remain the patten from the first tie-dyeing) by concealing silk yarns where green and yellow pigments on the silk yarns are required. Then remove the rope where red pigment on the silk yarns is needed.
   4)  Dye silk yarns in chemical red color. Rinse and leave to dry.
4. “Obb Mee” by concealing silk yarns where red pigment on the silk yarns is required. Then remove the rope where green and blue pigments on the silk yarns are needed.
5. Dye silk yarns in chemical blue color. Rinse and leave to dry.
6. Remove all the rope from tie-dyeing. Rinse and leave to dry.

6. Containing silk yarns into the shuttles : After 3 times of weft yarn dyeing, it results in 6 dyeing pigments: white from natural color of silk yarn, yellow, red, green, blue and purple ( from red and blue dyeing) Reel each hua of finished dyed silk yarns into a bobbin.
7. Setting warp yarns into the beater (Fun wee)
   Set the black-dyed warp yarns into the beater (Fun wee) for 60 lobs. Three twill woven technique is used. Nip the warp yarns off and reel into a bobbin at the other end. Adjust the warps into order and put into the loom.
8. Weaving
   Manage the warp yarns in the heddle. Have the weft yarns spout back and forth to be woven in the beater and repeat until the woven dense fabric is perfectly completed. Reel and adjust the finished woven fabric in the fabric tube alternately.

Pha Hol is the Thai-Khmer ethnic group’s unique ancient hand-woven Mudmee fabric in Surin province. Its exquisite and elegant patterns is made of a resist-dyeing technique, resulting in the splendid woven fabric called “Pha Hol weaving technique”. The finished woven fabric is called “Pha Hol”, or “Pha Poom” in Thai language, “Mudmee” in Laos language, IKAT, which is mostly recognized among westerners, in Indonesian – Malay language.
Pha Hol in the South Isaan culture (the lower part of North Eastern Thailand) is deemed the haut couture fabric. In addition to being used as an elegant outfit in various occasions, Pha Hol- the queen of all fabrics, is also a formal dress in the important ceremonies. It requires the highly skilled weaving and resist-dyeing expertise while the weaver artisans hold aesthetics in mind to create the color composition in harmony into Pha Hol masterpiece.

Initially, Pha Hol was originated from “Pha Som Pak Poom” making. It was bestowed by the King as insignia of ranks for court or government officials holding noble titles. The patterns were intended to indicate the status, titles, and ranks of the wearers. Later, Pha Hol was involved in the Buddhist ordination ceremony, titled as Pha Hol Proh (Pha Hol Phu Chai). The fabric components, in which embroiled end parts were supplanted for men costume, were similar to Pha Poom popularly worn in the Royal court of Siam. Pha Hol Saraei (Pha Hol Sottri) was followingly created by designing a fish pattern or a stripe pattern to replace the original pattern of Pha Hol Phu Chai’s pattern believed to be restricted to wear among the nobles.

Reference :

• Institute for the Promotion of Thai Arts and Crafts .(Public Organization) n.d. “Arts and Crafts of Hol Cloth”. www.sacit.or.th. Accessed July 2023, 1 . /_83845c9be065648a743d7bbbab03e21e.pdf
• Eam Yabdee, Interview by We View Go Co., Ltd. 2023. (24 March).

Compiled by:

• We will Go Co., Ltd.
• Knowledge Promotion and Dissemination Department Office, Handicraft Value Promotion Institute, Promotion of Thai Arts and Crafts (Public Organization)