i heart ikat

I started off disliking ikat print (pronounced "ee'-kat" apparently). However, it has slowly grown on me. It started with an upholstered bench from Target I saw on the blog beachbungalo8.

Then it was the Santiago Oscar de la Renta rug for Elson & Co.

Now it is a full blown obsession...

Now it is this fabric from decorativethings.com ($20/yd)

Or this playful Oscar de la Renta Ikat dress:

And this ikat inspired ottoman from Target (the Khandra ottoman for $299)

And this Madeline Weinrib carpet I posted last weekend shown here from Domino magazine (Photo by Annie Schlechter, Domino, Nov. 2008). Seeing it in a room, I think that this rug is too blue for our bedroom - I would like something darker like the Oscar rug above. Although, I ordered a free 1 ft by 1 ft sample from Madeline Weinrib just to see if it would work.

So what is ikat? Traditional ikat fabrics are made when the thread is died before it is woven - the jagged colored patterns emerge upon weaving. According to wikipedia they are the oldest known patterned textile and come from cultures as diverse as southeast Asia, central Asia, and South America.

So is it still trendy if it is also ancient? Is everything ancient new again?