Chan Soma Silk
ไหมจันทร์โสมา
Gold-Embroidered Silk
Exquisite Art on Hand-Woven Textile
Ban Tha Sawang, Surin Province
Gold-embroidered silk, created hg hard work, imagination and the local wishom of Suin handed down through generations, is the prized work of Ban Tha Sawang.
The gold-embroidered silk of Ban Tha Sawang reflects the unity, spirit, skill, and action to detail of a community steeped in tradition. Neatly arranged golden silk threads are meticulously woven into strands of naturally—dyed threads of diverse colors to create and intricately-patterned fabric.
The material is a revival of a product of the Thai royal court, an idea of Master Wiratham Trakulngoenthai. Master Wiratham, the leader ot Chan Soma, a group of gold- broidered silk producers, is a native ot Ban Tha Sawang. He is a special trainer at the Support Center in Chitralada Villa, and tells his story in a modest manner;
Gold-embroidered Silk
“Weaving has been the lifestyle of the community here for centuries, Fabric was woven with soft filaments, making tender and delicate silk for several hundred years.
"Gold-embroidered silk" is the weaving method introduced during the Ayutthaya Period when Thais came under the influence of the Khmers, what we know as the Chenla Empire. The technique disappeared for a period. I became familiar with silk weaving in my childhood. I create the fabric and try to improve the designs, to make it more complete. What I achieved was much more as local people made more income and jobs were created.
"Gold-embroidered silk" is the weaving method introduced during the Ayutthaya Period when Thais came under the influence of the Khmers, what we know as the Chenla Empire. The technique disappeared for a period. I became familiar with silk weaving in my childhood. I create the fabric and try to improve the designs, to make it more complete. What I achieved was much more as local people made more income and jobs were created.
Ban Tha Sawang
The gold-embroidered silk of Ban Tha Sawang shot to fame with its selection by the Thai government as the fabric for the jackets and shawls for presentation to leaders and their spouses at the APEC Summit Meeting in Thailand in late 2003. The village became known widely as the "APEC Silk Weaving Village" and won an OTOP Champion 5-Star Award. It was later selected to weave a commemorative cloth for the occasion of the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King`s accession to the throne.
designed by Master Wiratham
To weave a piece of gold-embroidered silk involves elaborate preparations lasting 5 to 6 months Half of this time is spent laying down the design and arranging the shafts. The weaving itself takes 1 to 3 months, depending on the patterns. Over 1,000 shafts may be used to weave in the patterns, resulting in a wonderful intricacy. The process of making the pattern on the fabric starts with designs thought up by Master Wiratham drawing inspiration from a number of sources - traditional textile patterns of BanTha Sawang, his use of ancient
textile designs, the sculptures at Khmer ruins found in the northeast of Thailand,
the local wisdom of Surin - resulting in unique gold-embroidered silk. The
pattern is then transferred by hand as graphic on paper, spaced and marked with
a color scheme. The finished pattern is
then translated into graphs to specify the warps. Thereafter, the shafts are
arranged.
The uniqueness of Chan Soma silk
The uniqueness of Chan Soma silk is dependent on the selection of delicate and light silk yarns that are bleached, boiled and dyed with natural pigments using traditional methods. The dyes are in three main colors, red obtained from lac, blue from indigo, and yellow from the heartwood of a local tree or pomegranate fruit. These are then mixed with locally found leaves and fruit acid that act as fixatives. The dyed yarns are then used as warps with golden filaments made of pure silver directly ordered from India spun with thread as weft to make patterns.
the 2 meters of silk takes about 2 months to produce!
The weaving is conducted on traditional looms specially designed to support extra shafts required for the elaborate patterns. Four weavers are employed for each piece of cloth, 2 to hold the shafts, 1 to push the weft into place with a stick, and one to weave the fabric. With such a complicated process, the weavers produce only 5 to 7 centimeters of fabric in a day — two meters of silk takes about 2 months to produce! This makes the hand-woven gold—embroidered silk of Ban Tha Sawang expensive but it is in high demand by those who seek the touch and feel of a high-quality product.
Master Wiratham, with a sparkle in his eyes, says; it is happiness for the creator of the artwork. Those who buy the fabric are appreciative of each piece of cloth and keep it as a precious item.
To witness the manufacturing process and view the exquisite finished product, you are welcome to visit Chan Soma Group at Ban Tha Sawang in Surin Province.
Producer: Chan Soma Group
Ban Tha Sawang, Mueng District
Surin Province
Information from Otop Stories from Thai Local Wisdom; OSMEP
To witness the manufacturing process and view the exquisite finished product, you are welcome to visit Chan Soma Group at Ban Tha Sawang in Surin Province.
Producer: Chan Soma Group
Ban Tha Sawang, Mueng District
Surin Province
Information from Otop Stories from Thai Local Wisdom; OSMEP