In the land of hills in the north eastern Thailand, there is a village which is known for using hand loom to create beautiful fabrics and blankets. The traditional hand loom does require skills which have been passed down from generations. As the time passed by, it changes from the villagers’ hobby to a new way of making their living.
Cotton Blanket
Thiis village in Kalasin, a province in the north east of Thailand, is known for fabricating beautiful fabrics. Unlike other villages in the province that are famous for making silk fabric, villagers chose to make a difference by making cotton blankets which are used widely during travelling. It can give you warmth at night and is very easy to wash and be carried around.
Cotton Blanket
The process of making the blankets starts with the materials. The material is 100% cotton from Pakistan which is used as the up line in the pattern, combining with 65% cotton from Thailand that acts as the base line. The colors are already dyed from the factory, except for some special pieces that the villagers will dye it themselves. When all the materials are ready, they will be set in the hand loom and the villagers will start to fabricate the blanket. The hand loom they used is the old traditional hand loom which uses more cotton and creates a thicker and fluffier blanket comparing to the normal hand loom. In this process, the makers have to be very careful because the width of the blanket will be pulled in and get smaller every time they weave. So they have to always check the width of the blanket. Moreover, it takes quite an amount of time to make one piece of blanket. The maker has to get used to the hand loom and have to concentrate enough to orchestrate the function their hands and feet. A well trained villager can create only one piece of blanket per day. Therefore, most of the villagers who make these blankets are the elder who is not strong enough, while the other members in the family get to work in the rice field or do some other high-paid job. This hobby which became a job for the elder does make them use their time efficiently and help with their family income.
Cotton Blanket
Nowadays, the Thai government has create a project called “OTOP: One Tambon, One Product” (Tumbon means village in Thai language) in order to encourage every villages to create their own unique product with the knowledge they have inherited from their ancestors. It is another way to save and pass on the cultural intelligence to the new generation. The cotton blanket has been this village famous product and has won many prizes from the OTOP project. It is not only useful but the pattern on the blanket also demonstrates the traditional pattern that is mainly used in the Thai culture. The old famous traditional pattern is called “Look-kaew” which means pebbles. There are also some new patterns which are designed by the local university’s professor who is interesting in hand-looming fabric. The OTOP project has stepped in and helped preserve this knowledge of hand looming in the village. More villagers are interesting and more people have learned and make their living from fabricating the blankets. Now they have started a shop called “Phu Thai Fai ngam”, which means beautiful cotton from the hills, in their province and also in Bangkok. Their product is getting more and more famous in both Thai and foreigners.
Cotton Blanket (CB002)
Contton Blanket (CB001)
Thai cotton blanket doesn’t only give you warmth in winter’s night, but it also demonstrates the Thai arts and culture. Each piece is made totally by hand and contains good intension of the villagers. It will suits both in-house usage and for picnic or travelling. Moreover, it will help support the people in this village to continue creating these beautiful blankets.