Colour, dyed into every thread.

Ikat is one of the oldest textile arts in India, and one of the most patient. Before a single thread is woven, the yarns are carefully tied and dyed by hand, so the pattern exists long before the cloth does. When the threads finally meet on the loom, the design emerges with the softly feathered edges that make ikat unmistakable, a little like colour seen through summer heat. Named for the bougainvillea that spilled over the garden walls of my childhood, this piece brings that same warmth to the table: generous, a little untamed, and made for long lunches that drift into evening.