Songket production using modified jacquard technique / Nura Haida Johor

This project attempt to develop a new technique which apply jacquard concept on songket weaving. The purpose is to make songket weaving easier to understand. AVL fly-shuttle handloom was modified for this project. The modified jacquard technique is done by making specially heald wires. Since a float of gold coloured thread can be controlled as a group, (5/1) or tekat 5 it can be controlled just using one heald. Therefore a special heal for this was developed and to be controlled using strings and pulleys. A total of 45 strings were set up which can control a total of 6 x 45 ends and this would provide sufficient design size of a songket. Traditionally, Malay weavers used traditional handloom and the pattern directly prepared on the warp threads before songket is woven. In this project, the patterns is read from the paper pattern and weave according to the selected numbers for lifting of gold coloured weft on the pattern. The songket was woven using tekat 5. The shedding of warp is by pulling down the strings. The songket is woven faced down. Three songket patterns were successfully woven using this technique.