Weaving threads of Ilonggo tradition
The time-consuming manual process of weaving patadyong and hablon has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. Looms have been used for centuries to make cloth
A patadyong weaver from Oton
Iloilo and handloom fabrics have been closely linked since the mid-18th century. Despite the production of cotton in England that predominate the country's textile industry, Indigenous textiles such as jusi, piña and patadyong came to predominate later in the 19th century. The demand for the local fabric continued to grow, and local carpenters and furniture makers built large numbers of looms and installed handlooms in their homes, or built special shops to house them. Women eking out a living devoted a great deal of their time and energy to the processes of spinning fibers and weaving combining it with farming, producing the fabric in the intervals between weeding their crops and feeding their animals. That time, Iloilo became the centre of the textile industry in this Philippines, with thriving weaving communities in Arevalo, Jaro and Molo.
However, our textile industry only covered a small scale activity with the production of raw materials. The deficiencies in the primitive hand spinning wheel, and the difficulty in obtaining the local fabric, enthused an inventive turn of mind into developing replacements.New spinning machineries brought about changes, transferring production of handloom fabrics from people's homes to now specially constructed small factories. Research, innovations and development in technical textiles, yarn quality, clothing products, process performance, fabric finishing, coloration technology and marketing has brought significant advancement in textile sector that provided high value-added products such as machine-made fabrics to consumers.
A weaver from Ana Cordova's weaving business
in Oton.
The Ilonggo Producers Association (IPA), incorporated from an organized core group of Ilonggo producers, PAGPA (Panay and Guimaras Producers Association) in March 1993, is active in promoting the art of handloom-weaving in Iloilo and throughout Panay.
The time-consuming manual process of weaving patadyong and hablon has remained unchanged for hundreds of years. Looms have been used for centuries to make cloth. They come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Consisting of four wooden uprights joined at top and bottom, a handloom has a box-like framework; with wooden rollers between both pair of uprights (one for the weft and one to collect the cloth). The weaving process consisted of throwing the shuttle containing the weft back and forth through the threads of the warp. Weaving is a family activity where each family member has a role to play in the process. It generally takes a patient and skilled weaver some days to produce a meter of material.
And in order to raise the technical and artistic standards of loom weaving in Iloilo, IPA has tapped skills of popular local artisans who have acquired their expertise in handloom weaving through several generations. The culture and art of his time-honored tradition are mirrored in exquisite native products vibrant with traditional colors and designs or subtly muted in rural hues. Handloom items materialize from tradition these weavers have nurtured through the years.This enables IPA to bring forth the fabrics' intrinsic beauty in their products. It has an excellent selection of hand-woven products. These traditional hand-woven items are offered at excellent prices. All our Ilonggo products are handmade with the best quality materials. Whether you are looking for hand-woven apparel or gift products, you will find IPA has what you need.
Connie Atijon, a weaver from Barangay Indag-an,
Miag-ao demonstrates how to weave hablon
Business apart, as responsible corporate citizens of Iloilo, IPA is socially committed to nourish rural craftsmanship. IPA envisions blending indigenous craftsmanship with modern design aesthetics. It is even said that world-famous designers such as Donna Karan and Calvin Klein have integrated our local fabrics in some of their designs. Truly, the world recognizes the beauty of our indigenous fabrics and the Filipino's world class ingenuity and creativity.
IPA is extremely happy to welcome and showits valued customers and visitors their quality hand-woven traditional native products. So, follow the trails to the Iloilo Producers Association Trade Pavilion at the LPHTP (LLACER) Building, General Luna Street, Iloilo City and discover the items perfect for you to have or to give to a friend.
With a professional touch, IPA will always try to uplift the tradition of Ilonggo craftsmanship in the days ahead.