Kutnu Fabric Production Stages
Producing kutnu fabric requires both expertise and intensive manual labor. The process begins by transforming robe bobbins into hanks using a four-cornered tool called a devre. These hanks are then placed into dyeing boilers at a temperature of 100°C. Once dried, the hanks are carefully inspected by skilled workers to ensure they are strong enough to be woven on the loom. After being hackled, the yarn is ready for weaving.
The next stage is dyeing the hanks. The base color is a vibrant yellow, which gives the fabric its signature brilliance. Other colors—such as red, purple, green, blue, black, bordeaux, and pink—are added sequentially.
After dyeing and drying, the hanks proceed to the mezekçiler, or sizers. The sizing process helps prevent the yarn from breaking or tangling during weaving. The hanks are dipped into a mixture containing apricot resin, then squeezed. This resin not only strengthens the yarn but also gives it a natural shine. The sized yarns are then wound onto wooden poles called milef, forming bundles known as kavuk (turban-like rolls). These are wrapped in plastic bags and kept damp for a day to allow the sizing to fully penetrate the yarn.
Before weaving, the floss silk (rayon) yarn still requires further preparation. It is unwound again and detangled in a process called tertip. This involves stretching the yarn between two 50 cm-long pegs, placed about 20 meters apart on a wall. The threads are combed by hand to remove tangles and then rewound onto the poles. At this point, the bundles are referred to as şak. Once dried and straightened, these are wound onto reels called levent and hung on the loom.
The next complex stage is drawing in—attaching the warp yarns (vertical threads) to the loom. This involves threading the yarn through the heddle (a device with small eyelets that control the warp) and the reed or comb, which determines the density and order of the weave. Skilled craftsmen, familiar with the specific design and thread count of each pattern, meticulously guide the threads through the correct heddle eyes and reed teeth. Depending on the pattern, 4 to 6 threads are passed through each tooth of the comb. Drawing in is considered the most difficult part of loom preparation.
Once the warp is ready, attention turns to preparing the weft (horizontal threads), which is typically cotton. The weft thread may be sized using a starch and water solution to increase durability and stiffness. The final preparation step involves winding the weft thread onto a spool, traditionally done by apprentices using hand pulleys, but now mostly completed with bobbin winders. The spools are placed into the shuttle, and weaving begins.
During weaving, the heddle separates the warp threads, allowing the shuttle to pass the weft through. The weft is then beaten down by the comb to secure the fabric. When the spool runs out, the loom is stopped briefly and reloaded. Weaving proceeds in a continuous rhythm, using a satin weave technique that gives kutnu its characteristic sheen.
Finally, the freshly woven kutnu fabric is pressed between hot rollers to flatten it and enhance its finish. It is then ready to grace shop shelves and be transformed into elegant garments and accessories.
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