Sutra Wajo Craft

Wajo is one of regencies in South Sulawesi is known as Bugis silk-producing areas of considerable potential. In this region there are about 4982 people crafters gedokan with total production of about 99,640 gloves per year and crafters Not Weaving Machine Tools (ATBM) totals 227 people with production of about 1.589 million meters of silk per year. Especially for silk yarn spinners as many as 91 people, while 301 heads of families engaged in mulberry cultivation and silkworm maintenance of 4250 pounds with the production of yarn per year.The crafters silk in this area requires raw materials of silk thread around 200 tonnes or about 200,000 pounds per year. Therefore, the raw material from Wajo not sufficient, then the crafters to purchase materials from neighboring districts like, Soppeng, Sidrap, Enrekang, and even imported from China and Thailand. There are three forms and patterns of silk are produced, namely: semi-finished cloth (like gloves, clothes, and scarves); cloth shaped coil that can be purchased permeter suit your needs and ready-made garments such as shirts, jackets, hoods, fans, purses , and where the equipment makeup.

Silk fabrics are not only marketed in Sengkang and Makassar, but also to several cities in Java, such as Cirebon, Pekalongan, Solo and Yogyakarta. Even the export of products and has become the target of many famous designers. The price also varies which is determined by the motives and the quality of fabric.

Silk craft centers in Wajo provides a variety of motives and of high quality silk fabric. Motif silk fabric production this region there are two kinds of traditional motifs and non-traditional. Traditional motifs or better known as Bugis motif is composed of motifs sobbi, balorinni, baliare, Cobo, and motifs that resemble Toraja carvings. While non-traditional motifs, there is a form of batik, and sequin-striped.

To obtain high-quality silk fabric, local and imported yarns are combined together and processed in several stages. First, the two kinds of yarn are cooked with soap and soda about 1 hour in temperatures 90 degrees. The next step, the cloth is dried for 3 hours with a temperature of 50 degrees. After that, the thread is ready to be installed in the machine woven and made into cloth. One kilogram of the warp yarn to produce about 40 meters of cloth, and one kilogram of feed to produce 12 yards of fabric. Uniquely, all the weavers made under-under their homes.

Silk production centers in Wajo spread in several districts, such as in District Tempe, Tana Sitolo, Sabbang Lung, Pamana, and Saijoangin. Wajo located about 242 kilometers northeast of Makassar. The journey from Makassar to the location can be reached for approximately 5-6 hours using a vehicle.