Payom Sinawat’s 109th Birthday

Today we celebrate renowned textile artist Payom Sinawat, who carried the traditional patterns of Isaan, a region in northeast Thailand, into the present day. Born in 1909 in Thailand’s Sisaket Province, Sinawat worked in Isaan arts and crafts for over 60 years. As she handcrafted silk for the Queen, Sinawat played a crucial role in popularizing traditional textile arts. 

One of the Isaan cloths that she handcrafted in traditional looms, and which partly inspired today’s Doodle, is named khit. Khit weaving tends to use certain colors, like red, purple, and dark green, to layer contrasting geometric patterns over a light background.

With an emphasis on quality, Sinawat mixed old and new materials to modernize and conserve traditional textile art. In 1987, she received the title of Thailand National Artist for her excellent craftsmanship, a title annually bestowed upon notable Thai artists. Through sharing her craft with society, she ensured that northeastern Thai weaving techniques and their resulting beautiful silks are conserved for generations to come.

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