A Silk Safari to Chonobot

Say the town “Chonobot” to a connoiseur of Thai silk and their mouth will water. Mention a silk safari to this rural Isaan¹ enclave located among sugar cane and tapioca fields and they’ll insist on coming along.

Chonobot is where a collection of a couple dozen Thai silk shops sell Thai silk handwoven in the small surrounding villages.

But not only do the village women weave Thai silk, they often raise the silkworms whose cocoons, are made from filaments of silk. The women then boil the cocoons which unravels the silk filaments, and they reel these filaments onto spools and make it into thread. They then dye the thread, and hand weave silk fabric on old wooden looms passed down through the generations. Quite a feat! (Please read my post: “Thai Sericulture: Making Thai Silk“.

Getting There

I’ve been to Chonobot several times and I always drive to Khon Kaen City from Chiang Mai and stay the night. It’s a 12 hour drive and makes for a scenic roadtrip winding through the mountains before arriving on the flat plain of Isaan where Khon Kaen Province is located.

It’s a shorter drive from Bangkok passing through Korat (Nakhon Ratchasima) and will take 8-9 hours, but it’s not nearly as scenic as from Chiang Mai.

There are many flights from Bangkok to Khon Kaen and you can fly in at morning, hire driver to take you to Chonobot and return to Bangkok for dinner. Or better yet, spend a couple days in the Isaan region before returning to Bangkok.

I’ve mentioned Isaan several times already. Isaan is northeastern Thailand and is poor, dry and rural. Khon Kaen and Udon Thani are its biggest cities. The majority of Thai silk is handwoven in the small villages of Isaan. This region is also where silk thread is produced. Many of these villages raise silkworms and produce the very silk threads that is then woven into fine silk. The silk shops of Chonobot provide a simple way to explore the silk weaving of Isaan.

Mudmee Thai Silk

Chonobot is renown for its mudmee silk (also spelled matmi). Mudmee silk (known as ikat weaving) is a technique of hand-tying and then dying silk yarns so that they create a pattern when woven. This is one of the oldest forms of pattern weaving and dates back thousands of years. Please read my post about mudmee weaving: “Mudmee Fabric: A Cultural Treasure of Thailand“.

Almost all the mudmee fabric (cotton or silk) you’ll see in Thailand is a weft mudmee. In other words, only the weft thread (horizontal thread on a loom) is tie-dyed and carries the colorful pattern.

The silk threads are tied together on a board, usually with little plastic ties, according to whatever pattern the weavers want to produce. Some mudmee patterns are ancient and handed down through the generations, while others are new and adapted to modern fabric designs.

The silk threads are then immersed in dye and the area not covered in plastic is dyed. If the process stopped there, the fabric would be called single color mudmee. Additional colors can be added by covering the dyed areas and immersing the threads into a different color dye bath. This would be two color mudmee. The most colors, including black, I’ve seen is five color mudmee and of course it’s the most time consuming to make and the most expensive.

Long ago, mudmee silk was considered a fabric of poor rural Thai women. After all, that’s who produced and wore it. But in the 1960’s Queen Sirikit of Thailand fell in love with this fabric and began sending bolts of mudmee silk to her Parisian fashion designer Pierre Balmain of House of Balmain. Balmain designed exquisite mudmee couture gowns for the Queen who wore them to important social events. At the same time, Jim Thompson, the Thai silk king was also promoting mudmee silks. Mudmee silk quickly was transformed into a sought-after fabric used by the finest designers.

For more info about Queen Sirikit and her importance to Thai silk, please read my post: Queen Sirikit and Thai Fabrics.”

How to Shop Chonobot

Once you arrive in Chonobot town, the best way to shop is to park the car and walk from shop to shop. Take your time. Carefully look over a shop’s inventory.

Whether you buy or not, this is a great opportunity to touch and feel Thai silk. You’ll never know Thai silk until you touch Thai silk. It can be rather stiff and scratchy. Take the opportunity to feel the fabric and play with its drape. The shop owners don’t mind at all. That’s what all serious buyers do.

The Golden Rule of Silk Shopping- Buy From A Reputable Source!

The world of Thai silk is bedeviled by frauds of counterfeits. If you buy “Thai silk” from a person off the street you are buying fake Thai silk. If you buy from a tourist market you are either buying a counterfeit or the poorest quality Thai silk.

In Chonobot, the Silk Shops are not only reputable and have been around for years, they’re considered some of the finest silk shops in Thailand. You can shop with confidence here knowing you’re getting authentic Thai silk at competitive prices.

But you must pay for Thai silk, especially the best stuff. It’s not cheap. There are no bargains with Thai silk, only good deals.

Prices

Most silk bolts are 1.6 to 1.8 meters (a sarong bolt) and most sell for between 2,000 baht – 7,000 baht ($57 – $200 US). The finest mudmee silks sell for much more. Here’s a few photos of the finest mudmee and their prices.

Prices vary tremendously based on the intricacy of the design, the quality of the silk, and the overall quality of the weaving. In other words, the highest priced silks have the most intricate designs, use the finest silk threads, and are woven by the most experienced weavers.

Most mudmee silks are sold in bolts of 1.6-1.8 meters. Occasionally you can find mudmee in 4 meter bolts. 1.6 meters is probably enough to make a shirt from. If you want to have a dress or suit with matching jacket made you’ll need 4 meters. Discuss this with the silk shop before purchase.

Thai silk is almost never bargained for. If you offer a lower price, be prepared for the shopkeeper to respond with a quick no.

Credit cards are accepted.

Premade Apparel

You’ll find loads of pre-made apparel in Chonobot, both silk and cotton. All shops will have dressing rooms and will encourage you to try on their clothing. Seamstresses are often nearby in case an alteration needs to be made, often at no cost to you.

A Shopping Slide Show

Kham Khom Silk Shop

One of the finest silk shops in The Kingdom is found in Chonobot-Khom Kham Thai Silk. They also sell cotton fabrics. Highly recommended whether you’re buying or just looking.

What We Bought This Trip

My closet is brimming with Thai fabrics, but I always buy more. At this point in my life, I just give the stuff away to friends and family. Here’s a slide show of what my wife and I bought.

Hope to bump into you in Chonobot. In the meantime, read my Thai Fabric Chronicles.

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1. Also spelled Isan, Esan, or Esaan