This blanket features the binakol or binakul textile design, commonly woven in Abra and Ilocos. Binakol can mean “made spherical” (Pastor-Roces, 1991, p. 77) or “twill,” describing the shape and appearance of the motif or design, but it can also refer to a type of Ilocano inabel textile. Although binakol textiles are created using the plain weave technique, they stand out among plain woven textiles due to the intricate techniques employed and the distinctiveness of the resulting fabric itself. Weaving the binakol requires specific methods using two-colored weft yarns that are typically black and white, green and white, blue and white and sometimes red and white (Respicio, 2015).
The geometric patterns created have an illusionary effect and are often seen as psychedelic optical illusions. These designs are intentionally woven to confuse, repel, and distract evil spirits (Salvador-Amores, 2019).
The specific design of this textile in the collection is composed of multiple whirlpool or whirlwind motifs, locally known as kusikus or alipugpug, with hand-woven red bands that serve as borders.