Na Muen Si Woven Cloth

Ban Na Muen Si Women’s Weaving Group produces handwoven cotton cloth in a Na Yong district village where the craft goes back more than two centuries, though production nearly died out after the Second World War when raw materials ran short. Local weavers revived it in 1971, and the group formally organised in 1973 with district government support; the fabric and a small museum are now on show at the weaving centre, about 25 minutes’ drive from Trang airport. Entry is free, open daily 09:00-17:00.

The looms here produce three structural types of cloth — plain weave, checked, and pieces with raised motifs (a brocade technique known as yok dok) — across roughly 32 traditional patterns that group members can name individually, among them Lai Luk Kaeo (traditionally woven only in yellow and red), Lai Ratchawat, Lai Dok Chan, and Lai Dok Phikun. Three of the patterns carry ceremonial weight rather than pure decoration: pha tang for a groom’s wedding, pha phad worn during ordination into the monkhood, and pha phan chang used at a husband’s funeral. Weavers can usually explain which cloth belongs to which life event if you ask. The on-site museum, opened in 2014 with support from the district and the Central Group, displays around 100 antique textiles donated by village elders alongside the patterns still being woven.

This is a working weaving centre rather than a staged demonstration — expect to see looms in use, women mid-pattern, and finished cloth drying rather than a polished retail floor. Weekday mornings are the best time to see weavers actually at their looms; on quieter afternoons and weekends, fewer people are working, and the site feels more like a shop than a craft visit.

Insider Tip: Ask which pattern is being woven that day rather than just browsing finished pieces — the raised-motif (yok dok) technique is slow and visually distinct in progress, and watching a few rows go onto the loom explains the price of the finished fabric better than the tag alone.

Watch out: this is a small rural operation with limited staff on any given day, and hours can shift around local events — a phone call ahead (091 162 1928) is worth it if you’re planning a special trip just for this stop.

Products for sale include bags, shirts, hats, and cloth by the metre, made from the same patterns on display in the museum. From Mueang Trang, the centre is reached via Highway 4 (Trang-Phatthalung), past the Tha Pap intersection, then a left turn onto Highway 1021 for about 4km. Cash is the safer bet for purchases at this scale of operation. The weaving group is the centrepiece of the wider Na Muen Si community — a traditional village of rubber smallholders and rice farmers in Trang province.