Block Printing

ON COTTON IS TRADITIONAL

This style of printing is an ancient craft which has been passed down through generations to become a prominent design in today’s fashion market.

Records date back to the 12th Century showing that India is well-known for their hand printed cotton. Historically, festivals dictated times when hand printing took place to prepare fabric for tents and costumes.

In Rajasthan (where our block printing takes place), this style of dying developed into the art form it is today. This particular area is known for smaller and more delicate patterns. The process is beautiful and simple in its technique but requires skilled crafts people for the various stages of printing.

The best time of year for block printing is the dry months. First the designs are created by artists and kept safe by the nakshabandhas (graph-paper designers). Then the blocks are hand carved into the design required using seasoned teak wood. These blocks come in different shapes and sizes called “bunta”. Each block has a handle which the printer uses to hold when dipping in the dye and then stamping firmly onto the fabric. There is a special point on the block which acts as a guide to repeat the impression along the fabric. This technique may be repeated several times to add different layers of colour and pattern to the design. Usually natural dyes are used to add colour and these dyes are made from surrounding plants and rocks within the local area.

Once the printing is finished, the fabric is laid on the ground and baked in the sun to set the dye. The finished fabric is then washed and dried in the sun which is another part of the fixing process.

The resulting colours and patterns have a softness of tone and hue that cannot be reproduced by machine printing. Every stage of block printing requires a particular skill and accuracy which is kept under strict guidelines. The whole process is done with such speed and accuracy that it is an amazing craftwork to watch.

Sustainable living is another important aspect of block printing. Some villages rely solely on the income gained by this industry to provide for their families. The combination of the sheer beauty of hand block printed fabrics and its direct link to maintaining craft and culture in India is what we feel are most important. We hope you enjoy wearing your own little piece of hand printed fabric from the villages of Rajasthan.