What is block printing?
Block printing in India consists of stamping coloured designs on fabric using specially carved traditional wooden blocks. The repeated printing pattern brings life to the final design.
A centuries-old textile craft
Hand block printing has been practised in India for centuries and is still a living craft. Rajasthan and Gujarat are especially well known for it: the towns of Sanganer and Bagru near Jaipur have their own printing traditions, and Ajrakh, a printed cloth in deep reds and indigo, is made in Kutch.
How it is done
- A design is carved into a block of wood by hand
- The block is pressed into dye or printing paste
- It is stamped firmly onto the fabric, then lined up and stamped again to repeat the pattern
- Designs with several colours use a separate block for each colour
Printers traditionally used natural dyes made from plants and minerals. Small differences between prints are part of the charm of hand-printed cloth.
Block printing with Kalarshi
Kalarshi co-founder Shraddha Desai trained as a textile designer at the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad and ran her own textile production unit in India for many years. In our block printing workshops you stamp your own design onto fabric using hand-carved wooden blocks. No experience is needed and all materials are included.