Living Textiles
To print fabric by means of carved, elaborately patterned wooden blocks and complicated methods is an ancient craft known for several thousand years in India. The process is long and time consuming, but it is organic in the sense that no machinery is involved thus leaving the printed fabrics in human hands throughout the whole process. This purely handmade process adds a special appealing look to the fabric. For centuries the printers and dyers have been using bark, fruits, berries, leaves, flowers, seeds and roots, all commonly available in India. And luckily you still happen to find printers using these natural dyes like madder root, pomegranate, turmeric and indigo. A famous place for blockprinting is KUTCH - situated in the westernmost part of India in the state of Gujarat. Here some of India's Master block printers live and work.

Textiles printed with natural dyes have subdued colors gaining by "wear and tear". The cotton fabrics are prewashed and pretreated with myrobylan, a tannic acid solution extracted from fruits. The printers use resist printing with gum and clay. For elaborate patterns it is not unusual with 10-20 different processes of washing, mordanting, resist printing and dying before a fabric is finished. Which usually takes several weeks.

The printing blocks are all made from Indian teakwood and carved by highly skilled block makers. Many hands are involved in this complicated printing process thus creating workplaces. And if the wheels keep turning these clever craftsmen will not only be allowed to continue their craft with pride, but will also be given the chance of passing on their knowledge to future generations.

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