Textile Printing/ Design

Hand Block Printing of Javad, Madhya Pradesh

Javad prints in Indigo and Alizarine are mostly used. In the wax resist process done here the wax is applied using he block which is carved upto 10 cm in depth which can carry enough wax solution for no of imprints. Amba Butti aor the mango motif is fmous here. A very fine print known as Akola print where metal blocks designed with nails are used. is also prtaised in the area near javad. Akola is also famous for its discharge printing as well.

Arts & Crafts

Hand Block Printing of Jodhpur, Rajasthan

Odhnis / chunris from Jodhpur are highly prized though they are made all over the state now. The technique followed involves the use of wooden blocks with nails projecting from them. These nails are pressed on to the folded cloth. The required pattern is thus formed. The raised points of the cloth are tied tightly with strings coated with resist-paste and then dyed. This odhni is associated with many rituals and festivals in folk songs and lyrics.

Arts & Crafts

Hand Block Printing - Ajrak of Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, there are sandy stretches of desert where a unique method of cloth-dyeing prevails. The technique is called Ajrakh and the print is in dark shades of blue and red with geometrical patterns on both sides of the fabric. The technique is a complicated one and the steps include preparatory washing, application of mordant, resist printing, de-gumming, and dyeing. The resist substances used are gach (a mud resist) and kariyana, which is a mixture of the gum of the babul tree and chuna or lime. The lime provides a smooth texture and prevents the resist from cracking.

Arts & Crafts

Hand Block Printing of Bagru, Rajasthan

The block print in Bagru is done mainly in beige, red and black. Shades of blue with much use of indigo blue dyeing processes is a characteristic of this centre. Bagru is also famous for its mud resist process Dabu and direct printing. The motifs are simple and include floral and linear patterns. These prints of Bagru are acclaimed all over India and are particularly known as Bagru prints. The Prints of Bagru, unlike other prints, involve a different kind of printing. The unique method for printing employs wooden block in it. In the process, the desired design is engraved on the wooden block first and then the carved block is used for replicating the design in the preferred color on the fabric.

Arts & Crafts

Wooden Block Making for Hand Printing in Pethapur, Gujarat   

Hand- block printing is practiced mostly all overIndia and every region has its own style and colour scheme. Pilakhua in Uttar-Pradesh has craftsperson?s making brass blocks and using it for outlining the design. In Jaipur the craftspersons carve the wooden blocks on sagoon wood. Later the carved portion is dipped in the colour and then printed over the fabric.

Pethapur in Gujarat remains an important centre for block printing. Today the craft is declining because of mills.

Arts & Crafts