Sewists Unite
Block Printing and Other Fascinations
I've been a fan of the Indian aesthetic all my life, especially Indian textiles, and was lucky enough to have an extended stay in Mumbai about 20 years ago for work. What a perk! That trip allowed me to indulge in a lot of fabric acquisition and to learn a little bit about the art and beauty of textile printing in Rajasthan. I used Mumbai as a jumping off point for some fantastic, travels around the country but mainly towards all things fabric... And that was before I had even imagined a Fabric Spark!
The fabrics we think of as Indian block prints are steeped in history and tradition. The botanically inspired designs that I am so fond of can trace their origins back to the early 1500's and owe a great deal to Iranian or Persian influences. Whether realistic or imagined, rows of delicately stemmed flowers and ordered petals appeared in doorway frames, on wooden facades, and in monumental and palace architecture, tapestries and fabrics, all at the behest of Moghul Emperors of the day. The 1600's saw an added European influence with explorers and traders bringing books and gifts to trade with their hosts. That influx added realistic herbals to the mix, and depicting flowers from the side as well as the front.
Many of these original patterns have persisted in one way or another through the centuries in Indian design arts, possibly because they were literally carved in stone.
When you add this wonderful and deep design tradition to the printing processes that also date back hundreds of years, you gain a new appreciation for longevity and durability of Indian cottons.
In the mix of fabrics we brought in, we have several of these traditional designs, in single and multi coloured prints depicting classic florals. We also have mango inspired shapes (the inspiration for paisleys), and some more modern imagery like animals and pomegranates.
We also were lucky to find some stunning screen printed fabrics. The big difference between block printing and screen printing to the finished fabric design is the detail and finer line that can be achieved with a screen vs. a wooden block. As well, screen printing can be more accurate, with less dye overlap. Screen prints are also often multi coloured (each colour is printed with a new screen). These capabilities can result in more elaborate designs. and sometimes more modern designs.
It's still very much a manual process, with two artisans moving slowly down the long length of fabric pulling one colour at a time through the screens.
One thing that was very special in my recent travels, was learning to print fabrics with natural dyes on an organic cotton base fabric. This is about as pure as it gets. Preparing the fabric without any chemicals takes several labour intensive steps and results in a beautifully soft cotton to work with. Natural mordants like alum or iron are applied so that the dye adheres better and is more durable. The dyes are prepared by extraction from sources like plants, roots, bark, and minerals. Printing usually involves a few steps, with the pattern outline blocks usually get printed first, then the inner motifs in alternate colours. Kalamkari Fabrics are an ancient and intricate art form that follow these many steps. We have a fantastic range of Kalamkari prints, a few of which were made at the printing studio that hosted the printing workshop I attended.
We're so excited to share these finds. Wouldn't it be wonderful to spread these historic, and artisanal fabrics throughout North America? Or even just the east end of Toronto?
Be sure to read our blog post on the wonderful Ikat wovens. They have a similarly historical place in the world of textiles and are absolutely beautiful to sew with and to wear.
Leave a comment