The History of Hand Block Printing

The History of Hand Block Printing

 

Beauty and luxury lie in small details and create a sublime symphony in our lives. The richness of Rajasthan and its craft forms is a gentle reminder of those symphonies which feel like calmness in chaos. The best way to acquaint yourself with the vibrant culture of Rajasthan is through its artforms; so vivid and deep-rooted in the heritage for centuries now.

Hand-block printing is one such art form that will revive all your senses and will enchant your soul.

The history of hand block printing is an interesting tale to tell. It goes back to around 2000 years when this art of hand block printing was brought from China and the artisans of India modified it according to the diversified culture of Rajasthan. The artisans use wooden blocks which have intricate details embodied on them. The designs are carved with patience and passion. The blocks are then dipped into desired colors which at times are also made using the natural elements of nature like flowers, jaggery, pomegranate rind, scrap horseshoe, madder root, indigo, and turmeric. After dipping them in the dyes, the artisans rhythmically place the block on the fabric, and then comes a thudding sound. The pattern is then ‘stamped’ onto the fabric and the entire process is repeated.

The periodical sound of the wooden block hitting the fabric is extremely soothing to the senses and rejuvenates our souls. The tell-tale signs of the human hands make this art form more mystique and beautiful. If you ever get a chance to witness skilled artisans performing this art form, you’ll be left in awe. It feels like an instrumental song is being played, the tune of which will enchant you. The luxury of this craft dwells in the intricacy and precision of handwork performed by the talented artisans. The original Bagru style printing is done with natural vegetable dyes and mud resists techniques famous in the villages where this art form is perfomed.

The richness of this craft form is transversed to the Fabfonde collection of hand block printed cotton sarees which are a celebration of this meditative handcraft of hand block printing. Every saree is a product of love and patience, passion and diligence. Performed with an eagle-eye precision and instilled with creativity, every saree at Fabfonde is a tradition to be treasured. On top of it, the cotton fabric used for sarees is of top-notch quality and lends a comfortable and soothing feature-like touch to its wearer. Even the chosen color palette and patterns are so unique and alluring that every woman looks graceful in the Fabfonde collection of sarees.

The craft of hand block printing is ubiquitous even after the endless inventions that happen on an everyday basis and is carried out in the crepuscular light of the workshops of the skilled artisans.

At Fabfonde, the best of the fabric is used while never compromising on the quality. Every saree at Fabfonde will bring you closer to the intricacy and the heritage of hand block printing. You can check out the complete collection of Handblock printed cotton sarees. Our collection is curated for all occasions and we are sure you’ll find something for yourself in our extensive collection.