Plant Shaped Designs on Maroon- Black Bedspread

Dimension: 107 x 86 Inches

The historical record traces the art of block printing to the 12th century. Under this technique the craftsmen first prepare the wooden blocks or ‘buntas’ in different shapes and sizes. The blocks made up of teak wood are soaked in oil for 10-15 days to soften the wood. Each block has a wooden handle with 2-3 cylindrical holes drilled into the block for free air passage and to facilitate release of excess printing paste.

The bed sheet to be printed is washed to make it soft and free of starch.

Then the fabric is spread on a printing table and the printing starts from left to right. The natural colors and dyes extracted from vegetables are used. For instance, madder root for red, rusty iron solution for black and indigo for blue colors are used. The block is dipped into the outline color and is pressed hard with the fist on the back of the handle to get a good impression on the cloth. If a multiple color design is required then it takes more time to get the design done.

Finally, the bed sheet is processed with acid wash and dried in sun to determine the exact color. The block prints come in different patterns like Sangner prints, Bagru prints, Ajarakh prints and Khatri prints. Each of these prints is unique and has a strong regional flavor. For instance, Sangner prints are printed on white or off-white backgrounds and have floral designs while Bagru prints are printed in two colors; red and black.

Today, this indigenous art faces the threat from the forces of commercialization. The concept of rapid mass production using the chemical colors and the screens have taken a heavy toll on the traditional block printing areas of India like Ahemdabad, Sanganer, Bagru, Farukhabad and Pethapur.

The 100% cotton maroon-black colored bed sheet (shown in the picture) has a rich use of yellow thread across the four borders and weaves diamond shaped patterns in the middle around the printed plant designs.

Plant shaped designs on maroon- black bed sheet