Block Printing

This has been quite a week for my little ole' Lavender and Limes (many thanks to dear maya*made). I have loved reading all of your comments and it's been a joy getting to know you through your blogs. Thank you for all of the India love! To satiate your appetite for all things Indian, I thought I would take you on a tour of a block printing factory in Udaipur. The crafters in India were so incredibly talented, it was mind-blowing...from weavers to metal-smiths, jewelers to wood workers. But as a textile addict, I found the block printing the most exciting to witness. The blocks so intricately carved, the colors so rich and vibrant, the finished products so lust worthy.
A bit about the process of block printing: There are two types of blocks used, a master block and a helping block. The master block is used for the outline of the shape (above) and the helping blocks are used to fill in the other colors and details. It takes extreme precision to place the helping blocks in the correct place within the design of the master block. All of the blocks are carved from teak, a wood that is strong enough for carving, yet light in its weight.
As for the colors, all natural dyes are used. There are six primary colors and all other colors are made by mixing the primary's. Red is derived from henna or sugarcane, green from mango leaf, blue from indigo flower, white from limestone, yellow from turmeric and saffron, and black from iron oxide.
Once the dying process is complete, the fabric is hung to dry in the sun, causing the colors to intensify. The finished pieces were gorgeous, but as you can tell by my pictures, my favorite part was seeing all of the intricately carved blocks, coated in gorgeous colors of dye.
Finally, since I can hardly begin to wrap my head around the devastation and despair in Haiti, I would like to point you to these four posts below. We will be contributing to the American Red Cross, an organization whose intentions I have always trusted. I encourage you and your family to find an organization that speaks to you. They need our support now more than ever.

AphroChic
Simple Lovely
SouleMama
Steady Mom