Hand Block – Printing of Gujarat

Block printing refers to the practise of decorating textiles by hand with wooden bricks. Gujarat is a popular area for printing where generations of printers and dyers. Families have used the river Sabarmati for washing fabrics and its banks for sun-bleaching and drying linen. 

For each colour, designs are drawn and transferred to ready-made wooden blocks. The colours are added in a distinct pattern, with different blocks created for each distinct colour of the design. Vasna is situated in Gujarat’s Vadodra district, which is well-known for its cloth printing. Vasnais hand block printing is a centuries-old art renowned for its vivid colours and delicate lines printed. Traditional art skills are passed down through decades, and each place has its own distinct design elements, colour schemes, and motifs. This boat is heavily reliant on water. Hence, locations near water bodies are well suited to preparing a hand block printed product. Because of the intricately shaped wooden blocks of different patterns, hand block printing is exceptionally fine. The designs are inspired mostly by nature and geometric patterns.