Inside the Revival of Hand-Block Printing
Carved wooden blocks, natural dyes and a craft that refuses to hurry.
By Mira Sen
In a quiet workshop, a printer lifts a carved wooden block, presses it into dye and stamps it onto cloth with one firm tap.
Hand-block printing has been practised for centuries. Today a new generation of designers is bringing it into everyday clothes and homeware.
From workshop to wardrobe
The process is slow. Each colour needs its own block, and a single metre of fabric can carry hundreds of impressions.
“The block remembers every hand that has held it.”
That slowness is the point. The slight shifts in alignment are what give the fabric its character.