Have you ever visited a tailor in Asia? It seems their reputation for quick and affordable custom clothing is remarkable. Plus there’s nothing like heading home from your travels, with a case containing a few new outfits.
I can’t resist purchasing clothing on my travels, and more so I can’t resist an item that has been hand crafted. Any opportunity to create something myself, and I’m there. So, whilst in India last year, it was the block printing on the fabrics that caught my eye.
Tailors in India
Anyone who has been to India will know that it’s almost impossible to avoid stepping foot into a tailor’s shop. Especially on a group tour. They are everywhere.
Many of the fabrics are machine produced and some are quite beautiful. The price is also quite impressive. I was tempted to just buy the fabric to take home to my mum, to make something, but it wouldn’t have been the same.
Block printing by hand
Block printing in some cities, such as Jaipur, which is south of Delhi, is still done by hand. In most other cities machine printing is more common. Here also, many of the tailors stock both hand and machine printed fabrics, but it’s often difficult to tell the difference unless you have seen it being made.
The speed at which the lengths of fabric can be stamped is quite something. I certainly found it difficult to line up the colours on just one image, when I gave it a try. So it really did put into perspective, the reason for the price difference.
Giving it a go
The stamps used for block printing are wooden and fairly chunky, unlike the stamps I am used to using back home.
Each colour is added layer by layer using a different stamp and it’s all done by eye, so not the easiest. I was glad there were only 4 colours on the image I tried out.
Freshly stamped
Interestingly the inked colours will change when dried, especially when left in sunlight which is typical for drying the finished fabric after printing.
Fully dried
Plan a visit
So, if you are planning a visit to India, make sure to check out the block printing whilst in Jaipur. There are also other places around the country where you can see this craft. I would also encourage you to visit a tailor and have something custom made. The quality is good and you could have a new item within a day or two at a fraction of the price back home. This also makes a unique souvenir or gift.
If you like to get creative and have time, head to Udaipur and check out the art of miniature painting and take home another unique souvenir.
