Artisans have been hand printing using wood blocks for centuries.

The block printed textiles in our line are created in Rajasthan and shipped to our warehouse in Greensboro, North Carolina. Rajasthan is famous in India for its vibrant prints of geometric patterns, birds, and other animals. The patterned fabrics in our line are the work of our in-house design team’s collaboration with the skilled craftspeople in India. Block printing, or woodblock printing, has been mentioned as early as the 12th century as an export from India. Artisans in India are renowned for their skill with the technique and still use it today to create beautiful patterns on fabrics such as saris, rugs, scarves, and pillows.

The fabrics in our line are created using mostly wood blocks that are cut by hand. The areas that should be colored are left flat, and the rest of the block is cut away. Workers wash the fabric and then often let it dry in the sun. Craftspeople stretch the fabric over a large table and mark the location where the printing should start. They dip the block in a dye that is prepared in a tray. Next, the block is pressed down hard on the fabric to color the cloth and sometimes tapped with a mallet. Other blocks are used to fill in color and add additional detail to the pattern. Workers then wash, steam, and dry the patterned fabric.