Indian textiles have always attracted the world, especially the majestic saree. It has been a part of the traditional Indian attire for ages and has only become more fascinating with time. A humongous amount of printed sarees are manufactured in India. While some are printed digitally, the pride of India rests with the hand-crafted printed sarees.
Various regional printing techniques are used to create beautiful floral sarees along with other prints like geometric and paisley designs. Block printing and tie and dye are the two main techniques.
All hand block printing techniques follow the same process. First, the blocks are carved and then the fabric is prepared. The dyes are made naturally and finally, the design is printed using the blocks.
This print hails from Rajasthan and involves applying a resist made with black mud, limestone water, and gum on hand-carved wooden blocks that are pressed on the saree. The fabric is dried and dipped in dye. The entire saree becomes colored apart from the part covered by the mixture. It is then washed and dried. When the resist comes off it reveals beautiful patterns on the saree.
Practiced in Madhya Pradesh, this art form involves soaking the saree in a mix of raw salt, goat droppings, water, and castor oil. A carved wooden board called Paliya dipped in color is pressed on the saree which is dried for 8 days, washed with cold water, dried again, and placed in Morinda Tinctoria’s (Manjanathi) roots and flowers. This technique is used to create beautiful printed sarees.
This art form comes from West Bengal and involves using a copper stamp to apply a wax resist on the saree. Another way to apply the resist is in the form of dots and lines by using a tool called ‘canting’. Once the resist is dry, the fabric is dipped in dye. The wax resistance prevents the dye from coming in contact with fabric at spots where design is required. This results in beautiful floral sarees.
This 450-year-old art form hails from Rajasthan and involves using different hand-carved wooden blocks to create prints on the sarees. A set of 3 blocks are used in this technique. One block is used to print the background of the design and the other is used for printing the outline. The third wooden block is used for fillers. Dyes that are used in this process are created from plant produce.
This art form is practiced in Gujarat and was brought to the state by Muslim Khatris. Carved wooden blocks covered with a resist paste are stamped on the saree which is left to dry. This is followed by dyeing the fabric and again drying it. After thoroughly rinsing the saree in water, the outcome is a web of floral and geometric patterns. Dyes used in this process are made from vegetables.
These printing techniques are famous in North India and are implemented by tying the fabric into knots and then dyeing them which results in spellbinding printed sarees.
As the name suggests this technique involves tying the fabric and then dying it. It is practiced in Gujarat and Rajasthan. The fabric is pinched by nails and tied into tiny knots with threads at various spots. These knots are then dipped in dyes separate from the color of the rest of the fabric of the saree. Very bright colors like red, yellow, blue, and green are used in this technique.
This print also hails from Rajasthan and is named such because of the waves of stripes created on the fabric. During the process, the saree is folded first and then tied. It involves applying a resist paste to create the stripes. Once the resist dries, the saree is dyed and left to dry. It is then rinsed and dried again. This technique is used to create printed silk sarees and cotton sarees.
Sarees capture the essence of Indian culture and that makes them the rightful representatives of Indian fashion. From floral sarees to striped ones, sarees in India are crafted from a variety of fabrics like georgette, chiffon, silk, cotton, tissue, etc. These printed sarees from different regions of India are famous all over the world and are shipped far and wide.
Bhagalpuri Silk Saree, Batik Silk Saree, Bagh Print Silk Saree, and Leheriya Silk Saree are some of the printed silk sarees.
Digital print sarees come in a variety of fabrics like cotton, silk, and organza, and in different types of prints like floral, geometric, etc.
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