Indian Arts and Crafts

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Indian Cloths

Both Block printing and Bandhani are different ways of coloring cloth. They are bright and interesting.

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Here are some of the different ways that Indian cloths are decorated 

  • Block Printing- has traces of print on the cloth
  • Bandhani- like tiedye it is colorful and splotchy

Block Printing 

Tracing of Prints on Cloth

Especially fascinating for foreigners is the printing of cloth with carved wooden blocks. Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Chittorgarh, Jodhpur and Bikaner in Rajasthan are the strongholds of this craft. The floral motifs favored by the printers of Bagru and Sanganer (Around Jaipur) are Persian in origin, though Sanganeri designs are more sophisticated. They usually have a white or pale background decorated with colorful twigs or sprays. The not-so-fine Bagru prints were initially meant for peasants and had a light brown background.

Block Printing 

Method of Printing

Rajasthan has a long and distinguished tradition of printing with finely carved wooden blocks. What you might have already seen in Delhi's Rajasthali or Fabindia is merely the tip of the iceberg. Head for Bagru and Sanganer, not far from Jaipur, to see for yourself how cloth is printed by hand.

This method, though labourious, is actually quite simple and merely calls for precision. The cloth is laid out flat on a table or bench and a freshly dipped block is hand pressed on to the fabric to form a continuous, interlocking pattern. The block carries dye if the original colour of the cloth has to be preserved.

If the cloth has to be dyed, the block is used to apply an impermeable resist - a material such as clay, resin or wax - to demarcate the pattern that is not to be coloured. Later, when the cloth is dyed, the pattern emerges in reverse. Traditonally, block-printing relied on the use of natural dyes and pigments, but now synthetic dyes have gained currency as they are cheaper. If you belong to the green brigade, stick to eco-friendly naturally dyed cloth.

Great Stuff on Amazon 

Dyeing & Printing, Basic dyeing, batik, tie dyeing, block & screen printing, lino cutting

Dyeing & Printing, Basic dyeing, batik, tie dyeing, block & screen printing, lino cutting

by: Thomas Browne

Amazon Price: (as of 11/11/2009) Buy Now

Hand Block Priting & Resist Dyeing

Hand Block Priting & Resist Dyeing

by: Susan Bosence

Amazon Price: (as of 11/11/2009) Buy Now

Hand Block Printing & Resist Dyeing

Hand Block Printing & Resist Dyeing

by: Susan Bosence

Amazon Price: (as of 11/11/2009) Buy Now

Bandhani 

Tie and Dye Technique

As the name suggests, the technique of Tie and Dye involves two stages: tying sections of a length of cloth (silk or cotton) and then dunking it into vats of colour. The rainbow-tinged turbans of the Rajputs and the odhnis of their women are shaded by this method of resist dyeing. Your visit to Jaipur won't be complete without a trip to the nearby towns of Bagru and Sanganer, where you can observe the Chhipa community of dyers at work.

Bandhani 

The Laheriya or Ripple Effect On Fabric

The laheriya or the ripple effect is achieved by a variation of this technique. Lengths of permeable muslin are rolled diagonally from one corner to the opposite, bound tightly at intervals and then dyed. The ties are then undone and the process repeated by diagonally rolling the adjacent corner toward the opposite and repeating the process. Both Jaipur and Jodhpur are major centres of laheriya. Jaipur in particular, thanks to its status as the state capital, has girt its loins to meet the extensive demands of both the domestic and export markets.

Tie and dye cloth is never too expensive but be warned that the colours always run. So if you've bought silk, it's safer to get it dry-cleaned.

This is how bandhani looks 

Saturday @ Verb by >>>WonderMike<<<

Saturday @ Verb

Babu Jabar & His Beautiful Bandhani by >>>WonderMike<<<

Babu Jabar & His...

Beers & Pizza @ Jupiter (Berkeley) by >>>WonderMike<<<

Beers & Pizza @...

Babu Jabar & His Beautiful Bandhani by >>>WonderMike<<<

Babu Jabar & His...

Babu Jabar & His Beautiful Bandhani by >>>WonderMike<<<

Babu Jabar & His...

Babu Jabar & His Beautiful Bandhani by >>>WonderMike<<<

Babu Jabar & His...

Babu Jabar & His Beautiful Bandhani by >>>WonderMike<<<

Babu Jabar & His...

Babu Jabar & His Beautiful Bandhani by >>>WonderMike<<<

Babu Jabar & His...

Babu Jabar & His Beautiful Bandhani by >>>WonderMike<<<

Babu Jabar & His...

Babu Jabar & His Beautiful Bandhani by >>>WonderMike<<<

Babu Jabar & His...

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Tie-dye Party Kit Simply Spray Fabric Paint

Tie-dye Party Kit Simply Spray Fabric Paint

Each Kit makes about 24 shirts Stays Soft and pli more...0 points

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BOLLYWOOD BANDHANI PARTY DESIGNER INDIAN SARI SAREE

BOLLYWOOD BANDHANI PARTY DESIGNER INDIAN SARI SAREE

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GYPSY SEQUIN BOHO BELT FULL BEADED BANDHANI SKIRT 32

GYPSY SEQUIN BOHO BELT FULL BEADED BANDHANI SKIRT 32"

Bandhani skirts in vibrant colors from India are a more...0 points

The uses for bandhani or block printing material 

  1. Use as a cloth for clothing. Many indian ladies wear bandhani or block printed saris.
  2. Great for decoration to hang on walls, or cover beds.
  3. Make beautiful curtains out of them
  4. Wear these beautiful cloths outside like a shawl, or a scarf. See how many compliments you get.

Bandhani 

The significance of colors

The main colours used in Bandhani are yellow, green, red and black. It is essentially a household craft supervised by the head of the family. The fabric is skillfully knotted by the women, while the portfolio of dyeing rests with the men. The women often grow a long nail on the little finger of the left hand, or wear a ring with a little blunt spike on it, with which they push the cloth upwards to form a tiny peak.

The Jaipur dyer rarely works with more than two dye baths while the additional colours are spot dyed, which makes the process much easier. Thereafter, the fabric opens out into amazing designs in kaleidoscopic colours: dots, circles, squares, waves and stripes.

Indian cloth on Ebay 

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Which is the best type of cloth decoration? 

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"Tiedye looks good no matter what it is called."

Tiedye is another way to color cloth

 

If you liked this lens, keep checking back, because I'm planning on putting out another one about more indian cloths. Please visit again.

My Group 



I manage the group For the House and Home. To visit it or join with some of your own lenses go to:

http://www.squidoo.com/groups/homefurniture

Just drop me a message about how you liked my lens. Thanks 

Lensmaster

babybuttsrock wrote...

I love all the different colors of India. They are so creatively used. I'm so glad that I now have some.

ReplyPosted May 07, 2009

Lensmaster

The_Homeopath wrote...

I actually collect Indian textiles. Most of the curtains in my house I've made from old sari's that I've picked up on eBay. My oldest daughter's room is decorated entirely in an Indian Hindu motiff. We've found some excellent vintage and antique embroidery pieces for her walls and made a peacock canopy with saris. Great lens - rolling this to my Khussa lens. 5*

ReplyPosted July 01, 2008

Lensmaster

BFuniv.com wrote...

I couldn't decide which to vote for, bandhani or block printing, but I did enjoy learning about them. When I was in high school I replaced the headliner of my car with what was probably bandhani - it was cool.

ReplyPosted June 04, 2008

by koolmom

Hey everyone. I am interested in a lot of things. Being a mom I am always looking for ways to make life easier, healthy and fun for my family. I'm int... (more)

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