Pethapur Printing Blocks
Wood (Carving)
History
Textile decoration techniques like dyeing, printing, tie-dye, embroidery, and painting each require specific tools and materials. Block-making, essential to block printing, developed in Pethapur in the 18th century after terracotta blocks proved fragile and imprecise. A local legend credits women for inspiring the craft— bored of plain white saris, they stamped jewelry dipped in dye to create patterns. Observing this, local carpenters began carving designs into wood, sparking the block-making tradition.
Raw Materials and Tools
RAW MATERIALS: Teak (Wood), Sheesham (Wood)
TOOLS: File, Chisel, Wooden mallet
Process
Wooden block-making for printing begins with seasoning Sagwan wood (Tectona grandis), submerged in ponds for months and then air-dried for at least three years for durability. These wood pieces, called cheo, are used by age. Designs are drawn on paper, transferred to the cheo, and engraved (likhai). A bow driller removes excess wood, while fine details are chiseled in reverse for accurate prints. Handles, added later, enhance ease of use.
Design and Color
Pethapur's centre of block making was earlier exclusively for the export of fabrics, hence the name saudagiri blocks. The medieval architecture of Sarkhej and Patan served as inspiration for the patterns in saudagiri blocks. Craftsmen have a collection of over 2 lakh designs. The craftsmen divide block designs into four categories based on their origins: Saudagiri, Ajrakh, Bagru, Sanganer, etc.
Product Range
The block giving the outline of the design to add more colours is the ‘rekh’. To have two colours, rekh is divided into two blocks known as ‘chirai’. To add more colours to the block printing, additional blocks are called ‘datta or daatla (the filler blocks)’ (for the second colour), and ‘gad’ (the background block) is the thick third colour.