As the design of block print makes a strong comeback in today's fashion and home goods world, you will be tempted to think that each piece is block printed by hand. However, most of what you see in today's marketplace will be screen block printed. Screen block printing entails pushing dye over a screen to transfer a design, while hand block printing uses hand-carved wooden blocks that are then dipped into dye and hand printed over each textile. Many times the screen prints are made to look like hand block prints and it's hard to notice the difference. However, if you examine the pieces closely, you will see inconsistent imperfections throughout a hand block printed piece. With screen printing, the intentional "imperfections" repeat.
During our trip to Jaipur, we met several master artisans that have been hand carving wooden blocks for over 40 years. There is nothing quite like watching these artisans chisel a wooden block with such perfection.
We are now selling these hand-carved wooden blocks because we know that these hand-carved wooden blocks on your coffee table or book shelf are works of art that help tell the story of restoration.