Sunday, March 13, 2011

Chippa Block Printer


Next door, we met a Chippa block printer, also Muslim. He was busy stamping with a wooden block (the same print I saw him work on last time) a resist made of clay, soap, and cooking oil. Prior to this, a yellow color was stamped, made from tumeric. The cloth was then boiled with salt, lemon, oil, and leaf from a berry, after which the color turned red. After stamping on the resist, the cloth is immersed in dye made from indigo. This cloth will be used for men’s clothing by the Patel farmer caste.

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