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After the printing is completed the fabric is
kept in the sun for eight to ten days after which
it is dipped in the natural indigo vat. It is then
washed thoroughly and kept for three to four
days. After this, it is soaked in a solution of
water and pomegranate skin powder and then
washed thoroughly once again. It is kept aside
for a day and then treated with
reetha
which is a
natural softener. Now, the cloth is washed and
dried again. Finally it is ironed in a traditional
way called
kundi
that involves beating the cloth
lightly with a bamboo stick to bring out its
shine. In this way, the entire process involves
thirteen stages and typically stretches over six
to eight weeks from start to finish of a textile!
However, the beauty of a textile or garment
that has been hand-block printed with natural
dyes is completely different. The colours are
soft and the look is soothing to the eyes. If
you stare at a fabric that has been printed with
synthetic dyes your eyes will start hurting after
sometime. On the other hand, if you keep
looking at a textile that has been printed with
natural dyes your eyes will not get tired and
it will be a soothing sight. Further, while the
colours of a garment printed with synthetic
dyes fade over time, the colours on a garment
that is printed with natural dyes get richer and
look more intense with time. At Pracheen, we
believe there are no boundaries to our craft and
we keep innovating with designs and colours
to create a new look for every collection. The
beauty of natural dyes is unique and we are
very happy to play a role in promoting natural
dyes along with hand-block printing.
