Hand-block printing ~ beautiful work from Bagru, Rajasthan (Part III)

After the first dip in the color, the fabric is put under Sun. 

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Usually there are multiple iterations of Dabu Printing and Indigo to get the desired color and design in the same order.

Every time Dabu printing is done, saw dust is spread over the fabric to lock the mud which helps create better resist in following Indigo washing. 

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As the final step the fabric goes for the washing process to to remove all traces of the Dabu mud and saw dust revealing the resist area to be the white or brown depending on the iterations of Dabu. The fabric is again stretched under the sun for drying process.  

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Indigo dying requires huge quantity of water and multiple iteration of fabric washing to achieve the desired blue.

The end result may vary a bit depending on weather condition affecting the drying process, the amount of indigo dye and the consistency of dabu mud. However every block printed fabric has its own story, color and beauty! In every sense it is a labour of love and hard work.