Ajrakh black saree

Ajrakh black netural dye saree
collection of blocks carved with traditional designs. The sound of the wooden block being stamped with force onto the table echoes and sounds almost like a heart beating. It is the sound that the craft is still going strong. This first block is coated in lime coupled with Acacia gum and carefully pressed onto the cloth at regular intervals. It acts as a resist. Myrobalan turns the cloth a yellow colour and works as a mordant, helping to fix the dyes. The cloth is laid flat to dry in the hot sun after being calendered. A resist of lime coupled with gum is applied to define the outline of the design. This is known as rekh. If the cloth is to be double sided, this stage is repeated on the reverse side of the cloth. This first block is coated in lime coupled with Acacia gum and carefully pressed onto the cloth at regular intervals. It acts as a resist. Artisans continue the process by selecting and coating blocks in dye, aligning them with previous prints, and pressing them carefully onto the fabric. Jaggery coupled with gram flour are used for black designs; alum and tamarind for red. After each colour of print, artisans rinse and sun-dry the cloth. After the printing is complete, the cloth is washed, dyed in one of many natural colours, and once again laid in the sun to dry.