an album of blocks

although i've posted pictures of blocks before, this album is compiled to show various types of blocks: from thick and thin lines, relief and negative images. 

i enjoy playing with borders, combining them in
different  ways. these vary from 1.4 to 1.7 inches
 wide. they are often used to separate areas with
 large designs, such as paisleys or birds and flowers

i also collect whimsical blocks,
just because they are unusual.
this is a small block, about 3.5 inches high.
i've used it quite often, as a lampshade border

i picked up this block for a song, -
and have used it over and over again,
as it is or in combination with embroidery. 

this is a filigree block,
about 6.5 inches high. 

one of several blocks picked up for a song.
most of my antique blocks were very expensive,
 but this one was probably originally the
carved decoration on a piece of furniture,
as is the one below.
i've bought several like this.
the surface looks a little pitted but it
prints well. i like using blocks with 
an irregular and/or top and bottom edge.

as above - probably belonged on a piece
of furniture from the frontier.

floral paisley

i use this block in combination with embroidery.
i also have a square block which features
a vase with a bouquet, and my block printer,
 whose family has practiced the
craft for generations, tells me that it would have
originally been used on prayer mats.

this flower is about 5 inches across. since it's very
contemporary looking i thoroughly enjoy using it. 

i bought the border a long time ago, the
palm tree very recently.  i noticed how
well they  went together just by chance when
going  through my blocks, which i do regularly
 to refresh my memory of what i have,
as well as to look for new ideas or
combinations

a very small relief block, about 2.5 inches.
 i haven't been able to use it yet as it doesn't
lend itself well to a border: the bottom doesn't print
 a straight line, and it's not easy to turn it
 over and use it upside down, which i often do
with other blocks.

an unusual block which i didn't end up
buying as i didn't think i would use it in my work.

below is an ombre dyed scarf printed with a four line block and repeats of a floral block; above it is a peacock block. this is actually a three-part block, each part being used to print a different colour, ending with the outline. i use these two independently; the third block, not shown here, is not a complete bird but only features fine details to be picked out in colour.

the peacock on the left is the filler block
 while the one on the right is the outline.
the outline is printed last.

below are examples of ajrak blocks. 

this block measures about 5.5 inches square

the silk scarf below is ombre-dyed in blue and red  and overprinted in white. if you look closely you will see the first of the two ajrak blocks shown above. this is not the way traditional ajraks are made, but is my own take on using the blocks, of which i have collected several.

 the black and white photograph below shows my block printer (karegar, or artisan) printing the design. real ajrak making involves resist block printing. the designs are printed with a resist that will not take the traditional indigo or alizarin shades, and will eventually wash out leaving the printed area white. 

click on the link for an article on ajrak and a slideshow, which shows how in this process the design is printed using a resist:

ajrak

choosing blocks

here are pictures from a rather hot but pleasurable morning, spent choosing antique blocks to be added to my 'library.' i was lucky to have my daughter mehrunnisa with me, to take pictures. 

about blocks: they are carved out of shisham, or rosewood, and range from filgree borders to heavier motifs, both of which are featured in the photographs. traditionally they were used for multiple purposes, from making block printed sheets, table coverings, chaddar, dupatta and suiting materials, to marking out designs for hand embroiderers.

assessing designs, difficult when you
 are faced with a huge box of them!

a filigree block. i enjoy working with blocks that
have an irregular edge, such as this one

my daughter mehrunnisa,
reflected in the mirror in the stairway

shortlisting the blocks

looking at the possibilities for
combining different designs

my final choice

with ghafur khudaybirdigh and nadia in the office at pak turk enterprises

blocks as stored at the block printer's

some of my blocks,
stored rather differently in my studio

one of my favourite filigree blocks

a block printing demo

i

pinning the cloth to the work surface

ii

measurement and placement:
two very important elements!

iii

checking placement

iv

applying dye to the frame in preparation for printing

v

applying dye to the block

vi

printing the block: this requires
pressure!

vii

masking an area to print part of a block rather
than the whole

viii

printing the masked area

ix

the finished print, with line-up
marks still visible

a block print sampler: block prints for lampshades designed by atelier ilona for Pak Turk Enterprises, Islamabad.

Some of the prints feature single blocks, others are combinations of two to six or even more blocks. Some feature a base print in a light colour which is then overprinted in dark brown, while others are dyed by pleating and folding the cloth and dyeing it in tea or coffee.

...and a set of new embroideries in running stitch on cotton, with tea dyeing. more designs will follow. i like the effect of the stitching when the light is switched on. you can see the outlines even when the bulb's off. but when you turn the light on, the embroidery springs to life. the designs featured below are my signature style of lines and curves, largely leaf motifs. but i've added a traditional floral, and the new ones feature birds: the nightingale and the rose, and the bird of paradise. similarly, i've added herons and peacocks to my repertoire of block prints.