Workshop

This hand block printed bed and table linen is made from organically grown cotton, certified by IMO, sourced by Hilary in India and printed at her own small workshop in Rajasthan where she has been directly employing the same two hand block printers for the last 31 years, switching to organic cotton and low impact dyes over the past ten years.

The cotton is beautifully soft and very strong.
You can order online or come and visit us here at The Organic Farm Shop near Cirencester where we keep a wide selection of hand block printed bed and table linen throughout the year. The textiles sit alongside a range of environmentally friendly skincare, interesting and unusual books, food from the farm and further afield, combined with an award winning cafe serving fresh simple food inspired by the 12 acre organic vegetable garden.

Here are a few pics taken over the years at the tiny hand blockprinting workshop in Rajasthan which Hilary set up with her friend and business colleague Surendra, in 1986. There are also some pictures taken when the printers visited the farm.

The workshop employs 2 full time craftsmen all year round.

Raju lives on site, with his wife and 4 of his children. (above) His eldest daughter is now married to a block carver who supplies us with woodblocks when needed. Rajus’ brother in law also Raju prints with him now.

Shaithneth was the master dyer for many many years and used to live on site with his wife but now he has retired and they have been able to buy their own house a few kilometres away.

Shaithneth, Raju and 5 other printers and washermen came to Abbey Home Farm a few years ago for a three week visit. We set up blockprinting tables in the Green Room next to the cafe, and hosted 16 school printing sessions, 4 adult printing days and an art teacher inset day. It was wonderful to see the very positive and stimulating interaction between the printers who had never travelled far from home before and the local visitors. Everyone took something home, a scarf, a cushion cover or just a piece of material that they had printed themselves.

Dinesh, a master block carver, came too. He sat carving blocks each day, with the minimum of tools, making blocks large and small. His trade is dying out, as is that of the blockprinters. He learnt his trade from his father and he from his father before him. Sadly Dinesh has now passed away.
When we first went to Jaipur in the early 1980’s 99% of printing workshops were for hand block printing. Nearly 40 years on 90% of the workshops are now screen printing, so by buying a piece of blockprinted cotton you are really helping to keep the art of blockprinting alive.