i love block printing and have been doing it more over the past few years, but until a few weeks ago i hadn’t tried it on fabric. i thought bandanas and handkerchiefs would be a good place to start, not too overwhelming in size. i wear bandanas a lot around my neck or as a head scarf, and almost always have one on a walk or hike.
i ordered some materials to play with- rubber for carving (easier than linoleum for this), fabrics of 100% cotton, and for this first round, speedball fabric printing inks. i did wash all the fabrics before printing on them, and once printed i let them dry/cure at room temperature for about week and then put them in the dryer. even though you don’t have to heat set this ink, i’d read that this might make it hold up to repeated washes better, plus it ended up making everything nice and soft too.
in addition to the designs i carved, i also tried printing with a few blocks from my collection of indian wood block stamps. these have lovely detail but since most are old, there are some variances in the surface that can make printing a bit more inconsistent, and harder on the hands.
i had planned to sell these at a spring pop up sale, but then the pandemic happened. in a way, bandanas are even more useful now (have you seen the videos of how to make one into a mask using hair ties?). i’ll have these at a future sale, but if you’re interested in purchasing one now just contact me and i’ll let you know what’s still available, and mail one to you with free shipping! y’all stay well out there.