• Printmaking,  Travel

    Block Printing in Jaipur: Abstract Stripe Block

    block printing with a hand-carved abstract stripe block

    When I signed up for the trip to Jaipur, I knew I’d love every part of it. It was a whole week that revolved around fabric – what could be better?! But there were two things that were a million times better than I had imagined. First: I was absolutely enthralled with block printing and, more than anything, loved that this class gave me some much-needed creative space to play. And second: everyone on the trip was wonderful, kind, supportive, talented, and FUN.

    The combination of these two factors made every single day a treat. On the first few days of the trip, when we were designing our own blocks and printing with Jen, there were great ideas being manifested everywhere. Everyone was working on something unique, and it was pure joy to take a break from carving my own blocks, walk around, and look at the eye candy that everyone else was making.

    block printed fabrics created by my trip mates

    With block printing, it’s impossible to be perfect (unless you’re Brigitte Singh…) and Jen’s attitude, which I worked to emulate, is to: accept that the imperfections will happen, plan for them in your work, and embrace them as part of what makes a handprinted textile so special.

    This attitude, the acknowledgement that imperfection is part of the charm of the craft, was so freeing! And as we all began printing gorgeous pieces of textile art, I was constantly inspired. There are infinite options for beautiful blocks and then, once you start playing with repeats, the variety of interesting work you can create is simply boundless.

    Blockprinting - abstract stripe skyline block

    All that is to say that after I had made my peacock block, I wanted to try something entirely different.

    I wanted to make a fabric I’d be likely to sew with and wear, so that pushed me in a more graphic direction. I was also armed with the knowledge that my prints would be imperfect, and those imperfections would make the fabric interesting and beautiful. So I got the basic idea in my head but then I just winged it.

    hand carved block for block printing - abstract stripe

    I started by carving a bunch of stripes into one rectangular block. I varied the stripes slightly on purpose (especially since they were bound to vary slightly by accident). I then cut the block into two separate blocks, but I cut it jagged so that each stripe would be a different height.

    block printing with a hand-carved abstract stripe block

    Then I printed rows. First in a hot pink, because I loved how my test print came out when I borrowed a friend’s pink-inked roller. Then orange, and finally a deep but bright navy.

    I had packed a few scrap fabrics for the trip without knowing what I’d be printing. I threw this gray crosshatch print in my suitcase on a whim, and I love the way the overprint plays with the existing pattern.

    I had also packed a big cut of this blue chambray, so once I had the striping down, I printed a solid navy variation. It’s so much fun how the same blocks, printed in all one color, can create a fabric with such a different feel than the bright, varied stripes. I’m hoping to make a top or a shirtdress out of this fabric eventually. I didn’t finish printing the full yardage, but lovely Jaime let me take the rest of her blue ink home with me so I can carry on!

    Of course, then I couldn’t stop. I printed a border on the pants I was wearing – I had made them for the trip out of the same blue chambray. And then I stamped my arm for a temporary tattoo. Yes, I felt like a rebel.

    I posted this photo to Instagram and we all joked that my mom and/or my fiancé would panic and think I had gotten a tattoo. But alas, they were both entirely unfazed.

    After those 2.5 days I was thoroughly convinced that I need to spend more time with ink, fabric, and of course my beloved carving tools. I love making things, and block printing has all the best parts. It’s pretty, it’s colorful, it’s nearly limitless, it’s really hard to fail, it has lots of zen/”flow” steps, and after the initial effort to carve the block, the printing is nearly mindless (in a great way). Needless to say, I’m hooked.

  • Printmaking,  Travel

    Block Printing in Jaipur: Peacock Block

    blockprinting peacocks in jaipur

    At the beginning of October, I went on the trip of a lifetime: Ace Camps Block Printing in Jaipur, India. Day 1 in India marked our first day of class with Jen Hewett (author of Print, Pattern, Sew), who had flown in from San Francisco to teach us block printing and, of course, enjoy the beauty that is Jaipur. Spoiler alert: she’s awesome and teaches a fantastic class.

    Our lodgings were a palace-turned-hotel, and my favorite feature of the venue (besides the adorable doors/doorways/alcoves) was the space allocated for our workshop. On a secluded corner of the property, we gathered two to a table and worked beneath the shade of a giant tree. It was bliss.

    blockprinting peacocks in jaipur

    When I signed up for the class, I had every intention of preparing diligently for my block printing projects. I am nothing if not a planner. But despite the months of time between booking the trip and boarding the plane, I managed to arrive in India with no more preparation than a Pinterest board.

    And you know what? I’m thrilled. I didn’t go to India to make things based on my normal – I went to India to see new and different things, to find new and different inspiration.

    blockprinting peacocks in jaipur

    The night I checked in, I noticed this peacock window grate in the hallway leading to my room. “That would make a neat block,” I thought. Done.

    I drew multiple iterations of that peacock, and each time it got simpler and more stylized. I wanted to keep the interesting outer curves of the shape so I could play with repeat patterns. In the end, my design was more modern and less intricate than my inspiration, and I am really happy with this distillation.

    Once I had my final sketch, it was time for my favorite part: carving. Carving the blocks is so meditative. The active thinking part is over – once you’ve transferred the sketch, you just have to carve away what doesn’t belong. My hands found their zen and just went for it.

    blockprinting peacocks in jaipur

    My hands would have been happy to carve all day. So it was for the best when, after probably multiple hours (again, zen, I have no idea), Jen nudged me and said, “I think it’s time for a test print.” She knew I would have kept carving until every line was way more precise than necessary.

    I didn’t think my block was done – but it was! And I loved it. That test print was like magic. Once the block was inked, it was real.

    The following day, we got to start playing with repeat patterns. I mixed up some peacock teal ink and began printing.

    blockprinting peacocks in jaipur

    I played with repeat patterns, finding different tessellations where the peacocks naturally aligned with each other. I think this would make such a fun border print for a skirt or dress, and I’m really happy with the way it becomes more of a “pattern” than a “thing” when printed large scale. Like, you can tell they’re peacocks, but they’re also just an interesting visual repeat.

    blockprinting peacocks in jaipur
    happy printing, making messes and beautiful things
    blockprinting peacocks in jaipur

    To finish my design, I carved one tiny teardrop to serve as a feather accent block. I used this micro-block to add gold feathers, randomly placed on each peacock, and it felt like just the right touch.

    peacock look-and-find

    The rest of the trip, I was seeing peacocks everywhere. I think they were our unofficial tour mascot. Can you spot the peacock in the photo above?? That was one of the two who frequented our hotel trees and lawn. They’re gorgeous and they’re also LOUD! There were many other stylized drawings of peacocks in windows and on shop logos… all of them would have made fantastic blocks.

    blockprinting peacocks in jaipur

    At night, the lights in the foyer cast perfect peacock shadows on the wall. Our trip mascot, shining through the night.

  • General

    Why Blog Again?

    The SamanthaSews blog has been a long time coming. I’ve had the domain sitting dormant for 4 years now, waiting. And after something sits for a while, it becomes a “thing”. Like, “whatever I write better be worth the wait”. And so the wait just gets longer, and starting becomes more of a “thing”, and the spiral continues.

    Luckily for all of us, I just returned from an incredible trip to Jaipur, India, that was all about fabric and making things. I have so many pictures and experiences that I want to share. Of course, I’m already overthinking about “what will I write about after India?” But I’m determined to start here, start somewhere, and the rest will follow.

    I loved blogging on Fluffyland (12 years’ worth!) but it was time for something different. And that brings us to here, now. Still me, Samantha, sharing pictures of my projects and adventures. Fluffyland – a name that I came up with at age 14 by writing different happy words on a scrap of paper – just doesn’t fit me anymore. And that’s okay.

    samanthasews instagram top 9

    And why not just stick to Instagram? I love Instagram, and it’s so easy. But I also love writing. I love typing with more than just my thumbs. I love telling all of a story – not just what fits in a textblock. And some moments can’t be distilled to just a handful of pictures. But most of all? I love reading blogs, and I cherish the blogs that remain active on my feed reader. So I’m hoping to do my part to keep this medium alive.

    Let’s begin.