Very early in the morning, this was my "welcome" in Bagru:

these fields full of fabrics drying...

...everywhere!

Not simple fabrics! But beautiful ones with incredible prints on!

And indigo dyed ones too.

The scenario is colourful.

Everywhere I go, I have to stop to apreciate it.

Artisans put fabric to dye.

The dyeing process can be repeated over and over...

... until the desired colour is achieved.

Then I meet one of the block-makers, who carves by hand wood blocks for Bagru printing..

... and he shows me some of the most traditional wood blocks for printing in Bagru.

The three types of block used for different printing stages.

Blocks, blocks, and more blocks.

Very detailed ones, ...

... and some from very ancient collections, that pass from generation to generation!

I'm introduced to the printing tray, where the natural ink or mud is placed, and where the wood block is gonna absorve the colour.

In the printing studios, I get to see how the block printing itself is made: on the top of long tables, where long fabrics lay down waiting for their prints.

Bagru is also known for its geometric prints. After this stage, the fabrics go to get dyed and some natural colours become different after oxidation - the yellow that you see here will...

... become red!

I go and visit the Dabu technique section, in Bagru.

Dabu printing is a very slow and meticulous art form. Firstly, it's needed the mud-resist paste made with black clay from ponds. Wheat powder and Arabic Gum are then added, in order to improve adhesion of the print paste to the blocks and to the fabric. And finally, lime water is included in the mix, to prevent the clay to crack at the printed portion, and to improve the adhesion of the print to the fabric.

The Dabu paste is placed onto the fabric with a carved wooden block, ...

... but other objects or even hands may be used, depending on the creativity and desired design effects.

Saw dust is then sprinkled manually on the wet Dabu print and left for a few hours for drying.

After, the fabric is dipped in a cold dye solution, usually indigo (the most common one) - in this case, it will result a white print effect against a blue background.

Dabu printing is a very slow and meticulous art form - ...

... - extremely skilled printers are essential to achieve highly artistic results.

The Dabu printing and dyeing processes may be repeated till the desired design is obtained.

Putting the fabrics for drying..

...for hours.

Back to the printing studios to...

... try myself to hand blockprint!!!

This seemed much easier than I thought...

And my Bagru scarf is ready! (I feel ashamed to tell you how long it took me to have it done!...)