Bagru prints vs Sanganeri prints: what’s the difference?

 

Block printing has been our age old-art of sustainable fashion; it has been loved over the years by locals and tourists alike. If you are one of those who have not fallen in love with our amazing textile art, we guarantee that you will surely want to get your hands on one of the Block Print Dresses that we have at Shivalaya Jaipur.

Today our agenda is to focus on Bagru prints and Sanganeri prints and tell the key difference between the two, we will also be briefing you about Hand Block Printing as you read, so let’s start.

About hand block printing

If you are wondering, why is the definition here? Then we can tell you that it’s similar to why you revise? It’s because you can refresh your memory, and that’s what we are going to do, refresh your brain first so that you have a good idea of what we are talking about.

To put it simply, hand block printing is the art of printing nature-inspired designs on fabrics with nothing but carved blocks of wood that are dipped into colored eco-friendly dies and then pressed hard against the fabric, imprinting the designs and patterns. The artisans do all the work with hands and skills passed down from generations. How cool is that?

The art is famous for techniques of printing and by our states that use these techniques. Rajasthan is the main hub for hand block printing.

About Bagru prints

Bagru printing is a traditional technique of making Block Print Fabrics that uses natural colors. The craft is being used by the Chippa community stated in a distant area of Rajasthan.

The fabric on which the artisans work out the magic is generally blue or indigo. Bagru prints are of two types, Dabru and Seyali-Bagru print both of which use a different technique. The Seyali-Bagru prints are popular for using black and yellow cream color combinations while Dabru prints are created using the color resist technique.

 Geometrical motifs are mainly used in combination with bird, floral, and animal designs in traditional Bagru prints for a beautiful look.

About Sanaganeri prints

Here’s an interesting fact about Sanganeri prints. These prints became popular between the 16th and 17th century with the British exporting our art in bulk into Europe. Now, we have over 150 Sanganeri printing units that are employing more than 20000 workers.

Sanganeri prints are done on an off-white or pure white background with the use of screen printers or wooden blocks. You will be amazed by the vibrant floral patterns and geometric designs on the fabrics. You would also be able to easily notice the details of the material. You will admire the perfection in the designs of delicate flower curves and petals. The borders are also imprinted with stylish floral designs and patterns. Some common patterns that you can find are lotuses, roses, sunflowers, lilies, marigolds, lotus buds, and rosettes.

The dyes used by the artisans can be chemical or vegetable, the technique used in Sanganeri prints is calico. In this technique the worker will stamp the outlines first and then the colors onto the fabric, the pattern goes diagonally creating a masterpiece; another famous Sanganeri print style is doo-rookhi in which the patterns are printed on one side only.