pretty blockprint tablecloth

It's an inter-generational family-owned business that makes these soft furnishings for Merchant Campbell. Block printing is an ancient method of printing that dates back thousands of years – traditionally block printed fabrics are made by artisans such as block print carvers, dye makers, printers and quilters, using skills passed down from generation to generation.

Intricately handcrafted teak blocks are used to print these lovely patterns onto the fabric. The wood blocks are carefully dipped in trays of indigo or pigment dye and pressed onto the fabric, moving from left to right. Many blocks are used to make the intricate patterns you see on our quilts, tablecloths, runners, cushions and rugs, with each colour requiring a different block. A high level of skill is required to produce a printed fabric such as this.

When the printing is complete, the fabric is dried, often over the wall of a building or in a field in the sun, washed and finally ironed.