Designing a fabric has as a history as deep as fabrics itself. The creation of designs and patterns may sound simple, but is a complex process that has been mastered by many brilliant artisans all around the world. The many techniques of textile designing like colour palette, patterns, symbolism, modern interpretations, etc., have been perceived differently by everyone, albeit, textile designs narrow down to four main techniques.

Batik: Did you know that in 2009, UNESCO designated the Indonesian batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity? Batik is a traditional way of designing fabrics, found in many countries like Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Indonesia and India. Batik is a wax-resist dyeing technique applied to the whole cloth, with diverse patterns that are influenced by a variety of cultures. The design is made either by drawing dots and lines with a special tool called a canting, or by printing the resist with cap, which is a copper stamp.

Block Printing: Perhaps the oldest and the simplest of all methods, a design is drawn and transferred onto wooden blocks. Separate blocks are created for each colour to create the perfect design on a fabric. Each impression is made in the same manner to achieve precision. Block printing is a slow process capable of yielding highly artistic results and is still traditionally executed in Rajasthan, Gujarat, etc.

Tie-dye: An ancient resist-dyeing technique, tie-dye consists of crumbling, folding, twisting, or pleating the fabric/garment, then tying/binding it with strings before applying the dyes. This manipulation of the fabric prevents the dye to colour the whole cloth.

Weaving: Two distinct sets of yarns are woven or interlaced together to form a fabric. Similar techniques to weaving are knitting, braiding, felting, and plaiting. What affects the character and the design of the cloth is weaving method.

Artistry along with time and dedication goes into learning the insights of these intricate techniques. To say they are special would be an understatement, for these textile designing techniques are a part of India’s rich tradition and culture.