kalamkari cotton fabric

            Actually the entire process will take several weeks i.e. 2 months time. Nature also should be favorable without interrupting the process with heavy rains, and also shortage of canal water during mid-summer. The progress of work entirely depends on Nature.

            This is the final process. After completing the above mentioned 9th process, the cloth will be kept in soap water for a few minutes and then washed carefully now the cloth will be dried up in the sun light. The kalamkari cloth is now ready for use.

Process 10: BLEACHING WITH SOAP

            After completing painting of yellow color, the cloth will be treated in Alum solution to fix the colors permanent the cloth is now dried up.

Process 9: APPLICATION OF ALUM

            On the above treated cloth, yellow color is applied by brush where ever necessary the yellow color is prepared from the myrobalam flowers. The yellow color will be applied by using pens made of detepalm sticks.

Process 8: APPLICATION OF YELLOW COLOUR

            To facilitate the yellow painting on it, the cloth is made stiff by treating it in starch solution (boiled rice water). Fresh buffallo milk is also added to the starch solution to prevent colors from running and also to give a whiter and leathery surface for the cloth for painting.

Process 7: STARCHING

            The cloth should be bleached once again as described in process with buffalo or cow dung solution. The printed with karam (Alum) and kasim (iron acetable) retain the red and black color while the rest of the cloth is rendered white.

Process 6: BLEACHING

            The colouring materials madder root and jajaku leaves are mixed with water and boiled. Into this the above mentioned cloth is put and worked for 1-1 1/2 hours and then squeezed and washed in flowing water, so that red and black colors are made permanent.

Process 5: DYEING

            After block printing with kasim and karam, the clothes are kept for 2-3 days. They are then washed in flowing water to remove the gum and unfix excess Alum.

Process 4: WASHING

            First the outline of the designs will be printed on the cloth by using the wooden block for black color with kasim (iron acetate), karam (Alum) for red as a mordant.

Process 3: BLOCK PRINTING

            The cloth thus bleached is then soaked in myrobalam solution. After the myrobalam solution is evenly dyed all over, the cloth is taken out and dried in hot sun light. The application of murobalam will help the process of block printing with Kasim (iron acetate) to develop black color.

Process 2: APPLICATIONS OF MYROBALAM

            The cloth is soaked in buffallow or cow dung solution and squeezed a little and kept wet overnight till next morning washed in flowing water and spread over water weeded. Which is supposed to give brightness and polish? This process goes on for a week till the cloth is fully bleached.

Process 1: BLEACHING OF CLOTH

            The brush or pen: The brush is devised by sharpening a bamboo piece to taper to a point like a skewer which is split at the point for about an inch. A sponge made of rag, hair or wool is ties an inch below the point in the shape of ball and the fingers manipulate this ball soaked in the required color. The flow is free and easy leaves no smudge.

            Printing blocks: The blocks are made by carving various designs on piece of teak wood. The designs are carved by small tools by block makers who are specially trained for it.

            Block printing for black color and printing of Alum for red color as a mordant' dyeing with red coloring material and boiling for red color, Painting with brush for yellow color on white or grey ground are the prevailing techniques of Kalamkari.

KALAMKARI PROCESS

Kalamkari is totally 100% vegitable dyes used hand block printed cotton fabric,