Bagh Print Fabric A Unique Technique Using Natural Vegetable Dyes

What Is Bagh Print?

Bagh Print is one of the age old style of Indian fabric printing. It is another form of hand printing or hand block printing on fabric, cloth or paper. In this type of printing natural vegetable dyes in the form of plants, flowers, trees, leaves, bark, etc are used. “Bagh” literally means “Garden” in Hindi language. Bagh print fabric is pure Indian handloom cotton which is eco-friendly and organic.

Bagh Print Fabric

It is made by using natural vegetable dyes and pigments. Natural dyes such as turmeric roots, madder, beet, mango, pomegranate rinds, madder, saffron, heena, indigo, onion skin are used. Herbs like ' harad' which is botanical name of terminalia chebula, etc also play an important part in the process. The designs on the fabric created are traditional prints of India. It consists of mostly floral, paisley and geometrical patterns.

Where Bagh Print Is Made?

It is a native print done mainly in Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh in India by their rural population. Interestingly, ‘Bagh’ is also the name of the small town in Dhar district where this unique organic fabric is made.

How Is Bagh Print Different?

Bagh print is completely different from any other fabric printing techniques like screen printing or digital printing. The designs on fabric are usually one or other kind of motifs which represent nature in one form or the other. There are other print of fabric like Jaali or Jali work which were the intricate designs found in Taj Mahal which is one of the 7 wonders of the world.

The method used in making bagh print fabric and Indian Block Print is almost the same. However, in block print technique, the dye used is chemical and commercial. In the making of bagh print, utmost care is taken to make it only by using natural dyes. The main technique in making of these bagh prints is the use of hand carved woodblock print on the fabric.

The entire process is painstaking and labor intensive. It takes approximately 20 days to complete the entire process and get the finished product. It takes time because blocks of wood are sometimes custom made for a specific design. The fabric is dyed, washed repeatedly with hands to ensure that the colors of the fabric are color fast. The end result is worth the time and efforts and the print on cotton is splendid.

Who Makes Bagh Print Fabric?

This fabric is made by the artisans of India residing in rural parts of Madhya Pradesh. It not helps in rural development but is also these people’s major source of income. It is an organic fair trade fabric. It means the laborers and whoever is involved in this process is paid fairly and properly.

Bagh Print Saree

Why Use Bagh Print Fabric?

The entire process of making bagh print fabric is handmade. Due to which, it gives the designs on fabric a subtle irregular look. In other words, there are some characteristic variations in texture and occasional imperfections found in this type of handmade fabric. It actually adds to the beauty and can never be found on machine made or digitally printed fabric.

Bagh print is non-toxic and allergy free and above all, good for your skin. The advantages are that bagh print is an eco-friendly fabric, biodegradable and organic. The natural dyes used to make the fabric is mostly permanent and fade resistant.

This fantastic fabric becomes softer and shiner after every wash due to the vegetable dyes used in it instead of the chemicals. The feeling of wearing or using the environment friendly fabric in itself provides you with immense joy and satisfaction.

Bagh Print

How To Check the Authenticity of this Bagh Print Fabric?

During the production of bagh print, a special component called madder lake also known as Alizarin is used in the process of dyeing. If you smell the fabric, you sense a peculiar scent of this natural organic compound. Then, you know that is a genuine bagh print fabric.

Recommended Uses of Bagh Print:

This amazing light weight fabric is suitable for a variety of purposes. Bagh print sarees are much sought in India and worn by women who are aware of its organic properties of such cloth material. The fabric can be used for garments, making curtains, upholstery, etc. It can also be used for quilting, sewing, scrap booking and other craft projects.

All bagh print fabric in my shop except shown in the first picture are sold out! You can shop for more such beautiful Indian fabrics in my shop!

Copyright Notice:

All the pictures above are protected under copyrights act. If you intend to use all or any of these images, then please give due credit to the author and this webpage link. Thank you!

Mamta Motiyani

My Style, My Way..

I have a quest for knowledge and often find what I want to know- but after much struggle and reading encyclopedias! Not everybody wants a thesis! In my blog, you will find quick and easy information without any jargon, technical details or detailed history of that craft. You can always find that data all over the Internet, Wikipedia, etc.

My objective is to give you a starting point and quick reference for you to move ahead. If you have still have quench for further knowledge, then you probably know where to look for.

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