Kora Cotton Placemats, Set of 4 | Hand Block Printed | Hatch Stripe | Villa

Size 14”x20” 100% kora (unprocessed & unbleached) cotton Hand block printed Contemporary motifs Azo-free, low-impact dyes Machine wash cold. Delicate cycle. Tumble dry low Crafted by a community from Northern India, displaced from their ancestral land

Set of 4 

Description Protect your dinner table from food stains and hot dinnerware or transform a drab table with one-of-a-kind block printed tablemats. These conversation pieces are exclusively designed by and for Sustainable Threads. Hand block printing is a labor-intensive process that involves carving designs on individual wooden blocks, to which dye is applied and stamped onto the fabric. Several dozen impressions are required to complete a single finished product. Enjoy this creation, made with a whole lot of patience and love! Co-ordinated or matching items: napkins (Night Sky & Black Forest) and runner (Villa) are available to purchase separately.

A Fair Trade product. Handmade by artisans in India.

How It's Made Artisans apply block print patterns to natural, kora cotton - this is unbleached fabric, and is the purest form of cotton. To start printing, an artisan evenly applies dye to a hand-carved wooden block. The fabric is then hand-stamped firmly and steadily, leaving a printed pattern. Dye is frequently added to maintain the same intensity of color. Once the printing is finished with a specific color and block, the artisan cleans the block and must wait for the cloth to dry before continuing. This is a deceptively simple art - each piece features dozens, if not hundreds, of careful impressions. The artisan community suffered forced displacement in the late eighties, losing their ancestral homes and farmlands in the process. This work offers a sustainable source of fair income and an off-farm livelihood.