October, 1908 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



411 



The Craft of Block Printing 



By Mabel Tuke Priestman 



A Group of Block Prints Designed and Executed by Students at the Pratt Institute, Brooklyn 

 The Smaller Pieces Are Emphasized by a Few Stitches of Darning 



►HE popularity among craftsmen for orna- 

 menting fabrics with block printing is com- 

 ing much to the fore. It can scarcely be 

 called a new idea, however, as calico 

 printers in the seventeenth century printed 

 patterns by this method, and hand-made 

 wall papers have always been printed by 

 means of a block. It is, however, the latest revival of an old 

 craft, and has been taken up with great enthusiasm. 



Block printing seems to possess a charm for those who 

 have come under its spell, evidenced by the pitying expression 

 that flits over the face of the expert when the novice asks 

 what advantage it possesses over the stencil. 



One advantage it has is that a dark material looks de- 

 cidedly better ornamented by means of the block print than 

 the stencil. Then, again, stenciling does not require the 

 same amount of skill, and is sometimes rather monotonous 

 when a great many yards 

 of the same design have to 

 be done. I honestly believe 

 one reason for the prefer- 

 ence being given to block 

 printing by those who are 

 familiar with both is that 

 the patterning with a 

 block has a charm of un- 

 certainty about it as to the 

 result of each impress. 



Some workers hold that 

 the fabrics thus orna- 

 mented have an added at- 

 tractiveness when the 

 depth of the impressions 

 are not entirely uniform. 

 Certain it is that a piece of 

 material can be much more 

 rapidly decorated with the 

 block, as it can be moved 

 much quicker than a stencil. 

 The latter has to be fast- 



ened in place, and needs blotting paper adjusting below every 

 time the stencil is moved, and all this is a little tedious. 



A fine, close-grained wood must be selected for the block: 

 boxwood and holly are the best, but are not always easy to 

 get. Maple is also a good wood for the purpose, and has the 

 advantage of being easily obtained, as children's building 

 blocks are made of it, and as these come in just the sizes that 

 many craftworkers use, they are a great convenience, at any 

 rate for the beginner. 



The block can be cut with a sloyd knife costing thirty-five 

 cents, but the carving is more easily and quickly done with 

 chisels and gouges. A set of six can be purchased for one 

 dollar. These tools all vary slightly, some being more 

 curved than others. The chisels are used for cutting round 

 the design and for smoothing the background, while the 

 gouges are used for digging out the spaces. For the first 

 attempts a simple geometrical design should be chosen. First 



make the design on paper 

 and then trace it carefully 

 on to Japanese tracing 

 paper and paste it on to 

 the block. Shade the parts 

 that will be cut out. This 

 small help will save many 

 a block from being spoiled. 

 It is so easy to carve out 

 the wrong space, unless 

 there is something to indi- 

 cate which is to remain. 

 When carving the lines 

 may become obliterated, so 

 po over the lines with a 

 thick lead pencil. 



It is best to place the 



block on the table on 



a cleat or piece of 



has been nailed. 



press the block 



against the cleat, 



A Brown Design on Copper Silk 



which 

 wood 

 Then 

 firmly 

 and nail another on the 



