Get Hold Of Some Pretty Block Printed Matter From Santvara Studio

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At Santvara Studio, custom printing on both fabric and paper has personalised gifting covered.

A Fresh Stamp

Block printing may be all around us, but finding something reasonably-priced and with a fresh appeal is a bit of a struggle in this city. Newly-returned to her home city after an extended stint in the USA, journalist-turned-printer Sarita Tukaram learnt the art form from skilled craftsmen on a Ministry of Textiles course. She first tried her hand at creating wrapping paper, before graduating into the trickier realm of fabric-based creations, and in the process started the Santvara Studio. With a knack for combining traditional motifs with contemporary designs, the Santvara aesthetic has a quirky, vintage appeal.

Six months after its inception, the range now includes gift wrap and cards as well as throws, blankets, bedsheets, curtains and napkins. The paper products are made largely from recycled cloth, while the fabric range is 100 per cent cotton. Baby quilts made from the softest muslin, in a range of colours and prints, are becoming a particular hit. Along with the swaddling wraps, these make for thoughtful and unique baby shower gifts. While apparel is not the focus of the range, there are also some funky stoles on offer, and even saris can be custom-printed.

Bespoke Blocks

The handmade touch doesn’t stop with the printing. Sarita loves embroidery, and hand embellishes most of her products with a type of ‘running stitch’. Bespoke is the order of the day – browse the designs on the Facebook page for inspiration, but you can pretty much request anything you can dream up. Sarita was happy to oblige us when we selected our colour scheme and ordered 50 Christmas cards, and other bespoke orders have included funky pencil pouches as return gifts, a set of custom-printed t-shirts for a birthday party, and even a traditional kaudhi {a technique of patch working from Karnataka} patchwork quilt repurposed from a treasured old sari.

New Directions

Experiments with new designs are ongoing: new offerings include an iPad sleeve, a tiffin carrier {currently in the process of being refined}, and cotton ‘fridge bags’ to keep you veggies fresh – adorably adorned with vegetable-themed prints. As currently everything is printed and sewn by one pair of hands from a home studio, allow three weeks to a month for custom orders, and longer in the monsoon.

Price: INR 65 upwards (gift wrap), INR 335 upwards (stoles), INR 1,400 upwards (quilts)