A Day of Color & Craft: Inside Our Block Printing Workshops in Adelaide
Bringing Indian Craft to Adelaide
In 2025, Threads of India took a very special step in our journey — we moved beyond clothing racks and pop-ups and invited our community to print with us.
Our founder, Sonu, hosted two immersive hand block printing workshops in Adelaide:
One at The Mill in September, and
One at the Bowerbird Market in November.
Both days were full of color, ink-stained fingers, laughter, and the quiet joy that comes from creating something with your own hands.
Workshop 1: Block Printing at The Mill
The Mill’s creative studios were the perfect backdrop for our first workshop. Surrounded by artwork and warm lighting, guests arrived to tables covered in fabric, carved wooden blocks, and trays of rich, earthy inks.
Sonu began by sharing the story of Rajasthani block printing — how each design is carved by hand, how artisans repeat the same steady motion for hours, and how every tiny variation makes the fabric feel alive.
Then it was time to print.
Using heart, floral and paisley motifs, everyone experimented with placement, spacing, and colour. Some went for neat, repeated rows. Others created playful, scattered patterns. There were a few happy accidents, a lot of “wow!” moments, and plenty of thumbs-up all around.
Every piece reflected its maker — vibrant, minimal, romantic, quirky. No two bags left the table looking the same.
Workshop 2: Block Printing at Bowerbird Market
Our second workshop took place inside the buzzing Bowerbird Market, where shoppers could pause, sit down, and step into the slow, grounding rhythm of block printing.
The fairy lights, music, and market energy created the loveliest backdrop. People wandered over “just to have a look” and ended up staying to print an entire tote bag.
Why These Workshops Matter to Us
For Threads of India, these workshops are about more than making pretty tote bags.
They help people:
- Understand the skill behind block-printed clothing
- Feel the slowness of the process — one block, one press at a time
- Connect with Indian textile traditions in a hands-on, joyful way
- See why we choose small-batch, handmade, sustainable fashion
