Blue Calico is an ancient hand-printed fabric. Produced in Nantong of Jiangsu Province, the blue and white printed calico is one of the most popular and enduring styles in China. It is famous for its handmade printing and dying process,concise and simple design and bright and concordant color even among the urban sophisticates of modern China.
History of Blue Calico Printing
Being a traditional manual craft that combines life and art, the Blue Calico Printing has a long history in China. Blue Calico was printed originally in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC).With development of business, it was prospered in the Tang and Song Dynasties.
And the Blue Calico was popular all around China during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Especially, it was widely popular in the folk in the area of south Yangtze River. Nantong in Jiangsu Province is the most famous area to produce the Blue Calico in China.
In ancient times, folk artists created many kinds of patterns that represent goodness, luck and good wishes. The pattern mainly consists of plants and animals, and intersects with blue and white color. This forma a kind of special folk style. Ancient Chinese people began to dress themselves in blue calico cloth for beauty. They make clothes, bed sheets,and pillowcases out of the blue calico.
Progress of Blue Calico Printing
Its main process includes stencil carving,starch covering and indigo dying. It looks like batik, but its stencil patterns are filled with starch of lime and soybean flour insdead of wax. Blue calico is made by hand using techniques. The actual process is fairly simple, and uses all natural materials.
An artist draws the pattern on paper, then cuts it out using a razor to make a stencil. Once the stencil has been coated in wax to make it more durable, the dyeing process can begin. The blue and white designs of the calico are created by protecting certain parts of the cloth from the dye by coating them with wax. The waxy coating is actually a mush made from yellow soybeans - not only traditional, but also environmentally friendly!
The stencil is laid on top of the uncolored fabric, and artisans "paint" the coating onto the cloth through the stencil, so that certain parts of the fabric are covered with the waxy paste. Once the coating has dried, the cloth is then dyed.
Blue Calico Printing Today
Nowadays, blue calico has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years among both Chinese and foreigners. While it has a very "Chinese" and traditional folk look, it looks natural in modern clothing styles in a way that many other folk fabrics do not. Nantong calico comes in a range of different patterns which make it well suited to a wide array of different uses. The largest and most complicated patterns, incorporating pictures and large designs make beautiful and distinctive wall hangings. These large designs often use traditional folk motifs meant to evoke wishes for health and happiness.
More restrained, simple patterns make interesting yet elegant clothing, such as skirts or light jackets. Blue calico also makes charming purses, handbags, and wallets. You can also buy fabric by the meter very inexpensively and either have it tailored to your specifications or bring it back home.
In order to preserve and develop this art, Nantong Blue Calico Art Gallery was set up in 1997 near Hao River, Nantong one thousand antique blue calicoes and drawings were collected here.Also traditional hand-making process is shown in the art gallery. It is a nice place for you to know this ancient Chinese handicraft.
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