India’s rich textile heritage encompasses centuries-old craft techniques that are now finding new life in modern home decor. Artisans at Eyda Homes emphasize “continuing ancient techniques with reverence, skill, and heart,” creating handmade pillows, throws, rugs, and linens that blend tradition with contemporary design. Eyda Homes describes itself as “a homegrown collective of artisans and designers, bringing India’s textile traditions into spaces that seek warmth and meaning.” Below, we explore 23 traditional crafts from block printing to hand-weaving to embroidery that these artisans have revived, often using natural fibers and dyes, to create sustainable, soulful home textiles.

Traditional Printing and Dyeing Techniques

Hand-Block Printing (India)

This ancient art uses hand-carved wooden blocks to stamp dye on cloth. Blocks are arranged pattern by pattern to create repeating motifs. India’s block-printed fabrics date back millennia; even fragments from the 9th century BCE have been found. Traditional centers include Rajasthan (Jaipur, Sanganer, and Bagru) and Gujarat (Kutch). Eyda Homes artisans use block printing on cotton and linen cushion covers and runners, preserving motifs like florals and geometric patterns. “The artistic appeal of doing this by hand is unmatched,” note craft writers.

Dabu (Mud-Resist) Printing

Dabu is a special form of block printing from Rajasthan/Gujarat. Artisans first print designs with blocks, then apply a resist paste made of local mud, chalk, and gum to parts of the fabric. After dyeing, the mud resist washes away to leave intricate patterns. This laborious multi-step process dates back to at least the 8th century. Traditional motifs include paisleys, florals (mango, lotus), and geometric chevrons. Modern Eyda Homes table linens and throws use dabu printing (often with indigo dyes), keeping this historic craft alive.

Bandhani Tie-Dye

Bandhani (from “bandhan” = tying) is an age-old tie-dye tradition from Rajasthan and Gujarat, practiced for ~5,000 years. Small portions of cloth are plucked and tied tightly with thread before dyeing, creating dotted patterns once the ties are removed. Classic bandhani pieces include bridal saris, turbans, and dupattas with white-dot motifs on red, yellow, or indigo backgrounds. Each pattern (such as ekdali “single dot,” or satbundi, “seven dots”) has cultural meaning. Today, tie-dye fabric is used in modern throws and pillows; Eyda Homes honors this by sourcing fabric from bandhani-weaving villages and sometimes using similar resist-dye principles in its home textiles.

Ajrakh Printing

Ajrakh is a famous block-print tradition from Kutch, Gujarat (and Sindh), known for its bold indigo and crimson prints. Using large teak blocks and natural dyes (indigo, madder, and turmeric), Ajrakh involves multiple rounds of printing and resist-dyeing to achieve deep reds and blues. As explained by craft scholars, Ajrakh “relies on the use of natural vegetable dyes” and is characterized by red and indigo hues. Eyda Homes cushions and runners occasionally draw on Ajrakh-inspired designs, adapting the rich geometric and floral motifs for living room furnishings.

Bagru Printing

Another Rajasthani block-print method, Bagru printing, is practiced by the Chippa community of Bagru. Here, artisans press hand-carved blocks into natural dyes to create repeated patterns. The word ‘Bagru’ printing often implies the use of deep browns and indigo on cotton. The design motifs are carved in wood, then hand-printed with vegetable colors. Eyda Homes features Bagru-style pillow covers (e.g., mud-bleach blocks on cotton), helping preserve this 800-year-old craft passed down in Bagru’s traditional workshops.

Kalamkari (Hand Painting/Block Printing)

Originating in Andhra Pradesh, Kalamkari literally means “pen work” but also includes block printing. Traditional Kalamkari is a multi-step process (sometimes over twenty steps) using hand-drawn or block-printed motifs. There are two major styles (Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam) with floral, mythological designs. Natural dyes like indigo, madder, and pomegranate yield rich reds and greens. While Eyda Homes may not do freehand Kalamkari painting, it sometimes incorporates Kalamkari-printed fabrics for bed covers or accents revival of this elaborate dye art.

Handloom & Weaving Traditions

Khadi (Hand-Spun, Hand-Woven Cotton)

Khadi cloth is made entirely by hand on a simple loom. Gandhi promoted khadi (from “khaddar”) as a symbol of self-reliance. Hand-spun cotton or wool yarn is woven slowly on a pit loom. Though coarse, khadi’s uneven texture became iconic of India’s independence movement. Eyda Homes uses handloom cotton (often organic) in many cushions and quilts; the natural weave and breathable quality of khadi cotton underpin the brand’s ethos of “natural materials, by skilled hands, in rhythms passed down through generations.”

Ikat (Tie-Dye Yarns for Woven Patterns)

Ikat is a resist-dye weaving technique common in many Indian regions (e.g., Pochampally, Odisha’s Sambalpuri). In ikat, yarn bundles are tightly bound (‘ikat’ means “to tie”) and then dyed before weaving. This produces characteristic blurred patterns once woven (because aligning dyed threads by eye is very difficult). Eyda Homes works with artisan cooperatives that produce ikat-dyed fabrics for throw pillow covers, keeping this precise, multi-step process alive.

Bhujodi Weaving (Kutch)

Bhujodi is a small weaving village near Bhuj in Kutch. There, Rabari and Vankar weavers create cotton and wool textiles on simple pit looms (“khaddi”). Textiles feature bright geometric tribal motifs inspired by Kutchi tribes, using natural dyes (indigo, pomegranate, madder) for vivid colors. Though Bhujodi is better known for handwoven dhurries and dupattas, many artisans also embellish pieces with embroidery. Eyda Homes showcases “Bhujodi” style cushion covers and throws, blending the village’s traditional weave patterns, colors, and occasional embroidery into modern home pieces.

Handwoven Carpet Weaving

India’s rug-making is legendary. For example, Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh produce luxury hand-knotted wool and silk carpets with Persian-influenced floral designs. The Himalayan gardens and palmettes of Kashmiri carpets remain prized. Eyda Homes revives this legacy by sourcing or designing hand-knotted wool rugs and dhurries (flatweaves) that echo centuries-old carpet traditions. These are made on a loom by skilled weavers using natural fibers, often taking months per piece.

Panipat Dhurries and Tufted Rugs

Panipat (Haryana) is India’s rug hub. Weavers there create flat weave dhurries and also hand-tufted rugs in wool or cotton. Hand-tufting uses a handheld tool to punch yarn through a backing, forming a plush surface. Troost Rugs notes that hand-tufted rugs “allow for detailed patterns and plush comfort,” and remain part of India’s textile heritage. Eyda Homes features tufted table runners and mats (e.g., “Grey Tufted Table Runner”) that echo Panipat’s tradition. 

Braided jute rugs are another revival: Artisans plait natural jute or cotton ropes into coiled mats, a craft giving rustic texture. All these weaving forms (flat dhurrie, hand-knotted carpet, braided jute, and tufted) embody the “legacy of craftsmanship honed over centuries.” 

Embroidery and Stitching Traditions 

Kantha Quilting (West Bengal)

Kantha is a traditional embroidery/quilting from Bengal, originally using thrifted old saris. Poor rural women stitched layers of cotton cloth together with a simple running stitch. As the House of Wandering Silk explains, Kantha “is a centuries-old tradition of stitching patchwork cloth from rags.” Its simple running-stitch motifs (running in rows of straight lines) form intricate all-over patterns. Kanthas were never royal commissions but home projects passed mother-to-daughter. 

Today Eyda Homes channels Kantha by selling reversible quilts and cushion covers with machine-Kantha or Kantha-inspired embroidery, symbolically stitching new life into fabric scraps. Each Kantha piece is a “repository of memories.” Eyda notes that these heirlooms “weave change.”

Phulkari Embroidery (Punjab)

Phulkari means “flower-work” (phul=flower, kari=work). Originating in Punjab, it uses colorful silk threads to embroider geometric or floral motifs onto coarse handwoven cotton (khaddar) shawls and headgear. Traditionally, young Punjabi women embroidered large, bright clothes for dowries; the art was learned from elders. As the Philadelphia Museum of Art notes that phulkari covers used the darning stitch in many colors. Eyda Homes feature phulkari-like cushion covers and throws (e.g., running-stitch floral embroidery on cotton) to revive this vibrant needlecraft.

Bhujodi Embroidery

In Bhujodi village, besides weaving, artisans apply simple embroidery stitches to embellish textiles. Using floss of red, black, or yellow (and mirrors at times), they trace folk motifs. Lal10 describes Bhujodi as combining “exceptional weaving” with “traditional embroidery techniques.” Eyda Homes highlights this by offering Bhujodi-style embroidered pillows: for example, a “rust hand embroidered Bhujodi cushion cover” that carries Kutch’s tribal design in thread. These pieces preserve both the weave and the hand-embroidery lore of Kutch.

Shisha (Mirror) Work

Originating around the 17th century, shisha, or mirror embroidery, stitches tiny mirrors (shisha) onto fabric using decorative thread stitches. It spread across Gujarat, Rajasthan, and beyond. The Tatter journal explains, “Indian mirrorwork, known as Shisha, is the ancient Indian embroidery technique of attaching tiny mirrors onto fabric. Developed during the 17th century, it is practiced widely throughout the Indian subcontinent…” Eyda Homes cushions often use Shisha mirrors and chain-stitch borders (as in Gujarat’s Rabari embroidery), giving a sparkling folk aesthetic to modern pillows. This revives the age-old gleam of mirror work in a contemporary living room.

Natural Dye & Threading

While not a “technique” named after a craft form, the use of natural dyes and fibers is integral to these traditions. Indian artisans have long applied plant-based dyes (indigo, pomegranate, turmeric, etc.) to cotton and silk, creating “vivid and fast colors” on difficult-to-dye fibers. Eyda Homes emphasizes organic cotton yarns and naturally dyed fabrics (for indigo, blues, mustard yellows, etc.), continuing the legacy of sustainable coloration. The spinning of yarn by hand (charkha) is also part of this lineage. Gandhiji promoted Khadi (hand-spun cloth) as a symbol of freedom, and Eyda’s weavers still use traditional spinning and pit looms to honor that heritage. Each of the above techniques is centuries old, but has been revived for today’s decor. As one scholar notes, these crafts “still retain a lively textile-producing cottage industry” in India.

There’s a growing resurgence: Designers and conscious consumers now prize handloom and handcrafted fabrics. Eyda Homes itself sources from second- and third-generation artisans “using techniques like dabu block printing, ikat dyeing, khadi weaving, and hand-guided embroidery.”

In this way, Eyda brings traditional handicrafts into modern home accents, weaving cultural legacies into every stitch. By “weaving the soul of India into every fabric,” these revived techniques connect minimalist homes to history while supporting artisan communities. Have questions? Let’s talk – Contact Eyda Homes now.