Woodblocks & Paint for Block Printing

We’ve just received a new shipment from India of hand carved wooden printing blocks available now to purchase online and in-store! I love to block print and use the fabrics in my art quilts, mixed media projects and for hand stitching! For this comprehensive resource, my staff and I have been collecting past newsletter, blog & social media posts and compiling our YouTube channel links in one place.

Block printing is one of the most ancient forms of decorative art in existence and these skilled craftsmen begin with 100% sustainable, ethically sourced hardwood. As you see above center with the WB63 Henna Hand with Peacock Wood Block, these artisans use the techniques passed down generations by their forefathers to achieve beauty and intricate details using what we would consider primitive tools.

Our wooden printing blocks are perfect for use in creating your own printed fabric for quilting, enhancing garments, monoprinting, art journals and paper arts, embellishing with hand stitching and more. Get started with my Block Printing Basics video tutorial sharing this easy and satisfying craft! In the photo of me above left you can see several of my block printed art quilts in the background that have previously been featured on our blog — the popular Block Printed & Slow Stitched Quiltlet, and my Boreal Owl quilt, published in Inspired by the National Parks by Donna Marcinkowski DeSoto and displayed in the 2025 Woodlawn Needlework Show.

Block printing lets me transform plain muslin or cotton into beautiful one of a kind fabric! Pictured above, printed fabric ready to be cut for elements or finished off as-is. We have a wide variety of block designs, available singly and as themed sets. Remember that the hardwood our blocks are carved from requires a printing surface with the right amount of ‘give’ — use a foam mat under your surface for the best results.

I’ve also demonstrated monoprinting on a gel printing plate using wooden printing blocks and Artistic Artifacts Textile Paints on a gel printing plate on both paper and fabric, truly one of my favorite techniques! I brayer on a my paints, then lightly press in my choice of blocks, which 'removes' the majority of the paint and leaves a wonderful print. I also love that this is a ‘two-fer’ technique — you get both a positive and negative print by stamping off on a second sheet of whatever substrate you’re using. Leave your art journal or collage fodder next to you for stamping off as you work and you’ll have wonderful mark-making pattern and interest!

The Artistic Artifacts Fluid Textile Paint is available in two different tones of the three primary colors, as well as black and white and a trio of metallics. They all blend beautifully to create a huge range of shades. Use right out of the squeeze bottle onto your gel printing plate for monoprinting on either paper or fabric. The thicker, pudding-like consistency of our 2 oz. jarred textile paint, available in opaque, transparent and pearlescent finishes and a wide range of premixed colors from light to dark, subtle to bright, is perfect for direct block printing. I often use both types interchangeably... all mix together beautifully.

Our textile paints leave a soft ‘hand’ — how the fabric drapes and feels to the touch or against your skin — to your fabric, so it is easy to stitch through. Block print fabric to use in quilts or garments, easy to cut and stitch with your sewing machine during construction. Or embellish your block prints with decorative stitching — by hand, machine, or both! Pictured above are block printed samples embellished by machine — check out my Machine Stitching on Block Printed Fabric video on our YouTube channel.

Block prints are a great guide for stitching — add a little or a lot of embellishing as you wish! Our textile paint gives you excellent coverage without leaving a noticeable or plastic-like 'film' that would make pulling a needle and thread through difficult. Above are some of my in-progress block printed swatches that I embellished with hand stitching using a variety of embroidery stitches with Eleganza threads. Watch Hand Stitching on Block Printed Fabric for details. If you’re curious how this project finished, take a look at my page-through of the completed fabric journal. I started the blocks in Florida on vacation and had so much fun completing it, combining fabric, stitching with embellishments and ephemera including natural items like shells and found objects.

To celebrate acclaimed fabric designer Kaffe Fassett’s visit to teach and lecture at our shop in 2022, we designed two different Kaffe-inspired block sets — I used the assorted floral and ornamental blocks to print my fabrics and layered lots of Kaffe Fassett Collective fabric pieces to create base pages for another fabric book.

My Kaffe inspired fabric book was made with block prints and textile paints, with pages embellished with both hand- and machine-stitching. See the finished book in our YouTube video — I also demonstrated sewing my book’ signature pages together with a B475 machine.

Last summer Chris Vinh led one of our ‘How Do I Use That?’ session, experimenting with Rinse Away Design Sheets (then a new product) by WonderFil Specialty Threads. She tried several different ways to transfer designs onto the self-adhesive including block printing directly with our paints onto the Rinse Away, “a lightweight and non-penetrative material that doesn’t gum up my needles when stitching and rinses away with cold water,” she shares.

Above left, Chris’ in-progress stitching her Queen Anne’s Lace block; right is the rinsed and dried fabric. The tight area between her tiny French knots meant that a few tiny fragments of painted stabilizer remained after rinsing with cold water. Once dry Chris reports they “were easily picked off with the tip of a needle.”

Above left, a Japanese Rice Pouch panel in progress by Chris features an embroidered dandelion on wool, stitching over a block print for design guidance. Right, a thumbnail view of her ‘Connections’ quilt that began from her Queen Anne’s Lace block print. Chris donated this beautiful 12 in. square quilt to the Studio Art Quilt Association for their annual benefit auction, which helps support SAQA’s exhibition programs, publications, and education outreach. View a large photo of Connections »

I loved the results when I experimented with using Jacquard deColourant. a ready-to-use, non-bleach color remover. with wood blocks as well as stencils. Apply the deColourant on on natural fibers — fabrics such as cotton, linen, silk, and wool — and let it dry completely. Iron your dried fabric and you’ll see the color permanently lift in beautiful ways as shown above. Watch my 2023 Using deColourant in Mixed Media video to learn more. The Oliso Mini Project Iron paired with a Felted Wool Pressing Mat is perfect surface to keep next to your sewing machine or cutting mat.

Our textile paints receive raves from fiber artists for performance and formulation. Rae Cumbie of Fit for Art Patterns says "My favorite paint to use on knits is Artistic Artifacts Fluid Textile Paint. It comes in a variety of colors and amounts. The paints blend easily to create different hues." Above is Rae’s knit fabric being printed and her finished jacket. Also pictured,, Carrie Emerson of Fit for Art created a one of a kind pair of jeans using some of our sea/ocean themed wooden printing blocks to print denim.

Our artist quality, highly pigmented textile paints. They are permanent on fabrics with heat setting, and can be laundered (machine washable in water up to 104° F) tumble-dried, or dry-cleaned. Visit our website for complete heat-setting information. And mixed media artists should note, our paints work beautifully on a wide variety of porous surfaces — paper, cardstock, canvas, leather, cork, Kraft-Tex and more!

Acclaimed fiber artist Nancy Hershberger is pictured above working with a student in a 2024 sky painting class at our shop — she has shared how grateful she is for our textile paint and uses them in all her work, often thinning them with water to use like watercolors. “It doesn’t change the hand of the fabric. It acts like a dye, but it’s paint! Easy peasy.” We’ll be hosting Nancy to teach again in 2027, so stay tuned!

Cleaning Up: When you’ve finished a block printing session, washing up is simple — our textile paints clean easily with soap and water, and there is no need to soak the blocks. After many requests, I created a short video sharing a more extensive process meant for cleaning wooden printing blocks with accumulated layers of dried paint.

Above left, I'm using blocks with gel plates to print in our Ischia de Castro, Italy dedicated art studio, stocked with fiber & mixed media art supplies and in use each fall when I arrive for my annual Creative Retreat there. Above right, I’m trying my hand at Bagh block printing in India during a Textile Tour. While Italy 2026 is sold out, you can inquire for 2027! And you can also book your place in our 2027 (October 17–November 1) Textile, Craft & Cultural Journey of Uzbekistan with Aahilya Holidays! I Learn more about our Creative Retreats »

And remember, in addition to wooden printing blocks, we also stock a large selection of items handmade in India and Indonesia — hand drawn batik panels, scarves & sarongs, tjaps (copper stamps used for batik), and more for your own creative projects. Our purchases from these artisans have helped sustain their their families and communities through our commitment towards paying a fair living wage. We’re proud to support them and offer you these quality handmade items! Shop All Artisan Handcrafts Now »