Block Printing *

Teachers: Kristi Everst, Heleri Jürisson

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Kristi and Heleri run a textile studio, Huik, which was established two years ago. They produce printed textiles and knitwear, one pillar of their work being sustainability. Heleri Jürisson graduated from the UT Viljandi Culture Academy with a degree in Heritage Technology in 2023. For the last six years she has been engaged in knitting inspired by the patterns, colours and their interactions in the items from the Estonian National Museum. Her big dream is that traditionally knitted gloves would be allowed for the parade uniform of the Estonian Defence Forces. Heleri’s aim is to preserve and use old craft techniques and find uses for them in the modern world.

Kristi Everst has adored storytelling since childhood and has been surrounded by women whose lives are naturally interlinked with crafts. Kristi got her first knitting needles at around five years old and over the years knitting has become her passion and trigger of curiosity. This passion led Kristi to study at the UT Viljandi Culture Academy of Culture, specialising in Native Textiles (graduation in 2023). From the age of 14, she became fascinated by sewing and giving new life to old textiles. She discovered block printing as a traditional way of decorating fabrics during her studies at the UT Viljandi Culture Academy. Kristi is fascinated by the use of printing blocks - the design of the printing block, the slow process of carving the block out of wood and the hand-printing of fabric, where every pattern on the fabric is the result of a touch. Find Studio Huik on Facebook and Instagram.

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Block printing is a method of fabric decoration where the pattern is applied to the fabric with a wooden block. A pattern or ornament is carved into the wood with a chisel. In Estonia, there are more printing blocks in museums than there are items of clothing made using this technique. Historically, blocks have been used for hand-printing on linen, cotton and woollen textiles. The motifs used on the printing blocks were plant motifs such as flowers, leaves, branches, bundles of flowers, berry clusters and less frequently, bird and animal motifs. The Estonian National Museum has preserved skirts, aprons, waistcoats and towels made using the block printing technique.

In the workshop, you will learn the techniques of block printing and how to place patterns on fabric. During the day, a linen shawl and a bag will be printed. The participants will use the printing blocks provided by the teachers, and it is also possible to carve a printing block yourself. The linen shawl, bag and printing colours are included in the participation fee, and the printing blocks are available for use on site. The workshop is suitable for beginners.

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