Technical characteristics of printing and dyeing process of Nantong blue printed cloth

The most typical blue printed cotton cloth is the pattern of white flowers on a blue background and blue flowers on a white background. White flowers on a blue background only need one disk, and the patterns formed are not connected with each other. Generally, two flower plates are overprinted with blue flowers on a white background. The first flower plate is called the front page, and the second flower plate is printed after a little drying, called the "cover plate"; The cover plate covers the connection part of the first pattern board to make the pattern connection natural. Blue flowers on a white background are difficult to carve, usually from the hands of masters of folk artists. This traditional craft with blue and white background has complicated manufacturing process.

Nantong folk blue calico is made by hand spinning, hand weaving and hand dyeing. Its patterns are all carved by hand, and each carved paper tray is like paper-cutting art, with simple, rough and lively style, and its artistic image is often highly generalized and exaggerated, with strong local characteristics. The folk blue printing technique has basically maintained the traditional craft for hundreds of years.