I do believe, nothing beautiful grows smooth. The right amount of push, force, hunger and passion is required to make a seed germinate and open itself into a small plant, a fresh something, absolutely untouched and unaware. Breathing the wind with wide open arms, allowing the world to accept the new born - That’s exactly how it feels when a new leaf breaks out of a small seed from the soil.

Feeling the nature so deep inside, in the year of 2015 there was a lot that was going in my mind. Not too sure if it was all about handmade recycled cotton paper or was it about that one artisan I met on a winter morning who perhaps read my face before my words could explain the design, the idea, with which I walked in his room.

Days passed with me going to Sanganer from Jaipur every morning, to visit my sample master. Yes, the same man who read my face before I could speak. Moving around from one paper making factory to another, requesting for handful of sheets from everyone. Learning about the craft, about their reactions on me being a girl and thinking of starting a business, question in the paper makers minds somehow pushed me to find why can a girl not make their world of paper a little more brighter, add little more life, bring some fresh designs. There was no reason to stop and I was enjoying the bike rides with my sample master almost every morning. Each day making one sample, exploring structures and learning how in India we don’t need to visit a design school, to learn how to be creative. I was embracing the language of handmade paper.

From one craft to another..

meeting the man who painted his car wheels, his shirts, pants, I would say he is a THE MARBLE MAN OF INDIA. The first time I met him, I told him he must put his signature/name in each sheet that he would marble paint for me, this man innocent enough to not know what I meant then, is now one of the strongest pillars of Crafts Boat products.

BLOCK PRINTING OF JAIPUR, is love at first sight when you visit the city. To my surprise, I now meet a few of our overseas clients and all that has brought them to India is the beautiful craft of hand block printing from Sanganer. At Craft Boat we ought to love all things slow, traditional and detailed. I adore the blocks on the papers and so the romance continues with every broken line in our prints, to hands that slowly add colours to one sheet at a time.

While on my bike rides, in the lanes of Sanganer – I use to pass hundreds of exposed red brick walled factories with huge black iron framed screens lying in stacks. From many new things that I learnt from my sample master, he told me if I want to run this company I will have to think business, I will have to work on bigger quantities, I will not survive if I continue to make one sample and sell one piece at a time. And so one day he stopped me to one of the SCREEN PRINTING FACTORIES, where handmade papers are printed with screens, why did my sample master say this was a fast technique and would open wholesale business ideas for me, trust me it isn’t fast, on a long hard cemented waxed table, the screen printer sticks one sheet at a time, printing one color at a time and allowing it to dry. Process is long, its 100% handmade, the only difference is, its accuracy in design is much finer than marbling and hand block printing. But each of these process is an example of exquisite beauty and we are proud to be able to support all of our craftsmen today.

The journey of Craft Boat continues, and today with my sample master I don’t have to just visit the paper factories in the morning hours but all day long, seven days a week and I happy to share Craft Boat’s web-shop with all of you, this BOAT today is a family of many working and passionate team of artisans, designers and well wishers without whom I cannot water the many branches that have now grown out - seeking for love, hope and sunshine.

Thank You

Priti Pugalia (Sowing seeds at Craft Boat)