Blaudruckerei Elke Schlüter

Did you know that blueprinting has been declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in Germany and several other countries? Blueprinting is a centuries-old technique for finishing fabrics. It is applied to natural materials such as linen, cotton or silk. A print reserve, the "papp", is applied to the fabric using "moulds" (a type of stencil), some of which are centuries old. The cardboard ensures that the colour is not absorbed at these points in the dye bath. This creates a corresponding white pattern on the indigo-dyed fabric.

Today, there are only a few people in Europe who have mastered this craft. And Elke Schlüter from Lüdinghausen is one of them. Blue printing has been her passion for around 40 years and she is happy to pass it on to other people in her print shop. How does she do it? Read on below!