We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Ruchita Varma a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Ruchita , thanks for joining us today. Do you take vacations? Why or why not?
Yes! As much as possible and as many times as I can with work, kids and a dog! I truly enjoy seeing new parts in US and in the world, so much to see and experience I used to panic about shutting my business while traveling as a sole business owner but now see it as an opportunity to get inspired by travel, sights, experiences and bring it back to my work
It’s also an amazing opportunity to recharge and refresh
Ruchita , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I design and create block print textiles, it’s an art and a craft that’s centuries old and not just from India, but was prevalent in other cultures like Egypt, China. Teak wood is soaked in oil and then carved by hand to create relief patterns, natural dyes or water based inks are then used to paint on them and make prints on fabric or paper
Emphasis is on natural fibers and one print at a time, it’s called slow textile for a good reason, prints are made with intention and you can see the hand work of the person printing
I print the smaller scale products myself in my studio in North Carolina, products like tea towels, baby onesies, cards and paper prints
For projects that require large quantities of yardage I work with a co-op near Jaipur, India , it’s fair trade and ensures fair wages for workers .
I love the technique of block printing, it’s so precise and yet every print is slightly different as it’s all done by hand.
I sketch out my designs or go off on traditional block print motifs , the artist carved my designs onto wood blocks that are then used to print
I love the story and hard work and love that goes into each piece and I really appreciate my client’s understanding and valuing that.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
I’m trained as an architect and have worked several years as one both in India ( my birth country ) as well as here in US ( my adopted home) In fact I moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan to do my masters in architecture- Go Blue!
After completion I worked in various cities like Cleveland, Chicago and Ann Arbor
When my younger son was around 2 ( he’s 14 now and entering high school) I had taken a break from office life, to fuel my creative side and do something of my own , I started block printing scarves which my neighbors bought, I wasn’t really thinking of it being anything more than a fun thing to do while raising babies, the idea was to always go back to architecture
In the words of Seinfeld, “ya da ya da ya da” I never went back! I realized 3 things
1. I love block printing
2. Other people love it and appreciate it as much as I do
3. It’s a great way to combine both my loves- being a mom and having my own business
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
four years ago, I moved from Wisconsin to North Carolina and Covid hit 6 months after our move I honestly thought my small business was done! Businesses everywhere were suffering, people were really not buying anything and printing in India had stopped.
i was just sorting through things in my studio and found so much beautiful fabric remnant, I thought I’ll just learn to make cloth masks for myself and family, it was a great way to use some of my fabric. I learnt how to make a mask on YouTube , I’m really not a good sewer but kept at it, decided to list them on Etsy and donate 50% of my sales to various causes
I honestly have never been busier and felt more fulfilled than in those 1.5 years, I felt I was doing something worthwhile and my small business was contributing toward something
Contact Info:
- Website: Etsy.com/shop/peepaltr
- Instagram: Pedpaltr
- Facebook: Facebook.com/peepaltr
Image Credits
Jennifer Hornberger Ruchita Varma