our products are mass-produced handcrafted, human touch is visible on every creation

woman standing in field with block print clothing

Hi, I’m Ruchita!

I am the designer behind Peepal Tree. Born and brought up in New Delhi, India, I moved to the United States to receive my Master of Architecture in Ann Arbor Michigan - Go Blue!

After years of working in different cities, I took a break from the world of architecture when my boys were born, in the midst of play dates, potty training, zoo and playground runs. I was craving some creative outlet - decided to block print some scarves and baby onesies, my neighbors loved it and started buying from me.

Next did some craft shows, did a workshop in India to re-learn the technique of block printing from the masters in Jaipur, and started printing more and more products.

The love my products received and the joy I was getting in doing this work made me never go back to architecture.

tree wooden block print with paper print
elephant wooden block print with green and blue paper print
block print gift wrapping
display of green block print napkin set on table
display of 6 colorful block printed napkins displayed on table

Behind the Name

full grown peepal tree with park in the background

The name of my business - a lot of you have asked me why “Peepal tree”. I honestly love the tree, it’s a beautiful tree with heart shaped leaves, has a lot of significance for Indians for medicinal, health benefits and spiritual meaning. I also like the fact that Peepal is pronounced like People! :-)

Growing up in Delhi, India, I didn’t realize how many Peepal trees were all over the city. Subconsciously I was very aware of them and admired the form, culture, and spiritual meaning behind them.

I would often see people just congregating under it for a small chat or sitting under the shade of the tree to get away from the hot sun. Often, The tree becomes a makeshift temple of sorts, you’ll see saffron threads around the trunk of the tree and people worshiping it. 

behind the scenes process of block printing showing green and blue cloth
behind the scenes process of fabric printed with a wooden block print
behind the scenes image of a man making a wooden block print
image of dyed yellow fabric hanging below blue sky
behind the scenes picture of fireplace

The Process

Teak wood is soaked in mustard oil for days and then carved by hand, these blocks are used to print on natural fibers like cotton and cotton rag paper.

It’s a centuries old technique of printing by hand using hand carved wood blocks.

Smaller pieces I print myself. For the larger fabrics, I work with a co-op in Jaipur, where the printers are 5th generation, all the natural dyeing of fabric, carving of blocks, and block printing is done in house.