Batik, Batik, Batik

Hello to all!

What is batik, exactly?  

According to The Batik Guild, "The word batik originates from the Javanese tik and means "to dot". To make a batik, selected areas of the cloth are blocked out by brushing or drawing hot wax over them, and the cloth is then dyed. The parts covered in wax resist the dye and remain the original color.   And since one question, leads to another...

Where is Java, you ask?  Well, Java is a volcano-dotted island that's at the geographic and economic center of Indonesia.  

I was first introduced to batik in high school, but that particular lesson is all but a foggy memory.  Luckily, I stumbled upon a three hour batik class in Old Forge, New York this past summer.  

Here I am, with the instructor, getting ready to dye my design.

Here is my waxed design, prior to dying.

And here is my finished fabric!

 
I decided to gather together some batik equipment and give it a try at home.  I found a heating unit at the local thrift shop, a metal pan in with my children's play kitchen set, and an old aluminum bucket in the garage.  I filled some upcycled baby bottles with RIT dye, found a piece of muslin in my fabric stash, melted some paraffin wax and had some fun! 

Supplies

Wax on

Dye on

More dye on

Time to de-wax

Wax off

Finished fabric

Batik tends to be a time consuming process, but I think the results are well worth the effort.  The hardest part is gathering all the supplies and then setting aside the time to do it.  I'll be doing more batik soon.  I find it to be a relaxing and rewarding craft.

Until next time,

Marsha