Batik: Textiles

Batik

(Pictures are not my own)

Batik is a very simple technique that simply involves using hot wax to block out areas of fabric, so they are not coloured by dye.

You need:

• A hot wax pot
• Melted wax
• Wax tools or paint brush
• White cotton fabric
• Dye bath

1. 

Heat your wax pot, so the wax is melted. Put your tools or paint brush into the wax.

2.

After lightly pencilling out your design, go over it in the hot wax, using your chosen tool.

3.

If you want a webbed look to your final sample, then scrunch up the wax so it cracks before you dye it.

4. 

Place the fabric into your dye bath. 

5.

When you've taken the fabric out of the dye bath and it has dried, then you need to iron off the wax. This is done by putting the fabric in between two pieces of paper, then simply ironing over the paper till all the wax has melted off. you may have to refresh the paper.

If you want mutliy tonal/coloured fabric with different patterns. Then simply add more wax patterns and dye it again. Play with it until you find your style.