Batik, originated in Indonesia, is a form of resist dyeing using wax. Batik is traditionally made in several countries like India, Egypt, China, Japan, Nigeria, Senegal and many more. Indonesian batik is the most popular out of all. Batik is an ancient art form that is popular worldwide to this date. Read on to understand how this world renowned fabric is created.
How is Batik created?
Batik is created by using wax to create a resist using wax, to prevent dye from penetrating the cloth, thus creating a beautiful design. What adds to the beauty of batik is the way wax crackles and penetrates the cloth, creating fine colorful lines on the resisted areas. Fabrics like cotton and silk are mostly used for Batik, although any kind of fabric that lets the wax penetrate can be used.
Creating a batik requires three steps- Waxing of the fabric, dyeing the fabric and then scraping the wax off.
To start with, pre-wash your fabric to remove any element that might hamper with the smoothness of your fabric.
If your fabric isn’t dyed, you can dye your fabric the desired color.
Now use molten wax to create the desired pattern. Flowers, leaves, and other simple patterns are great to begin with. Canting tools are traditional tools used to create desired patterns on the fabric.
Canting tool used to create desired patterns.
Care should be taken to make sure the wax penetrates the fabric rather than cooling off and sitting on top. A proper resist will be created only if the wax is completely penetrated the fabric.
The next step would be to dye the fabric with the wax fully penetrated and decorated.
After this, gently wash your fabric, but make sure the wax does not fall off.
Repeat these steps to make sure your fabric is dyed the required way.
After this, put absorbent sheets between the fabric and iron the fabric to melt the wax onto the absorbent sheets.
Then wash the fabric in the machine to get rid of every last bit of wax.
Your batik fabric is ready.
To make sure you wear the best batik, browse through our collection of batik.