How To Batik
Batik is an ancient form of designing fabric, to give it lovely and vibrant patterns and designs. It’s very easy to make, as long as you have the right materials, but it can be very messy! If you’re ready to make some mess and a lovely fabric, here’s how to batik.
What You’ll Need:
Fabric (cloth, silk or muslin work great)
Flat iron
Colored pencil or water-based pen
Wax paper
Wax (opt for beeswax and paraffin wax)
Hobby paintbrushes
Cold water dyes
Old newspaper
Paper towels
Latex gloves
Clothespins
Pot or bowl
Procedure:
Pick the cloth you want to use for this project. If you want to start with something easy, go for cotton instead of silk. Wash it to clean and remove residues, then let it dry, to remove sizing. Iron it well.
Protect the surface you’re working on with old newspaper sheets. Have some paper towels nearby, too.
Decide on the design you want, and using the water-based pen or pencil, trace it on the fabric. If there’s a particular pattern you want, cut it out and use it as a guide. You can also make an abstract design, or maybe freehand something. The choice is yours.
Put some wax paper under the fabric, so it won’t stick to the surface. Pick out which color dye you want to use first, then wax off the areas you don’t want to be dyed. The wax should be melted appropriately, enough to soak into the fabric. Apply it using your paintbrushes.
After you’ve placed wax all over the areas you like, let the wax dry. If you want, you can speed up the process by putting the fabric in the freezer.
Make a “crackle” effect on your fabric, by balling the fabric, and creating cracks in the wax. Those cracks will have veins of color in them.
Prepare the dye in a bowl or a pot. Follow the directions according to the manufacturer, when making your dye bath. Wear your latex gloves when doing this.
Once the dye is ready, put the fabric in your dye bath, for at least 30 minutes. You can shorten or lengthen the time, depending on the instructions and how dark or light you want the dye to be.
Let the fabric dry, by hanging it up with clothespins.
Start ironing the wax in small sections, putting newsprint in between the fabric and iron, and under the fabric. You should only remove the wax on areas where you want to dye next.
Repeat the process until you come up with a lovely design.
Some Batik Tips
Brush milk onto your fabric if you want it to accept the dye more readily.
Instead of dropping the fabric in different colored dyes one at a time, you can just put the different colors in separate tipped applicator bottles. You can then apply multiple colors at a time, let it sit according to the required time, then wash off with cold water.
If you plan to wear the fabric, remove the remaining wax by boiling the cloth in water. Add some dish soap, and after boiling, turn off the stove and let the wax rise to the top.
You’ll make some mess by doing this project, but you’ll surely end up with a lovely masterpiece. Just follow these steps, and you’ll have a great fabric to boast about.