What with the giant vats of melting wax and the boiling pots of dye normally involved in the batik-printing process, it’s small wonder that most people are sceptical to try it out at home. Great caution, patience and skill is required to get batik-printing right, and sometimes it’s simpler to just go out and pick ready-made fabric from the shops.

 

 

But with just a few modifications to the process, batik-printing can easily be transformed into something simpler, safer and smaller-scale – perfect as a fun arts and crafts activity for children, but also for first-timers keen on handicrafts and home-decor projects.

 

 

Here’s what you need to make a simple piece of batik art at home:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To get started, simply:

 

 

1) Lay out your piece of cloth on to the wax paper

 

2) Use a pencil to sketch the outline of your design

 

3) Draw over this sketch with your glue. If the glue-bottle does not come with a nozzle, pour a little into a cup, water it down, and use a thin paint-brush instead

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) Once the design is complete, leave the glue to dry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5) Once dried, you can fill in the shapes and outlines with the paint of your choice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6) Leave the paint to dry

 

7) In a tub or container containing warm water, wash off the glue bits. They should come off fairly easily

 

8) Let your final design dry

 

 

Et voila – that’s all it takes to create a piece of batik art! You can stitch it up into cushions, embellish it with embroidery and transform it into a wall-hanging, turn it into a lamp-shade or simply tack it up on some soft-board – it’s a feat that deserves to be showed off, not to mention the perfect activity to share with kids and at the same time teach them to embrace the culture of their country from an early age.

 

[If you are interested in learning traditional batik-printing, stop by our workshops.                                 for further details]