As a child I can remember my grandmother handmaking Batik on cloth that she would sell or give as gifts to family or friends. Sometimes she would give me what was left over with which I would cloth my dolls in. As I got older my grandmother taught me the skill of Batik in which I would make my own hawaiian clothing. My grandmother always loved my work and felt I had a natural gift from the beauty of my work. A couple of years ago I had been asked by a neighbor if I would make a special Batik pattern for her daughter and son-in-law who were getting married. This would be the beginning of my venture into the fashion industry.

Batik is the creation of designs in wax on cloth which stops the dye from coloring the cloth in those areas. The fabric must first be stretched over a wood or metal frame. Any fabric can be used but, most of the time cotton is used. The design is first drawn in pencil then, traced over with hot wax with use of a tool called a canting, which has a spout to allow the wax to be poured in a moderate stream. Also, you can use a brush to apply the hot wax. After waxing, the fabric is soaked in dye, then dried, waxed and dyed again. The fabric is then rinsed in hot water to remove the wax and hung to dry.

A second technique which can be easier for a beginner is to use stamps made of copper in place of hand drawing designs. You dip the stamps into the wax and apply them to the fabric stretched over the frame before dyeing.

Batik can be time consuming process but, it is a fascinating and fun art which can lead to new excitement when making your own designs.