Batik is a wax resist and dying technique used to decorate fabric throughout South East Asia and India. It originated from Java in Indonesia.
Using a wax melting pot and traditional tjantings, our budding textile artists experimented with the equipment and applied melted wax to a piece of fabric. This they then dyed. Once they felt confident, the children moved on to create their final design on a tote bag or piece of fabric.
Brightly coloured dyes were used to stain the fabric. Once the dyes dried, the children enjoyed using a hot iron and layers of paper to melt the wax off. White lines were left, where the wax had resisted the liquid.
The children then had the option of adding a decorative border. They had the choice of either making a printing plate or printing block out of Styrofoam.