CHAPTER IVPROCESSES OF BATIK DYEING

The intricacy of the design is the determining factor in the number ofprocessesnecessary for any given piece of Batik. The more colors desired, the more often will the fabric have to be immersed in the dye bath. The simplest and therefore first process for the beginner is that of dyeing the material one color with the pattern left in the original color of the cloth. For convenience, this will be referred to as the first or elementary process.

The blouse shown onpage 23was made on silk. The design was drawn out carefully on paper and then traced on the silk. The design was then waxed and dyed in a basin containing about two quarts of water, one-half teaspoon of 36% acetic acid and a teaspoon of imperial blue dye solution. It was kept gently moving in the dye for fifteen minutes, rinsed thoroughly, dried and pressed between clean old newspapers or blotting paper and ironed dry. The ironing melts the wax out. If traces of the wax or pencil marks still adhere, the goods can be washed in gasoline or benzine. When the wax was removed, the result was a piece of two-tone Batik work of deep blue with a white design. For most Batik work, light colored fabrics are used, as designs can be successfully darkened, but cannot be made lighter on dark goods. But, on the whole, a delicate color is better as a foundation than white, because the white will often be a little out of harmony with the colors.

The designs for the two charming sashes onpage 37illustrate additional steps in more elaborate designs. The right-hand scarf was dyed first so that the ground was not white. For such a sash one-half teaspoon of dye solution in four quarts of water, with one teaspoon of 36% acetic acid, would be used for the background, with perhaps a ten-minute immersion. After it was dyed it should be rinsed thoroughly in cool water to remove all excess acid and any loose color. Rinse until the water is practically clear. Hang it up so that it will dry smoothly. When dry, wax the flowers, the connecting lines, and the broad light bands. Prepare the second dye. An agreeable color scheme is pink for the lightest, made by using scarlet dye in a weak solution, a deeper pink for the second color, and lavender for the last. If the color scheme suggested were to be used, the same dye would be used for the deeper pink and the material immersed a second time with the addition of another teaspoon of the scarlet dye solution to the basin. After the second dyeing, all the superfluous color was rinsed out, it was dried, and the parts to remain the deep pink were waxed. That left the heavy bands alone exposed to this last dye bath. For this a green solution was used which on the pink gives a beautiful grey lavender.

A color scheme of, first, orange dye; second, brown dye, and third, navy blue dye, is attractive. Some silks will ravel so as to make a good fringe; in that case a pattern for the fringe would be dyed in before raveling. With a purchased fringe the tied and dyed method will give charming bands.

Two sashes done in Batik by the students of the Art Institute of Chicago

The interesting sash shown on the left of the previous page is also a three-process piece in which greater contrast has been kept between the colors.

Such a place as the wing and crown of the bird figured on the velvet bag shown onpage 30could well be painted in with a brush. A blending of the colors found in some of the tropical birds—yellow, orange and blue, for instance—would be gorgeous.

The process of cleaning and finishing velvet is long and requires skill to do it successfully. The craft worker is advised to send a piece of velvet Batik to a professional if possible, rather than risk spoiling it herself.

An abbreviated outline of the process is as follows: First, remove all waxing with benzine, using several baths; second, raise the nap with dry steam, that is, steam carrying as little water as possible. Avoid touching the nap while steaming and do not crease or fold while damp. After the nap is raised by the steam, brush it gently in the direction of the nap with a bristle clothes brush.

For more elaborate work, where a combination of colors is desired in the design, the painting process may be used. As in the previous cases, the material is stretched on the Batik frame and the design outlined and then waxed in. If a combination of colors is to be used, it is best to have the designin colorson paper as a guide. It is very easy to become confused as to colors to be used on the various sections of the pattern, and mistakes in painting with dyes are serious, as the color can only be removed with a solution of ammonia or washing soda.

With the colored design before one, the dyes are mixed and tried on a scrap of the material.

This method of applying color with a brush is desirable only for small spots or surfaces. It is not possible to cover large surfaces evenly with a brush, as the color will be stronger in the spot first touched by the brush. In dyeing one color over another the result is a modified color which seldom harmonizes with spots of color that are painted in. In addition, the color is not as fast when applied in this way, as it does not have the chance to penetrate the fiber of the cloth as in dyeing.

This use of the brush is a convenient method of inserting small spots of a contrasting color that would otherwise require a re-waxing of the whole piece of goods, but is not recommended as a substitute for dipping process.

The center panel of a Javanese Batik

A Table Runner, by Gertrude Dandiliken, Design Department, Art Institute of Chicago

A design motif from a Javanese Sarong. Courtesy of American Museum of Natural History, New York

A group of Batik articles, done by the students in the Winnetka, Ill., High School

A modern Batik Hanging

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