PROCESSES OF BATIK DYEING
The intricacy of the design is the determining factor in the number of
_processes_ necessary 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 on page 23 was 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 on page 37 illustrate 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.
[Illustration: _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 on page 30 could 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 design _in colors_ on 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.
[Illustration: _The center panel of a Javanese Batik_]
[Illustration: _A Table Runner, by Gertrude Dandiliken, Design
Department, Art Institute of Chicago_]
[Illustration: _A design motif from a Javanese Sarong. Courtesy of
American Museum of Natural History, New York_]
[Illustration: _A group of Batik articles, done by the students in the
Winnetka, Ill., High School_]
[Illustration: _A modern Batik Hanging_]