A Memorable Experience with Jeri ... Batik Making!

First, we tried our hands at free-hand drawing with the wax pipe. We dip the pipe into the melted and steaming wax, fill it with about a teaspoon of wax, blow on it a bit, and then draw. It cools quickly so you have to continue dumping and dipping. It can easily drip drops where you don't want them! And it must be held at a 45 degree angle. Very tedious! Requires a steady hand!

The charming older guy is the owner of the factory and he was a great tutor -- cheerful, encouraging, patient, and full of ideas! The woman with the headcovering is his sweet wife.

After filling up practice fabrics with trial lines, we worked on painting our stamped images. Both of us chose Kalimantan prints. Each island/region has it's historic, distinctive prints -- recognizable by those in the know. These prints have been used for generations.

After we finished painting, a slow and detailed process, we got to finish our practice fabrics. This proved to be therapeutic! We could throw caution to the wind and just splash on the color! Then, we sprinkled baking soda on it and it ate away at the colors, causing a tie-dye effect.

Thursday we'll pick up the finished products. The people have to do the final steps -- fixing/staying the colours, washing, boiling off the wax, blocking, drying.

We are very hopeful that our finished products will be frame-able!!