Jenny Handmade Batik

Batik is the ancient art of painting with hot waxes and dyes. This art is a lengthy process. All items start out completely white and blank. First, I draw the design onto the product with pencil, which leads into going over the stencil in wax. I use a special batik brush for this. Once the wax is dry, I paint the design in, which then has to sit for two days to ensure the brightness, which is my key. Then, I go over the whole design with a layer of wax, which acts as a sealant for the next step, which is the dye. I submerge the item into a dye bath of color, let it sit, and then the product goes into a boiling pot to remove the wax. After that, the item is machine washed, pre-shrunk, and I sew my handmade label on!