History of Batik

The word batik (Javanese word) designates an ancestral technique of dyeing cotton fabric. This art is practiced in several communities including West African countries (Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Togo, etc.).

The stages of making batik

• Draw the patterns to reproduce on the cotton fabric
• Delineate the patterns with hot wax and leave to cool;
• Remove the wax from the parts of the patterns intended to receive a first color
• Dip the canvas in a dye bath (1st color)
• Repeat operations 2 to 4 successively for each of the other colors (preferably going from light to darker colors);
• Finally, remove the wax, either with an iron or by soaking in boiling water.