YALE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARY

BATIKS, AND
HOW TO MAKE THEM

CHINESE SCREEN PANEL BY PIETER MIJER AND EMILE WEECKERS

THE USE OF BATIK FOR COSTUME

BATIKS, AND
HOW TO MAKE THEM

BY
PIETER MIJER

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS
From Photographs by
G. W. Hurting

jm.

NEW YORK
DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY

1921

COPYEIGHT, 1919
BY DODD, MEAD AND COMPANY, INO.

First edition printed June, 1919
Second edition printed August, 1919
Third edition printed December, 1919
Fourth edition printed September, 1920

J l fir

FOREWOED
In writing the following pages on ''Batiks,
and how they are made" I had a double pur
pose in view. First, to make this ancient art
more known to the public in general and to
the many textile craftworkers in particular;
secondly, to try to give some practical advice
which will make for the better execution of the
work. Batik is not so crude a method of decorating
material as many people have thought it to
be. It is not a matter of smearing some wax
on a piece of material with any old brush, dip
ping it haphazard into any kind of dye, leav
ing it to the gods to decide what colour it is
going to be, and finally trying to sell it as a
high-priced work of art. On the contrary, it
is a craft which requires quite a good deal of
skill and knowledge of design, as well as a good
idea of colour.

vi FOREWORD
The batik art has been much abused and it
may be of interest to many to know something
of its history, to read the description of the
process as practised by the natives of Java, the
method used in Holland, and the means now
employed by some craftsmen and women in
America. Too much stress cannot be laid on the fact
that it is, as a rule, the small details that many
people like to overlook because they seem of
comparatively little importance, that bring out
the charm and beauty of a real batik. Batik
is not difficult, the chief requirements are care
and time, and the best results are always got
ten by giving time to the work and not trying
to do it in a rush. As with any other art or
craft, one needs to study the medium before
using it and another fact that has only been
too often forgotten, is, that batik has design
and knowledge of colour as its foundation and
I would like to advise readers who have not
studied these essentials, to leave batik alone
until they have acquired some understanding
of them.

FOREWORD vii
Most of the hints given here are the outcome
of the many years that I have spent making
batiks. Having seen it done in Java as well as
in Holland, I have had an opportunity to com
pare the different ways of working, and by ex
perimenting, have found many little helpful
things which I gladly share with present and fu
ture workers.
In the last few years, batik has advanced in
this country with rapid strides and I am sure
that a good deal of this is the result of the in
terest which manufacturers, especially those in
the silk industry, have^taken in its development.
Batik work, however, is not a manufacturing
process. The moment we try to commercialize
it, that is, to make the same design in quantities,
the quality decreases ; a great deal of the beauty
of a batik lies in the personal touch of the artist
or craftsman who makes it, and we may safely
say that neither of them is able to do machine
work and produce a practically unlimited quan
tity in a short time. It certainly is a pity that
some manufacturers have already tried to com
mercialize it by means of using untrained boys

viii FOREWORD
and girls to execute in quantities the designs of
others. When one sees the result of these ef
forts, one is inclined to ask, "Is it a good idea
to spread the knowledge of batik?"
On the other hand, if the buying public knows
more about the work than it does now, if they
know the time and the care it takes to make a
good batik, then I am sure that their desire for
good batik will increase and the manufactured
product soon will be where the other manufac
tured arts have gone.*
Before going on to the description of batik,
I should like to say a word of thanks to Olive
Earle, for valuable help. Also to "House and
Garden" and " Elsevier 's Geill: Maandschrift"
for their kindness in lending me some of the
photographs used. Pietxee Mijeb.
New York, April, 1919.

CONTENTS
PAGE
Batik in Java  1
Batik est Holland  24
Utensils and Matebuls  32
Tjanttngs  44
The Batik Process  50
Successful Dyeing  59
The Value of a Dye Recoed  76

ILLUSTRATIONS
Chinese Screen Panel by Pieter Mijer and Emile
Weeckers  Frontispiece FACING PAGE
Javanese Kain Kapala  2
Enlarged Detail of Native Sarong  4
Native Design Showing European Influence . . 14
Pure Native Design Adapted for European Use . 14
Conventional Fish Design by Chris Lebeau . . 26
Geometrical Fish Design by Chris Lebeau . . 28
Stork Panel by Chris Lebeau  30
Flamingo Curtain by Pieter Mijer .... 30
The Use of Batik in Interior Decoration ... 32
Dyeing of Textile  34
Cleaning the Tjanting ........ 34
Floral Design Entirely Executed with a Brush . 36
Various Types of Tjantings  46
Scarf Batiked by Hazel Burnham Slaughter . . 50
The Right Way to Hold the Tjanting .... 54
The Use of the Brush for Filling Spaces ... 54
Tank for Separating Wax from Gasoline ... 58
"Spring" by C. Bertram Hartman and Pieter
Mijer  64

ILLUSTRATIONS

By following the arrows in the above chart it will
easily be seen which colours should be mixed
together in order to produce a given colour
and the various lengths of the connecting
lines indicate about the proportion in which
the dyes should be used ....

Successive Stages in the Making of a Batik
Successive Stages in the Making of a Batik
The Use of Batik for Costume .

Sorceress by Arthur Crisp and Pieter Mijer

6874
76
7880

BATIKS, AND
HOW TO MAKE THEM

BATIKS, AND HOW TO
MAKE THEM
BATIK IN JAVA
Investigation shows that there never was a
time when the art of batik did not flourish in
Java. The robes of idols worshipped in pre
historic days were decorated very much in the
same way as those of today, and apparently
the modern native method of doing the work
differs little from that employed so many hun
dreds of years ago. The literal translation
from a Javanese paper on the batik art, which
concludes this chapter, shows something of the
confusingly elaborate process used in the East,
while the description of the modern American
way of working explains how comparatively
simply, effective and beautiful results can be
obtained. The chief difference between the occidental

DIFFERENCE IN METHODS

2 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
and the native way of batiking is, that the occi»
dental starts his dyeing with the lightest colour
and dyes his tones over each other, whilst the
native dips his fabric in the darkest colour first
and removes the wax each time that he needs a
lighter shade and he only uses dyes that set by
oxidation. Of course their batiks have to
stand very much rougher treatment than the
textiles decorated here and to make the dyes
stand the terrific glare of the sun, the innu
merable washings, and the regular dips taken
by their wearers who are tremendously fond of
bathing, it is necessary for them to take every
precaution to produce fast colours. Their
methods may seem complicated, but it would
not be amiss if American batikers were to use
a little more of the patience and craft that the
native exercises, instead of eternally seeking
short cuts to superficially beautiful effects.
Batiks are chiefly used in Java for wearing
apparel and as a rule are made of calico which
is imported from Holland and England, al
though homespun cotton is occasionally found
and was used, of course, before trading with

JAVANESE KAIN KAPALA

BATIK IN JAVA 3
Europe developed almost "Mail Order" facili
ties. The costume is similar for men and women Javanese
and consists of the "sarong," the "slendang" costume
and the "sarong kapala." There are two
types of sarong or loin-cloth worn, which are
known as the "kain pandjang" and the "kain kains
kapala"; the former is decorated with an all-
over pattern and is used for "every-day" wear,
whilst the "kain kapala" is a more expensive
form, which besides the all-over pattern, has at
one end, from selvedge to selvedge, an elabo
rate design. There is no intricacy of cutting
in a sarong as it consists merely of a piece of
material from three to four-and-a-half yards
long and about forty-two inches wide. The
material used for this garment is almost always
cotton of varying grades.
The Javanese sarong facing page 2 is made
in four colours, the cream colour of the original
material, a bright indigo blue, red, and purple
which is the combination of the red and blue.
The main part of the sarong is decorated with
a flower and bird all-over design, the ground

4 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
being the cream colour of the material, while
the red dominates in the flowers and birds.
The wide border has a red background with a
cream floral decoration, and the narrow border
has a blue background with an ornamental de
sign in cream and red. The kapale of this
sarong is in red, with a scattered floral decora
tion and filled in with a characteristic Javanese
filling-in pattern. The purple notes are scat
tered through the design. Facing page 4 is
shown an enlarged detail of this design.
slendang The "slendang" is no more complicated as
to shape and the decoration is either in the
form of an all-over design, or it has a plain
centre with a decorative border. It is usually
about three yards long and eighteen inches
wide, and it is worn by the women who throw
it over their heads, scarf-wise, but its use is
more general as a "carry-all" for babies and
other personal effects.
head-dbess The "sarong kapala" is a square piece of
material worn chiefly by the men and is wound
around the head in a kind of turban shape.
After it has been folded on the head to the satis-

ENLARGED DETAIL OF NATIVE SARONG

BATIK IN JAVA 5
faction of the wearer, it is taken off very care
fully and starched on the inside.
The women sometimes add an upper gar
ment, called a "kemban"; this is just a long
straight strip which is wound tightly round
the body. The shoulders and arms are left
bare, for they are great workers and do not
allow their movements to be hampered by an
undue amount of clothing.
The designing and waxing of batiks is done Javanese
largely by the women whilst the men usually DE6IGN
take care of the dyeing part of the process.
The designs, whilst apparently originating with
each individual worker are founded as a rule
on what one might call standard designs; these
have been used for generations, although in
course of time they have changed in character
somewhat. In most cases, any one familiar
with these Javanese classics can trace the mod
ern designs to their source and will recognize
in present-day interpretations, figures well-
known in native folk-lore.
Other designs have significance in that they
designate rank or social prestige. Some hun-

6 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
dred of these patterns have regular names, such
as "batik parang rusa" and "batik sawat";
these two are reserved for the exclusive use of
royalty, and many designs are esteemed as
much for their social ranking as for their artis
tic merit. Decorated silk is occasionally worn
by the native aristocracy; it is not in general
use, however, and is always made in the form
of a "slendang' ' and worn as a scarf. The col
ours found in a batik can be interpreted to
denote the part of Java in which it was made.
Those from Djocdja and Solo are executed in
rich tans, beautiful golden browns and deep
indigo blue, which colours are used on the royal
batiks ; the work from these districts is sombre
in tone but very rich in design. Pekalongan
batiks are usually in white and different shades
of blue, or rather cream and blue, for the native
treats his fabric with oil before starting to
work and this gives a rich creamy tone to the
white. Dead white itself is never used as it
is literally associated with the dead, being the
colour of grave cloths and always signifying
death. Variety of colouring in a batik will

BATIK IN JAVA 7
mean as a rule that the piece had its origin in
the district of Samarang.
The prices of the garments of course vary
according to the amount of work on the piece.
"Kains" can be bought as cheaply as a dollar
each and sometimes as much as $25.00 is paid;
however, a batik costing as much is rare, and
is usually one made to special order. About
two to two-and-a-half dollars is the average
price one would have to pay for a garment in
Java. Besides the batik done entirely by hand, . the tjaps
native produces a decorated material known as
"tjap." This method can best be compared to
block printing, the wax being printed on to the
material instead of being applied with a tjant
ing. Instead of the wooden block associated
with block printing, the native uses a sort of
die made of wood, on which the design is made
by the insertion, edgewise, of thin strips of
brass or red copper; in some cases the whole
die is made of the red copper. These "tjaps"
are reminiscent of the work done in Madras
where a similar process has been employed

8 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
since the 15th century, for the direct application
of the dyes.
Some "tjaps" are done entirely by printing
with blocks, while others are partly hand work.
The dies are used as time savers when making
borders or patterns with a regular repeat.
The native artists consider these substitutes,
which are sold to the poorer classes for daily
wear, very inferior to real batik and no Java
nese of any standing would dream of " lowering
himself ' ' by wearing one.
At the present time not many die-makers are
found, as there is only a comparatively small
market for the work. A die is so solidly con
structed and lasts so long, that once made, there
is seldom a re-order of the same design. The
price of dies varies according to the size and
elaborateness of the design, ranging from about
25 cents, American money, to as high as $24.00.
In Samarang there are still a few men who
trade in these tjaps, whilst in Soerabaja there
is only one man known who is able to make
them. The copper used in the making of tjaps comes

BATIK IN JAVA 9
in three different weights ; the lightest is used
for the making of fine outlines, the second
weight for the heavier lines, whilst the third
and heaviest weight is used for the frame work.
Like the tjanting, the tjap is constructed in
three parts; first, the body of the instrument
which is composed of the variously bent strips
of copper which make ti.9 design, then the
frame-work which holds these strips together
and lastly the metal handle.
The tjap has to re-place the work done with
the tjanting, therefore the object of the tjap-
maker is to re-place all tjanting lines with strips
of copper of varying sizes, which, when printed,
will give the effect of perfect tjanting work.
To that end, the strips of copper have to be
curved and bent, and are set in a vertical posi
tion, that is, with the edges uppermost; this of
course is very delicate work which requires
good craftsmanship and much patience.
In making the tjaps, the copper plates of
different thicknesses are first cut into strips,
each strip of the same width. The design for
the tjap is made on paper, and the copper strips

10 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
are bent in the various shapes as indicated in
this design. Here is where the good craftsman
ship is essential as it is no easy matter to re
produce fine curved lines with the strips, espe
cially in the case of flowered designs as no sharp
angles may be shown in the bending of the cop
per. Then the whole design is soldered to-i
gether, and fixed by the same process on to the
frame to which the handle is attached.
This does not, however, complete the die-
maker's work, for as in batik work with the
tjanting where the material is waxed on both
sides, so with the tjap does the fabric have to
be printed on the reverse side as well. Thus,
the die-maker has to make a second tjap in
which the design is the exact reverse of the
first one. It takes a die-maker about twenty
days to make a complete set, that is two cor
responding tjaps, each about eight by eight
inches square, for which he gets about $8.00.
Out of this of course he has to pay for his ma
terials. When the tjaps are finished and found cor
rect, that is, when every little line on one die

BATIK IN JAVA 11
is found to correspond exactly with the same
line on the reverse block, then it is the business
of the printer to print the tjaps so that no
difference is shown in the design. The mak
ing of a pair of tjaps is only necessary when an
irregular design is to be produced, as in the case
of a symmetrical pattern the same die can be
used on both sides.
For the reproduction of a not very elaborate
tjanting design, a set of thirteen to fifteen tjaps
is required; this means with the reverse set at
least twenty-six to thirty separate dies. The
original outlay for the making of a tjap may be
great, but if the amount of work that can be
done with one set is considered, it can be seen
at once that the prices of pieces done by this
process will be very low.
The printing of tjaps is practically always
done by men. The workman sits on a low stool,
and in front of him is a slanting table to which
a large pad is attached ; over this the piece that
is to be printed is spread. The wax is heated
in a flat pan, in which there is a pad of jute,
covered with unbleached muslin. The wax is

12 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
transferred to the metal by pressing the tjap
on to this pad. To remove the surplus wax
from the tjap the printer swings the die up and
down a couple of times and then presses the
tjap on to the material in the place where the
decoration is desired. After covering one side
of the material in this manner, the same process
is repeated on the other side. As the wax
shines through the fabric, it is not a difficult
matter for the printer to place his die in the
exact position, so that it will register correctly,
but nevertheless, there will be very few pieces
made in this way found without a slight inac
curacy in the design. Although all the actual
line work in a tjap is done by the use of dies,
a certain amount of the work, such as filling in
spaces and big surfaces, has to be done by hand
with the tjanting. This, however, amounts to
a very small proportion of the work when com
pared with the amount of labour required in
the making of a real batik. A good printer can
print about twenty pieces of material, sarong
length, a day, while it would take twelve to fif-

BATIK IN JAVA 13
teen days to produce one piece of a similar de
sign, with a tjanting.
The European printed imitations of batik
meet with very little favour among the native
Javanese, who are very critical of art and
craftsmanship and the importations only find
a market among the poor.
For the most part, batik is a home occupa- native
tion of the native, but some districts have be- i:isrDUST:RY
come quite manufacturing centres. The indus
try is chiefly under the management of the
Chinese with the natives as their workmen.
In the district of Lassem, where a great deal
of batik work is done, the Chinese employers
give the work out to the natives, who do it in
their homes. Fifty to a hundred kains will be
given out to one man, who will have them waxed
and they will then be fetched by another worker
who will do the dyeing. This work will bring
in to the native, on an average, the lordly sum
of two and a half cents (American money) a
day, and it is estimated that in the neighbour
hood of Lassem alone, there are some 4300 peo-

14 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
pie subsisting on this munificent salary. At
that, this group of workers are rather better
off than the women who are employed directly
by the Chinese for the finer batik work. Large
numbers of them bind themselves to work for
three years, at the beginning of which period
they are given thirty gilders, equivalent to
about $12.00; they are given board and lodging
and once a year a new outfit, but they receive
no more pay. Many of them work like this for
years in succession and from time to time they
borrow small sums of money from their em
ployers which they cannot pay back, with the
result that they are never out of debt and are
consequently, to all intents and purposes, prac
tically owned by their exploiters. Authentic
figures give 2100 natives working under these
conditions in Lassem.
There are a few establishments run by the
Dutch in Java, who, besides producing pure
native designs, have used native adaptations of
European designs with splendid results.
A combination of Javanese and European in
fluences is shown in the illustration facing page

TIVE DESIGN SHOWING EUROPEAN INFLUENCE

PURE NATIVE DESIGN ADAPTED FOR EUROPEAN USE

BATIK IN JAVA 15
14. This pillow-top, batiked by a Dutch artist,
has native motives, arranged in a symmetrical
design. As a batik, it is about the finest piece
the writer has been able to find, as there is no
flaw in the execution. The stiff geometrical
pattern, however, does not give quite such a
pleasing effect as the freer Javanese design.
A sample of this is shown facing page 14 which
is pure Javanese decoration. It shows the ar
rangement of a bird and some octopuses and
was used for a small pillow-top ; the artist has
been left free in this design, not being tied down
to a geometrical repeat, and the result artis
tically is far superior to the previous design.
In the event of some enthusiast wishing to
batik in the actual native manner, he can do
so by following the process as described by a
native and translated here word for word : —
"Batik is the art of dyeing fabric in one piece native
in different dyes consecutively, through the PE00ES6
combination of which the pattern of the design
is produced. The materials used in this process
are cotton and very occasionally silk, wax, wax
mixed with rosin and dyes. The dyes usually

16 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
are vegetable although aniline is used, but
rarely. "The first of these batik requirements the
native buys at the Pasar (market), the dyes
they make themselves and in the case of the
blue dye it is as a rule the property of a profes
sional dyer, who is called the 'toekang medel.'
"The cotton used now by batikers is always
of European manufacture and is graded ac
cording to the fineness of the texture. The dif
ferent qualities are known severally as, 'mori
moeslim' or fine-weave cotton, 'mori mentah'
or unbleached cotton, and 'mori kasar' or
coarse-weave cotton. The second grade is sub
divided into 'mori mentah aloes' which is the
Sue grade of the unbleached cotton and 'mori
mentah kasar' or coarse unbleached. This last
kind is only used by the native aristocracy for
the clothing of the members of their houshold ;
they themselves wear batik of 'mori moeslim'
or 'mori mentah aloes.'
"The measure used when cotton is bought
at the 'Pasar' is called 'katja' or 'saptang-
nan' and it is a square measure, that is to say,

BATIK IN JAVA 17
if, for instance, the cloth is a yard wide then
the measure or 'katja' is a yard square and if
the width is a yard and a half, the 'katja' is
a yard and a half.
"The cotton as it comes from the market is
not immediately ready to be batiked. If it is
a bleached cotton it has to be treated for the
removal of all the starch, chalk and other stiff
ening with which it is dressed. This is done by
washing it several times in clear cold water.
It is then soaked for several days in cocoanut
oil; this in its turn is boiled out in water con
taining the ashes of burnt rice stalks ; this proc
ess is continued till the fabric is free from oil.
This soaking and boiling is always done,
whether the material is bleached or unbleached,
and is called 'mateng' which literally trans
lated means 'done' or cooked thoroughly.
"After the piece is dried in the sun, the cut
edges are hemmed — 'didjilid.' Now the ma
terial has to be starched again, 'njekoeli';
this stiffening is to prevent the wax from flow
ing too freely, — a condition known as 'mresep.'
The rice water that is used for this, is made

18 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
from a strained rice gruel, or more simply, the
water is used in which the rice has been boiled.
After the material has been starched it is
'dipe' or dried once more in the sun and it
is then rolled up. This roll is laid on a wooden
board, 'kemplomgen' and pounded with a
wooden hammer, 'gandeng,' or if a hammer
is not available, the wooden rice pestle, 'aloe'
can be used. This process is called 'ngan-
plongi' and is to make the material soft and
supple. Now the material is ready to be ba-
tiked, and the following materials and tools are
needed. "1. Wax. Usually six parts of 'melam gep-
lak' and one part 'melam poetih' are used,
with sometimes the addition of a little 'melam
ireng.' The 'melam geplak' consists of a
mixture of 'damar mata koetjing' which is
a kind of rosin that comes from Borneo, melted
with animal fat. The 'melam poetih' is pure
bees-wax and the 'melam ireng' is dark col
oured wax which has been used already in a
previous batik and which has become dark from
the blue dye which it took up when in the blue

KINDS OF
TJANTINGS

BATIK IN JAVA 19
dye bath. The first two kinds of wax can be
bought at any market, but not the 'melam
ireng,' as every one who batiks always saves
enough dark wax from former work, or in case
of need, a neighbour will always lend some.
"2. A pan called 'wadjan' in which to melt
the wax. This is generally of iron, though poor
people use stone pots.
"3. A little copper instrument called 'tjant- diefebent
ing' used in drawing with the wax on the ma
terial. It is made of fine thin red copper and
has one or more little spouts and a bamboo
handle. These tjanting have different names
according to the type of work for which they
are used, (a) Tjanting 'isen isen'; this has a
very slender spout and is used to make very
fine lines and little dots, (b) Tjanting 'kjan-
dangen': this instrument has a larger spout
and is used to wax the parts which have to stay
white in the first process, (c) Tjanting 'pe-
nangang'; this is the tjanting used to cover up
the bigger surfaces, (d) The 'penembok' has
a very wide spout to cover parts that are to be
completely protected by wax. (e) The tjant-

PRICE of
NATIVE
TJANTING

20 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
ing 'pengada' has two spouts next each other
for the drawing of parallel lines. There are
various other varieties that have three, five
and sometimes as many as six spouts for mak
ing little rosettes and groups of dots. Tjant-
ings are always made by men and the work is
not subdivided, that is to say, one man makes
the instrument from start to finish; as a rule
the makers have at least twenty-five tjanting
in the course of construction at the same time.
It takes a good workman six to seven days to
make about 250 of the little tools, that is, about
forty a day. Figuring the cost of materials and
charcoal used in the making, together with over
head expenses and the receipts figuring at the
rate of 24 cents (American money), for 240
tjantings, it will be seen that an excellent crafts
man makes on an average about 30 cents in
Dutch money, equivalent to 12 cents American,
a day. "4. The 'djegoel,' an instrument which re
places the brush used in Europe and is made
of a thin wooden stick with a wad of cotton

BATIK IN JAVA 21
tied to the end. This is for waxing very large
surfaces. "5. The 'iroes.' This is a spoon made out
of cocoanut shell and has a bamboo handle; it
is used to mix the melted wax and to scoop the
wax off the water in which the finished batik
has been boiled.
"6. The 'wadja.' The copper pan in which
the fabric is boiled when the wax is being re
moved. "7. The 'panjawanjan. A small movable
stand over which the material is hung during
the waxing process.
"8. The 'tjawang.' A small bamboo clip
used to fasten the fabric to the stand. Rich
batikers use an iron clip called "bandoel."
"9. The 'doelang.' A large wooden trough
for dyeing.
"10. The 'pane.' A small vessel also used
for dye made of wood, copper, or earthenware.
"11. The 'blebeo.' A wooden straight-edge
for use when drawing straight lines — a process
called 'batikan garisan.'

22 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
"12. The 'semprong.' A blow-pipe with
which to blow the fire. The fire is made, as a
rule, between three stones set in the form of a
triangle, upon which the wax pot is placed.
"To do real batik work the proceedings are
as follows. First the main out-line of the de
sign is sketched on the material, with charcoal
or pencil, and when this is completed the fabric
is hung over the little stand and with the tjant
ing the design is drawn in with wax, the mate
rial meanwhile being supported with the left
hand ; the worker sits on a little mat in front of
her stand. The finer parts of the pattern are
drawn in without pencil guiding lines.
"When one side is decorated the piece is
turned around and the back is very carefully
drawn in. With all the surfaces covered which
are not intended to be blue it is ready for the
blue dye-bath. This dyeing in blue is done by
the batiker herself or more often by the pro
fessional blue-dyer who does it for a small re
muneration. If red is planned on the batik,
the wax is removed from the places where this
eolour is wanted by sponging with hot water.

BATIK IN JAVA 23
The material is then re-starched with rice-
water, aren sugar and pulverized randoe leaves,
so that the wax will not run or become soft.
The parts that are to remain blue have to be
re-covered with wax and the piece is ready for
the red dye.
"This red dye is made from an infusion of
soga bark; successive dippings are made until
the desired colour is 'Obtained. To make the
colour permanent and at the same time to ob
tain the much desired purple glow, the material
is dipped in a bath made of a mixture of Java
sugar, whiting, and alum. It is left in this so
lution for about an hour, after which it is well
rinsed and transferred to a hot water bath.
The water is boiled and the wax is dissolved;
the wax floating on the top of the water is col
lected for further use. The finished batik is
then dried in the sun. If other colours are re
quired on the piece the same program is re
peated."

HISTORY

BATIK IN HOLLAND
Batik in America is still a comparatively recent
importation ; brought here some ten years ago,
it was met with absolute incomprehension and
lack of interest, but its real merit as a means
of decorating fabrics has earned it a place in
the industrial art of the nation and year by
year it is gaining wider recognition.
For two hundred and seventy odd years it
has been known in Holland, to which country
it was brought by the Dutch traders from Java
in the middle of the seventeenth century. It
was not, however, received very enthusiastic
ally and the commercial failure that followed
the importation of some 2000 pieces (which
were finally sold at auction, as no market could
be found for them through regular channels)
did not encourage traders in their efforts to
popularize batiks. From that time, that is,
about 1750 until 1817, interest in the work de
cidedly flagged and the honour of reviving it
24

BATIK IN HOLLAND 25
must be given primarily to Raffles who gave
a description of it in his well known "History
of Java" published at the latter date. He,
however, seems to have had very little personal
feeling for the art and merely wrote it up as
a matter, of history, and it remained for the
modern artists to give it is first real impetus.
The present keen interest in the craft is dutch
mainly due to Chris Lebeau, Dijesselhof and a8111318
Lion Cachet, who have, by their wonderful
work, revived and stimulated a nation-wide ap
preciation of the art.
American batik has recently gone through a
phase of development similar to that experi
enced in Holland some twelve years ago. It
has been in danger of getting into the. class of
transient "cults" and becoming a fashionable
pastime with a rise and fall similar to the craze
for doing peasant wood-carving, burnt-wood
work or sweater knitting. But here, too, its
real merit has saved it from becoming just a
modish amusement. In Holland it was even
introduced into girls' schools as a regular
course, so that graduates might enter the social

26 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
world fully equipped ! Luckily for its ultimate
survival, however, it required so much technical
knowledge that it was soon left to serious stu
dents, but the desire for the beautiful results
obtained by the process was not relinquished
so willingly and the result was that people tried
to produce the effect without the work. This
imitation was called a "secret process" and
enjoyed considerable vogue.
The general public believed that this substi
tute was real batik, because the material had
been dipped and some wax had been used, but
any one who knew anything about the genuine
process, was not fooled and recognized that
stencils and various other fake methods had
been utilized. The unlimited patience of the
native worker was unknown, and unsung was
the thoroughness of the painstaking craftsman.
At this period the watch- word was "speed"
and the results showed it.
The importance placed on the "crackle ef
fect" is another parallel in the phases of de
velopment in Holland and America. Crackle
certainly has its place in the beauty of batik,

CONVENTIONAL FISH DESIGN BY CHRIS LEBEAU

BATIK IN HOLLAND 27
but the indiscriminate use of it as a complete
motive of decoration in itself, is to be regretted.
It would be used less, probably, if examples of
the best native and European work were stud
ied, in which real design and colour are the
arresting features.
Even whilst admitting that the medium does
limit the designer to a certain extent, study
of the work of the before-mentioned Dutchmen,
Dijesselhof and Lebeau, will show the variety
of design, feeling and temperament that can
be expressed through the batik process.
Dijesselhof considers batik a better way to dijesselhof
express himself for his mural decorations than
either oil or water colour painting. He uses
the brush to a great extent and works with great
freedom of execution, making the medium con
form to his own particular type of work. Le- lebeau
beau, on the other hand, after the manner of
the Javanese, sees the tjanting as the only tool
with which to produce his richly fantastic de
signs. Lebeau is technically the greater artist
and possesses a supreme disregard of time when
he is producing a magnificently ornamented tex-

28 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
tile ; his attitude toward his work is reminiscent
of that of the monks who in bygone ages, spent
years on the intricate and beautiful ornamen
tation of their laboriously hand-lettered books
of devotion. They, too, had perfection of de
sign and craftsmanship as their only standard.
These men have been an inspiration to Dutch
artists, and the illustration of a batik by Chris
Lebeau facing page 26 will give the reader a
good idea of the high standard of proficiency
this Dutch artist and craftsman has achieved.
It will be seen that no actual lines were used in
these designs ; if a line effect was wanted it was
made by a series of little round dots, almost
equal in size, with the result that a soft pleasing
line is obtained instead of a hard one.
By graduating the size of the dots, from small
to large, an effect is produced that never could
be obtained with lines; not only are the lines
treated in this way, but whole surfaces in which
a light tone is desired, instead of being "cov
ered off" with a brush, are laid in with count
less dots very close together. As can be read
ily understood this hand-work requires the acme

GEOMETRICAL FISH DESIGN BY CHRIS LEBEAU

BATIK IN HOLLAND 29
of craftsmanship, for if the dots are placed ir
regularly, that is to say, if their arrangement
is not directly harmonious with the main lines
of the design, the pattern formed by the spaces
between them, would disturb the rest of the
drawing. In the second reproduction it can be seen that
the little dots are actually laid in circles, but
with such regularity that no circles are shown.
The workmanship in the stork design is even
more amazing than that of the two first decora
tions and it is hard to believe that a human
being has had sufficient patience to execute such
a design. In Europe, batiks are chiefly used for in- European
terior decoration ; table covers, screens and use of
lamp-shades being more popular than costumes
decorated by the process. It is also used to a
certain extent in book-binding, on paper and
on parchment. Practically the same methods
are employed when batiking these materials as
for woven goods, but experimenters are advised
to take the greatest care when handling paper,
which of course, when wet, tears very easily.

30 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
To batik parchment it is necessary to first
soak it, in order to make it pliable, then whilst
wet, it should be stretched on a piece of plate
glass, slightly larger than the parchment, and
glued at the edges with strips of paper bind
ing. When thoroughly dry the design is
pounced on or drawn in with pencil. Before
starting to apply the wax the glass must be
warmed from the back, in order to make certain
of an easy flowing of the wax ; if the parchment
is cold it will be found that the wax congeals too
quickly and will not be workable. The parts of
the design to be left un-coloured are covered
with wax as usual, and a little wall of clay is
built around the edge of the glass ; this forms
a bath into which the dye is poured. The col
our is allowed to soak in thoroughly and the dye
is then poured off, the process being repeated
if the tone from the first bath is not intense
enough; other colours are applied in the same
way. The wax is then removed by sponging
carefully with gasoline.
Aniline dyes are used chiefly and occasionally
acids which produce colour by their action on

?¦¦ . ' ..*L:i«

1

i<SS3

G
;<5-*

.c# £*»i

gffe I"?

¦

loo Np^a
!*50| *5|>*

1

iOO] »*

,-<*i ¦*•* 3

iCj)' *qr»-

«<?*. "*••' ¦ G °

iCOi ¦****•.
AjmX -** :r. 0
;©aj *#k
»-#.«$ -***- ift a
leoi -*»>.
^5.€* "•* ica
i eel *+•
'*r •**' ^
IO'B
*<*
5*)
;*50
W0
(
^JL s*-k**i ©3
U -**»• <ry S ;•£%
¦ finsH -i
leei
l»<l»t.
!C4»!
K 'fev «I !r?S
Qioi '
*b*-i 1
w l^ii.r ??
rtei
*!'»-»'
nil '¦¦¦¦ I'Tfl * ;S
ffe :
'1 B ¦ .j* : f; ;,
:WJ'5:>
«4
¦ ij § j -*» ;*-•¦ ?>
Bu2yH
1 •: " ' - . 1 '"
H7M! .'[ ;j*?§
;2<!3
mm
PM Willi
CO
mi
•f -J S; if »
¦**.- -4. , : *
1
f*3!f»'f *
SB ..-»•,.: ..j-?- :'.V -•>* |
1
vwlf
J
STORK PANEL BY CHRIS
LEBEAU
FLAMINGO CURTAIN BY
PIETER MIJER
BATIK IN HOLLAND 31
each other, are employed. Vegetable dyes are
popular in Holland on account of their perma
nence, the Dutch being almost as particular
about the durability of their work as the Java
nese. This is natural when one remembers
that, there, the batik art is considered in the
same light as painting and sculpture, and fre
quent exhibitions are held for a public whose
attitude toward the craft is very different to
that of many Americans, who do not yet appre
ciate the art as an art.
Beside public interest, the government of
Holland has done its best to stimulate the study
of the craft. Experimenting stations are main
tained, where free of all cost, the artist can have
his batiked design dyed and he is given all the
information and help that he wants. This, of
course, means a great deal to the beginner who
knows little or no chemistry, some knowledge
of which is quite essential to one who would
become a really expert dyer.

UTENSILS AND MATERIALS
Before going into the details of the actual ba
tik process it will perhaps be a good plan to
give a description of the necessary tools and
their management, wax, and various other es
sential requirements. The tools chiefly used,
are the native instrument called the "tjanting,"
the brush, and the European wax pencil. Of
these three the tjanting and the brush are most
generally used, the wax pencil being a some
what clumsy affair and hard to handle.
tjantings The "tjanting" used in America is a modifi
cation of the Javanese instrument ; it is a little
cup-shaped tool with a handle set at right-
angles to the base on one side and on the other
is a fine spout arrangement. Through this
spout the hot wax is drawn by capillary attrac
tion when the point is brought in contact with
the material. In the best type of "tjanting"
the spout is tapered toward the point ; this shap-
32

THE USE OF BATIK IN INTERIOR DECORATION

UTENSILS AND MATERIALS 33
ing is in order that the volume of wax, small
though it is, will hold the heat longer than if the
entire length of the tube were as minute as the
hole through which it is finally drawn.
In batiking with the tjanting the wax is
scooped out of the pot in which it is being kept
hot and the instrument is wiped off carefully
before it is brought near the fabric. It does
not do to take a chance on having a drop of
wax fall on the work as it is next to impossible
to remove it entirely. Some people hold their
tjanting directly over a flame to re-heat cooling
wax, but it is a very unwise practice as there is a
grave danger of hurting the spout and a likeli
hood of the wax becoming charred. If the wax
does get too cold to work with, or the spout
gets stopped up with chilled wax, hold the bowl
of the tjanting in the hot wax in the melting
pot and it will be found that the trouble is rem
edied instantly. If you have been unlucky
enough to get grit or some other clogging sub
stance in the spout, the insertion of a fine hair
wire will usually clear it; this is almost a major
operation though and should be performed most

34 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
carefully as it is a delicate instrument you are
handling and it costs money to repair it even
if you are in the neighbourhood of some one
who is able to re-solder it.
So fragile is the point of these fine instru
ments that even the sudden check caused by
the rough fibre of some materials is sufficient to
ruin the tip. When not in use the safest plan
is to hang it in a box of its own or at least keep
it in a place sacred to itself, with its spout up
wards, so that there is no likelihood of acci
dental pressure to bend it out of shape. This
careful handling of the tjanting is emphasized
because, while the initial cost of a good instru
ment may seem high, it is a most satisfactory
tool to use and with proper attention it should
last a life-time. One that is in use today has
been used steadily for the past twelve years and
looks good for holding many more pints of
melted wax.
The frontispiece shows a piece in which all
the line work was done with a tjanting, the
brush only being used to fill in the big surfaces,

CLEANING THE TJANTING

DYEING OF TEXTILE

UTENSILS AND MATERIALS 35
after the various dippings. The design is an
adaptation from the Chinese, inspired by the
decoration on a coramandel screen. The panel
is worked out in seven colours : two golds, two
greens, red, brown, and black. It was designed
by the writer and executed by Emile Weeckera
and himself.
The spout openings come in various sizes and
with the finest almost hair-lines can be pro
duced. The wax when ready to flow forms an
infinitesimal globule which will run freely when
just touched to the material and skimmed as
lightly as possible over the surface. A heavy
hand will drop the point so that it touches the
fabric; the moment it does this the hole is auto
matically sealed and the wax cannot flow.
Many batikers are not able to obtain a tjant
ing and would not if they could, preferring
to do their waxing entirely with brushes.
Brushes, properly trimmed and of various sizes,
will certainly give very satisfactory results to
the careful worker. Of course the minute line
possible with the tjanting, is impossible to

36 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM

USE OF
BBUSH

PREPARING BRUSHES

achieve with a brush, though a line as narrow
as the sixteenth of an inch can be made by a
practised craftsman.
The all-over floral design shown facing page
36, designed by the writer and executed by Miss
E. Shirtleff, was made in six colours. This
panel was done in the "blue group," explained
in the chapter on dyeing. The outline of the
flowers is in the original white of the material,
the petals of the flowers range in colour from
straw yellow to orange, with some of the outer
ones in moss green. The background has a
"wave design" worked out in all the different
colours used in the flowers and an extra shade
of dark green. The waxing of this piece was
done entirely with the brush and has no line of
a greater width than one-sixteenth of an inch.
This fine work is easier with shaped brush;
this shaping is done without much difficulty by
dipping the brush, preferably a good sable one,
into hot wax, and, without pressing the globule
formation out of shape, gently wiping the ex
cess of wax from the distended bristles. Allow
this to cool and when hard, trim to a point with

FLORAL DESIGN ENTIRELY EXECUTED WITH A BRUSH

UTENSILS AND MATERIALS 37
a sharp knife. Melt the cold wax out by dipping
in the wax pot and you will have a brush that
will be more manageable and will hold more wax
for the size of its point, than one would have
with the regular unshaped brush. For cover
ing big surfaces, one or two flat soft-haired
varnish brushes will be needed.
For waxing, bees-wax with a mixture of white wax
paraffin wax is used by most batikers, the pro- MIXTTJBES
portion varying according to the brittleness de
sired. This of course is best worked out to
suit the individual batiker's requirements and
after a little experimenting one soon learns to
get a satisfactory mixture. One part paraffin
to five parts of bees-wax will give the consist
ency of medium to produce the crackle surface
so popular with many artists in America. Pure
bees-wax cracks very little and will stand the
highest temperature when in the dye-bath, and
inversely the larger proportion of paraffin used
the more the medium will crackle and the cooler
the dye-bath must be used if one does not want
one's design to melt away. When no crackle "crackle"
at all is desired, the solution can be made more

38 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
pliable by the addition of rosin. Use this,
however, in hot dyes only, for it has unpleasant
mannerisms, one of which is to increase the
mixture's brittleness when it is made to undergo
a cold plunge.
Whilst on the subject of wax, a word may be
well said regarding the care that should be
taken to keep water out of the neighbourhood of
the wax pot. One has only to allow a drop of
water to get itself into the melted wax just
once, to find out what a horribly messy spatter
ing and explosion can result. One may gain
in understanding and be able to sympathize with
long-suffering relatives who declare that "Ba
tik is such a messy business," but it is hardly
worth it. Of course it need not happen if a
few precautions are taken, and it is perhaps
better to take care at first than to run the risk
of becoming unpopular in the household.
Another warning that may be of service to
the worker in the country. Do not apply wax,
in summer time, seated near an open window.
A really true story tells how a batiker was sit
ting coolly working by a window and was vis-

UTENSILS AND MATERIALS 39
ited by a solitary bee, who took a good look and
one sniff at the wax pot and flew away. He
returned immediately, however, with all his re
lations who swarmed gaily all over the work,
the wax-pot, and the worker to the great discom
fort of the visited and the visitors. Exploding
in boiling wax can hardly be a comfortable end
to a busy life.
To complete the outfit one also needs a small heating
agate pan in which to melt the wax, one about apparatus
four inches deep will answer best and some sort
of heating apparatus. A kerosene stove should
not be used unless one is willing to blacken one's
utensils and most probably one's self. Gas or
an- alcohol lamp with an adjustable burner are
more satisfactory than an electric attachment
as the ability to regulate the heat makes for
great comfort when one wants to keep the wax
at an even temperature. Of course if neces
sity demands ' it, any heat producer available
can be used ; an electric flat-iron turned upside-
down can even be pressed into service although
the inconvenience of having to keep one eye
on the melting pot is great, when one wishes

40 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
to give all one's attention to the design; but
if it is not watched the result may be a most
uncomfortable "smoking-out." Work in a
warm room or near the stove and it will be
found that the wax when in the tjanting will
chill less quickly and will consequently be more
manageable. These little hints may seem of
small importance, but.it is as well to take ad
vantage of everything that will make the actual
tool handling easier. There are likely to be
troubles and mis-adventures enough with the
rest of the process.
dyes A great many people seem to be under the
impression that the ordinary household dyes
that are on the market are not good enough to
use in batik work. There is a strong prejudice
against Diamond dyes, but there is no reason for
it, as these dyes when used according to direc
tions, produce admirable results and are most
practical for the beginner who is not in need of
large quantities. For any one going extensively
removing into dyeing, it is rather an expensive way of
working and it is better to buy the dyes in bulk
direct from the manufacturer". Bubber gloves

STAIN

UTENSILS AND MATERIALS 41
will give some protection to the hands when
handling materials in the dye-bath, but if, in
spite of care, the hands or clothing become
stained, soda or ammonia in the washing water
will prove helpful. Lava soap is very good for
removing stains from the skin.
One of the chief helps in successful dyeing is dye tubs
a good vessel for use as a dye bath. If one is
possibly obtainable, the best thing to use is a
seamless copper tub. This utensil, however, is
not within the reach of every student and it is
quite possible to do satisfactory work in a good
agate or enamel pan. Galvanized iron is safe
to use with most dyes, but in time the acid used
with some colours will eat into the metal. Be
sure to get a big enough vessel as disaster fol
lows goods that are crowded in the dye-bath.
A thermometer is quite a necessity, and one
should also have a glass spoon and a stirring
rod. 'For this latter, a couple of smooth round
pieces of wood can successfully be substituted;
these are used for lifting and manipulating the
material in the dye-bath.
Batik can be done on all kinds of woven ma- fabrics

42 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
terial, such as cotton, silk, velvet, wool, mixed
goods or leather. It is rather difficult to get
satisfactory results on cotton owing to the fact
that cotton dyes have to be boiled in order to
attain any degree of brilliancy, and of course
boiling is not practical when one is dealing with
waxed material. Japanese habutai silk is per
haps the easiest fabric to use and best for be
ginners' experiments, as the wax penetrates
easily and it takes colour well. This applies
to chiffon and similar sheer materials, but of
course their delicacy makes them harder to han
dle. Fibre silks, being composed of both animal
and vegetable matter, should be dyed in "mixed
goods dyes," or should be first dipped in a bath
of cotton dye, and then immersed in a dye for
silk, of a similar shade. Very heavy silks and
velvets are magnificent when batiked, but they
should be sent to the professional finishers to
be treated when the piece is completed as it
takes a great deal of effort and considerable
skill on the part of the amateur to finish a large
heavy silk panel or to raise the flattened pile of

UTENSILS AND MATERIALS 43
velvet. Taffeta silk and very heavy satiu are
not good fabrics for the batik process, owing
to the loading used in their manufacture.

TJANTINGS
Ever since the batik art has been practised by
occidentals there has been a search for a tool
to replace the tjanting, or perhaps not so much
to replace, as to develop an improved edition.
But after many trials, it seems that the tjanting
in its original form, with just a slight variation
in its handle, is after all, the best instrument
for fine line and dot work.
price of The Dutch edition of the original Javanese
tjantings tjanting is better than the native tool in two
particulars. First, it is made out of heavier
metal and is consequently much stronger and
the second distinct improvement is the re-mod
elled handle which replaces the little tied-on
bamboo affair. Of course when the difference
in price is taken into consideration the Java
nese tjanting stands away above any other, —
it costs from 1 to 10 cents in Dutch money, which
is the equivalent of five tjantings for two cents,
44

TJANTINGS 45
American money, whilst the Dutch-model tjant
ing made here in New York, is sold for from
$5.00 to $7.00 apiece.
Various kinds of tjantings are shown in the
accompanying illustrations. 1. The original
Javanese tjanting. 2. The Dutch tjanting. 3
and 4. Belgian tjantings. 5. The Walther glass
tjanting. 6. The wax pencil. The first two of
these types have already been described.
3. A Belgian tjanting. This tool has a few
very good points, but the trouble is, that whilst
each factor in itself is good, the combination of
them in the tjanting is not desirable. The cup
of this instrument is made out of a brass ball
out of which a segment is taken to form the top
opening; on one side, not quite at the lowest
point of the ball, the spout is placed, while the
handle is fastened opposite to it on the other
side. This placing of the spout has one great
advantage as any impurity in the wax will set
tle below the spout opening, and clogging is
less liable. The spout is made of solid brass
plate; it is tapered and the nozzle has a fine
opening. The only disadvantage to it is, that

46 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
it cannot be shaped, that is, it cannot be bent
up or down at the will of the worker.
The main objection to this tool is, however,
that it is rather heavy by reason of its very
solid cup and it does not balance well in the
hand. Besides the before-mentioned advantage of
the spout bein'g unlikely to clog, the greatest
thing in its favour is, the long time that it holds
the wax hot ; on account of its round shape, the
small opening on top, and above all, because of
the thickness of the walls of the cup, the wax
retains the heat longer than in any other tjant
ing made.
4. A second type of Belgian tjanting. This
tool very much resembles some of the first
tjantings made in this country. It is not very
good, mainly on account of the spout, which is
not tapered, and another weak point is the cup,
which holds only a very little wax.
5. The Walther glass tjanting. This is a Ger
man invention and is certainly no improvement
on any existing type of instrument. In fact it
is a clumsy and awkward tool, difficult to han-

o

Ix,
o

wCM

Port<
>

TJANTINGS 47
die, and being made of glass it is of course,
very fragile.
6. The wax-pencil. This is another German
attempt to replace the tjanting and is made in
two separate parts. First, the metal cylinder
which holds the wax and replaces the cup and
spout of the tjanting and the second part is the
wooden holder, which slips over the cylinder
and serves as a handle. The cylinder itself is
of brass, shaped to a point at one end and at
the other is closed with a brass stopper. The
pointed end is fitted with a fine needle which
is held. in place by a minute spiral spring. This
needle closes up the opening in the tube and pre
vents the molten wax from flowing out. When
a flow of wax is desired, the pressure of the
point of the "pencil" on the fabric, will push
back the needle and release the wax.
To fill the tool, the wax is scraped into fine
chips, or better still, cut into a thin bar, and in
serted in the tube and closed in with the stop
per. The wooden handle is then slipped back
and the tool heated in a flame to melt the wax ;
when the instrument is sufficiently hot, the han-

48 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
die is slipped back in position, and work can
be started.
A great draw-back to this tool is that it gets
very hot, so hot in fact, that the wooden handle
is likely to char, as is shown in the one illus
trated, and after working some time one has to
stop in order to give the handle a chance to
cool. Very fine work cannot be done with this in
strument and the opinions as to its usefulness
are very divided. Some people say the tool is
as good as useless, whilst others cannot or will
not work with anything else — this is most prob
ably because they never had a good tjanting,
if they had they would soon put their wax-
pencils in the discard.
The main thing in favour of the tool is, that
it makes very little wax smoke in the room, but
this is its only virtue and it does not have a
monopoly of that, as any batiker, with a little
care can keep his or her wax as hot as it is
needed without having a column of smoke con
stantly coming out of the wax pot.
Although much time has been spent and trou-

TJANTINGS 49
ble been taken in endeavours to supply a tool
which would be better and more practical than
the tjanting, it can be safely said that the orig
inal appliance has stood up successfully against
all competitors and nothing better has yet been
made.

THE BATIK PEOCESS
preparation The first step in the batik process is to prepare
of material ^ae material. This is nothing more elaborate
than a thorough washing, which will result in
freeing the goods from any artificial loading
and will shrink the piece and the size will not
be an unpleasant surprise when the work is
finished and one will not find that the triangle
especially cut for a lamp-shade will not fit by an
inch or so. If one is using "dyed in the piece
goods" (that is, material already dyed one col
our when bought), it is a good plan to boil it
for ten minutes, in order to remove any loose
colour, and to make sure that no un-expected
colour will run and mix itself with the dye in
which the fabric is being dipped. The drying
and ironing of the material makes it ready for
the application of the design.
application Some people when making a simple design
of design draw directly on the material with wax, but it
50

SCARF BATIKED BY HAZEL BURNHAM SLAUGHTER

THE BATIK PROCESS 51
is usually the best plan to make the design on
paper first, together with a coloured sketch to
be used as a guide when the dyeing part of the
process is reached. In using transparent ma
terial, the design can of course be placed under
neath it and the pattern traced directly through,
but this is not practical with heavier fabrics.
When waxing very thin material such as chiffon, folding
it can be doubled or in some cases even folded ATEEIAL
in quarters, laid perfectly flat and the wax ap
plied. This short cut was used in the batik
illustrated facing page 50. It was designed and
executed by Hazel Burnham Slaughter, and it
is a representative piece of the beautiful work
done by her on sheer materials. It is made
with only two colours — the original colour of
the chiffon, a very light tan, and a soft mellow
red ; the design is an arrangement of free orna
ment, floral and animal life. It is a free-hand
all-over design, and repeats itself four times,
having been folded as described above.
This folding process only has satisfactory
results when very thin material is used as the
wax will not penetrate through two or more

52 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
thicknesses if the fabric has any weight at all.
The most satisfactory means of transferring
the design, is to prick the outline with a pin,
or wheel perforator, place the perforated paper
on the fabric and rub char-coal through the
holes. If one cannot obtain any charcoal —
though one must be far indeed from the mad
ding crowd to be out of reach of even charcoal
tablets, lead-pencil dust can be used, though it
is not at all to be recommended owing to the
dirty smears that it makes when rubbed.
Be very careful to have the material quite
straight and place the design on it squarely, or
the final effect may be very twisted and dis
torted. If the pricking has left a jagged edge
to the holes in the paper, rub the perforations
lightly with sandpaper in order that the char
coal may go through cleanly and easily.
redrawing When the finished work is to be in more than
one colour, it is advisable to strengthen the
charcoal outline with pencil or Conte Crayon
No. 2, otherwise it is washed off in the first
dipping. This redrawing is not necessary if
one wishes to have an undyed outline edging

OF DESIGN

THE BATIK PROCESS 53
the different colours, as in that case the outline
of the whole design will be drawn in, in wax,
and this will permanently indicate the pattern.
The American method of working differs preventing
from the Javanese in the fact that the native thewax
hangs her material vertically in front of her STI0KING
when she is waxing her design, whilst the Amer
ican is decidedly more comfortable with his ma
terial flat on a table. Usually it is stretched
on a frame or canvas-stretcher to prevent it
from coming in actual contact with the surface
of the table whilst the wax is being applied.
If it is not kept clear, it will be found that when
an attempt is made to lift the textile, on the
completion of the waxing process, it will be
sticking in places and the wax torn in conse
quence; the effect of this damage will be that
in dyeing the colour will penetrate from the
back, and the material exposed by the breaks
will turn out to be some shade quite unplanned
for in the original scheme. For very big pieces,
however, it is rather impractical to use a frame
and as an alternative to stretching, the fabric
can be waxed on a table which is covered with

CLEANOUTLINE

HANDLING THE
TJANTING

54 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
thin smooth paper ; with careful lifting, little or
no harm need be done to the wax, but in any
case it is well to make a thorough examination
of the reverse side in order to be sure that there
are no exposed surfaces that should be re
touched. Some artists work with a sheet of glass un
der their material, instead of paper, but this,
whilst having the advantage of not sticking as
much has the great objection of rapidly cooling
the wax with which one is working and cool
wax does not penetrate the material properly.
A clean edge to the design is obtained with
more certainty if the flat masses are outlined
with a fine brush or preferably with a tjanting,
before being filled in with the larger brushes.
Where the work is done with a tjanting, it is
difficult to have the fabric stretched on a frame
as this tool is used with the palm of the hand
resting on a steady surface. The illustration
facing page 54 shows the way to hold the tjant
ing when the work is laid flat on the table. The
wrist and the lower part of the hand rest on
the table, the tjanting is held between the thumb

THE RIGHT WAY TO HOLD THE TJANTING

THE USE OF THE BRUSH FOR FILLING SPACES

THE BATIK PROCESS 55
and the two first fingers, while the remaining
fingers act as an additional support. All small
movements can be made with the wrist remain
ing stationary; for big curves the hand and
arm are slowly moved in the required direction,
keeping the tjanting at an even level. Though
in the beginning this may seem difficult, it will
be found that after a little practice, it will be
quite easy to make even and regular lines.
Having covered up with wax all the parts of
the design which are to remain white or the
original colour of the fabric (if an already dyed
piece is used for the foundation) it is now ready
for the first dye bath.
Select the lightest shade in the colour sketch
for the initial dyeing. To be sure of getting
the desired shade, it is well to test a sample of
the fabric. To do this, wet the piece and im
merse it in the dye for a few moments ; when it
is dry it will be several shades lighter than when
it is wet. One can get an approximate idea of
the colour that a wet piece will be when it is
dried, by looking at it against the light.
The simplest batiks, of course, are those in

56 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
which only one colour is used and consequently
only one dipping is required. Details of dyeing
and the matter of colour schemes will be treated
at length elsewhere in this book. After dip
ping, the material should be rinsed thoroughly
in luke-warm water. Avoid the use of cold wa
ter, especially when another dyeing is to fol
low, as the cold will cause the wax to become
brittle and crack, and unintentional crackling
is a sign of poor craftsmanship. If the batik
is to be in only one colour it is now ready for
the removal of the wax, which is a simple busi
ness, consisting of rinsing the fabric very thor
oughly in gasoline or Carbona.
More elaborate colour schemes are produced
by a repetition of the process, simply covering
up with fresh wax the parts one wishes to re
tain in the shade of the last-dyed colour. This
re-waxing, dipping and rinsing is continued un
til all the colours that the scheme demands are
obtained, and then the wax is removed as de
scribed.
gasoline A word here on the use and mis-use of gaso
line may be in order. Gasolining should be

THE BATIK PROCESS 57
done very thoroughly; one of the faults com
mon to all amateurs is insufficient rinsing and
the fabric still stiff with wax is placed on the
market as a finished product. Often the lovely
softness of a drapery will be lost and a papery
quality substituted just because there have not
been a sufficient number of gasoline baths used.
When possible, gasoline should be used out
of doors, although if proper precautions are pbecatt-
taken, there is no reason why people should be TI0NS
nervous about using it in the house. In the
first place do not use it in a room in which there
is a fire burning and do not imagine the room
is safe for a lighted match immediately the ves
sel containing the gasoline has been removed.
Gasoline fumes are heavier than air and if un
disturbed will hang low in the room for some
time; it is therefore a good plan to have the
window open slightly, at the bottom as well as
at the top, in order to create a current of air.
The hot air rising and the fresh air coming in
at the bottom of the window, will soon disperse
the fumes.
Have the gasoline in an earthenware vessel.

58 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
Enamelware easily gets chipped and the ex
posed iron when touched by the hand may give
a slight electric shock, as electricity is some
times generated through rubbing the fabric.
It is well, in any case, to avoid hard rubbing
and to use as little friction as possible, taking
particular care on bright clear days when the
gasoline air itself seems charged with electricity. Gaso-
economy jine can ke uge(j over an(j over agam> The iast
baths for one batik, containing only a small
amount of dissolved wax, can be used for the
first bath next time, and with an apparatus sim
ilar to that illustrated, it is quite easy to run
off the dissolved wax (which sinks, being heav
ier than the gasoline), and save only the clear
fluid. The last stage of the process is the ironing,
which needs no more description than the sug
gestion that the work is placed between papers ;
this hint may prevent the streaking which some
times ruins a batik that has successfully sur
vived the various stages of a decorated textile's
creation.

TANK FOR SEPARATING WAX FROM GASOLINE

SUCCESSFUL DYEING
A good deal of the failure of success attending
the dyeing of a batik depends on the tempera
ture of the dye-bath. Too hot water will of tempera-
course melt the wax and a too cold bath will BATH
make it so brittle that it will crack in unexpected
and undesired places. The accompanying scale
of temperatures shows the corresponding de
grees of heat on different thermometers. When
pure bees-wax has been used the dye bath can
be brought to and maintained at a heat of 110°
Fahrenheit, corresponding to 46° Centigrade or
or 36° Reaumur. If a mixture of paraffin has
. been used, it is not advisable to have the dye at
a higher temperature than 90° Fahr.
TABLE OF TEMPERATURES

Centi

Reau

Fahren

Centi

Reau

Fahren

grade

mur

heit

grade

mur

heit

30

24.-

86.-

39

31.2

102.2

31

24.8

87.8

40

32.-

104.-

32

25.6

89.6

4i

32.8

105.8

33

26.4

91.4

42

33.6

107.6

34

27.2

93.2

43

34.4

109.4

35

28.-

95-

44

35.2

111.2

36

28.8

96.8

45

36.-

113.-

37

29.6

98.6

46

36.8

114.8

38

30.4

100.4

59

DTE

60 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
the use of A fault with amateur dyers is that they often
roo much use a great deal more dye than is really needed.
By this, it is not meant, that too much solution
is used, but too much of the actual colourmg
matter. One ten cent package of dye will dye
a pound of material; some fabrics, such as a
light weight silk run about sixteen yards to the
pound. To avoid any waste of dye, it is a good
plan to prepare a concentrated solution in a
small pan and use it with care and economy.
Do not add it all at once to the water in the
large vessel, but rather make a weak bath into
which the piece is put, after having been rinsed
in clear water and squeezed out. When the
colour is all taken up from the bath, remove
the fabric and add more of the concentrated
solution. Do this several times rather than im
patiently pour in the whole strength; when
finally the desired intensity of colour is reached,
it will be found that the dyes are faster and a
great deal less colour will have been used than
would have been the case otherwise. If care
ful judgment has been used, the water will be
practically clear at the end of the proceedings.

SUCCESSFUL DYEING 61
Another good reason for not using too strong streaks in
a bath is that with a weaker solution it is much DYEINQ
easier to avoid the streaks that annoy the inex
perienced dyer. The use of too small a vessel
is a frequent cause of uneven dyeing; the ma
terial should literally swim in the tub so that
no dye can possibly settle in the folds, and
for this same reason it is essential to keep the
goods stirred the whole time they are in the
dye. After the material has been removed from the rinsing
dye-bath, it should be rinsed very thoroughly
and dried. A large piece can be quickly dried
when one knows how. Do not wring it on any
account or the wax will be broken in a thou
sand pieces. Old sheets and towels can be
requisitioned with good effect; wrap the rinsed
material in these to absorb the heaviest of the
moisture and to prevent dripping. If the ma
terial is allowed to drain and has not been
rinsed properly, the appearance of the dreaded
streaks will at once show the reason why the
rinsing part of the process is emphasized
When thus "blotted" the material will soon dry

REWAXING

'CRACKLE1

62 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
when hung over a waxed non-absorbent clothes
line; an unwaxed line will sometimes leave a
mark where the fabric has touched it.
The material should be thoroughly dry before
the second waxing is applied. If an attempt is
made to do it while the goods are still damp, it
will be found that the wax does not penetrate
so well, and consequently, in the second dipping
the dye will seep in through the back and spoil
the colour which the wax was intended to pre
serve. A crackle effect can be produced all over the
design by crushing the fabric, more or less
gently, according to the amount of colour that
one wishes to allow to penetrate, just before
the last dipping. A local crackle can be ob
tained similarly, by crushing only those parts
where a broken-up surface to the design, is re
quired. The occasional use of "crackle" will help
the artist a great deal, — for instance, it may
happen that one of the light colours in the de
sign may turn out to make too glaring a spot
to be entirely harmonious and in such an event

SUCCESSFUL DYEING 63
one may get pleasing results by deliberately
crackling that particular spot and thus tone
down its brightness.
Instead of dipping their batik several times, painting in
some people paint in some of the colours. As a C0L0T-rBS
rule this Jocal application of dyes is resorted to
when multi-coloured batiks are desired and when
red and blue are used in the same colour scheme.
The results of this method of dyeing are not,
however, very satisfactory, as it always shows
in the finished piece. No matter how small the
painted-in spots may be, they always seem to
stand out and do not harmonize with the gen
eral scheme, the way colours do that have been
dyed over each other, as, having been dyed over
each other the darker tones are a composite of
the colours dyed previously and the whole effect
naturally shows a pleasing relationship of col
our. The Javanese occasionally put in their extra
colour by this means, but with no greater suc
cess than the American artists and the finest
craftsmen there are not using the painting proc
ess at all.

64 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
Another drawback is, that not only are the
colours inharmonious, but the moment you try
to paint in any large surface, that is, any area
bigger than a square inch, the colour is always
uneven; this is because the moment the silk is
touched with the brush, that individual spot gets
the full strength of the dye, which fades out
toward the edges and no matter how much
patching up is done, it is impossible to get a
perfectly even surface such as can be obtained
by dipping. Of course, the dye when painted
in, is cool and the colours will not be as fast as
when the fibres of the material slowly absorb
the hot dye. Among other disadvantages, is
the fact that the spot which is to be coloured,
always has to be first outlined in wax to prevent
the dye from spreading; this gives a light out
line round a dark surface, which, while not
spoiling some designs has an unpleasing effect
more often than not.
colour Batiks in one or two colours are of course
groups much sjmpler than those in which a variety of
tones are required, but with a little thought and
practice many colours can be used together on

SUCCESSFUL DYEING 65
the same piece. The simplest colour scheme
consists of aa arrangement of yellow, green and
blue. Always start dyeing the lightest colour
first and work through the colour plan to the
darkest shade; for instance, in a piece where
yellow, red and black are desired, the dye-baths
are arranged in the same order.
In the use of dyes it is necessary to arrange
the colour ranges into two groups, which we
will call the ' ' group of the reds ' ' and the ' ' group
of the blues." The "group of the reds," starts
with yellow and its variations and hues, then
red and variations of red, and lastly purple.
The main colours of the "blue group" are yel
low, green, blue, and purple. This division of
colour will be readily understood by those who
have some knowledge of the subject it will be
clear to them that red can be dyed over yellow,
and purple can be dyed over red in its turn,
whilst it would be impossible to produce a good
blue or green on top of a previously dyed red.
This same idea holds good in the group of the
blues. "Spring," the panel illustrated facing page

66 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
64, designed by Bertram Hartman and executed
by him and the writer, is one of the early batiks
designed by this artist. It was dyed in the
group of the blues and no reds were used in the
making of it. It was dipped eight times, the
original white of the material making the ninth
color. The waxing of this piece was done en
tirely with the brush, no tjanting being used,
and gives a fair idea of the fine work thpt can
be done with the brush, if one considers that
the size of the original panel is only about forty
by sixty inches.
extracting por some designs it may be necessary to use
both red and green in the same piece; in this
case the colours of the "blue group" should
first be dyed, until the darkest shade called for
in the colour scheme has been obtained and then
the colour can be extracted from the places
where the shades that belong in the ' ' red group ' '
are demanded. With the strong colour ex
tracted, it is possible to get the opposing colours
quite successfully, starting ih with the lightest
tones and working through to the darkest in the
manner already described.

SUCCESSFUL DYEING 67
This bleaching can be done with a solution of
ammonia or washing soda. Both these medi
ums have to be used with the greatest care as
either of them will eat into the wax to a certain
extent and consequently allow the next colour
to penetrate and affect the previous dyes. It
is wise, therefore, to inspect the waxed off parts
very carefully before re-dyeing and retouch the
places where the wax has been destroyed. A
good plan is to keep a strict eye on the wax in
any case, in order to prevent surprise attacks
by dye on the material through places that have
become weakened. Naturally the wax is likely
to suffer when the fabric has to be handled as
much as it has to be, when being dyed a number
of colours.
Some people, when they wish to have oppos
ing colours, such as blue and red, in the same
design, resort to the native method of removing
the wax entirely after each dipping and re-cov
ering the parts already dyed. This takes a
great deal longer and the wax needs very care
ful dissolving, as the fresh dye will not "take"
unless every particle of it is removed from the

68 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
fabric and even then it is not easy to get a suc
cessful dipping as the gasoline used for the dis
solving is more or less greasy and of course
grease has no affinity with water. White lines,
or lines the colour of the original fabric, are
apt to show too, if one has overstepped the
boundary when covering up the first colour,
prior to the second waxing.
When dyeing a batik with one colour over the
other, the second colour dyed will always be
affected by the tone of the first dipping ; for in
stance, suppose your material is dyed yellow
the first time, and blue the second, the fabric
will not come out as a true blue, but according
to the strength of the blue dye, will be either
light green, green blue, or if an intense blue
has been used, a blue-green will result. It
will be found that similar variations will
occur when red is dyed over yellow, which
will give shades of orange and gradations of
purple will be obtained when red is dyed over
blue. A careful study of the accompanying colour
mixing chart will give the reader an idea of the

PURPLE

{( RED jj

Rl-D
BROWN,

BRONZE

ORANGE

/ORANGEX
l brown]

UwwnJ

BLUE

/GREEN\
I BROWN J

YELLOW

GREEN

BY FOLLOWING THE ARROWS IN THE ABOVE CHART IT WILL EASILY BE SEEN WHICH
COLOURS SHOULD BE MIXED TOGETHER IN ORDER TO PRODUCE A GIVEN COLOUR.
THE PROPORTION OF DYE USED IS INDICATED BY THE CONNECTING LINES; THE
SHORTEST LINE SHOWS WHICH COLOUR SHOULD PREDOMINATE

THE COMPO
SITION OF
COLOUR

ARY COLOURS

SUCCESSFUL DYEING 69
way various shades are produced from the pri
mary colours.
The three primary colours are red, yellow and
blue. Red mixed with yellow produces orange. pbimary
Yellow mixed with blue produces green. and seoond-
Blue mixed with red produces purple.
The orange, green and purple are known as
the secondary colours and by mixing either the
three primary or the three secondary colours
together, grey is obtained. It would therefore
be quite possible to dye successfully, with a
stock consisting of only the three primary
colours, but it certainly would be a waste of
time. For several years the writer worked with five
colours, red, blue, yellow, brown and black, and
with these produced the various tones necessary
in a multi-coloured batik. It is, however ad
visable to have a few more shades in stock; and
with the following selection it is possible to
make the widest range of colour in a very short
while, and the writer has found that the best
results are obtained with the following:

70 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
dyes and Boccelline 2578J, Natl. Aniline & Chemical
dye manu- COij Inc>> 21 Burling St., N. Y. C.
Orange extra, 2578 J, Natl. Aniline & Chemi
cal Co., Inc., 21 Burling St., N. Y. C.
Azo flavine, Bachmeier & Co., 438 West 37th
St., N. Y.
Chenoline yellow, Bachmeier & Co., 438 West
37th St., N. Y.
Victoria green, Dicks David Co., 299 Broad
way, N. Y.
Acid green, Bachmeier & Co., 438 W. 37th St:,
N. Y.
Indigotine, Bachmeier & Co., 438 W. 37th St.,
N. Y.
Oxaline black, H. H. Metz & Co., 122 Hudson
St., N. Y.
Alphanol brown B, Natl. Aniline & Chemical
Co., Inc.
Magenta, H. H. Metz & Co., 122 Hudson St.,
MY.
acids Most dyes used in batiMng are set with either
sulphuric or acetic acid. The above list is all
used with the latter, which is preferable, as sul
phuric is very dangerous; the slightest trace

SUCCESSFUL DYEING 71
left in the fabric will, after a while, rot the fibre.
Acetic acid does not harm the silk, but with
some dyes it is too strong and will change the
colour. If this should be the case, either tar
taric or oxalic acid can be used. In most cases
the acid is added to the bath of the diluted dye
rather than to the concentrated solution, the
exception being in the case of the Victoria green
and the magenta; these have to be dissolved in
acetic acid before they are put in the water.
Acetic acid is obtainable from any druggist.
Some dyes are set with salt and it is used with
many of the household dyes which are always
sold with directions on the package. When
buying direct from the manufacturers, their
chemists will always give the necessary infor
mation as to which acids should be used with
the various colours.
This book is not intended to be a technical
treatise and readers who wish to know more of
the chemistry of dyeing are advised to study
Prof. Chas. E. Pellew 's "Dyes and Dyeing."
The tertiary colours are all in the brown tones tertiary
and the following table may prove a useful COLOtrBS
guide.

72 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
Blue + orange + yellow produce gold.
Red + green + blue produce blue-brown.
Yellow + purple + red produce red-brown.
Green + orange + red produce orange-brown.
Orange + blue + purple produce bronze.
Purple + yellow + green produce green-
brown. It would not be possible to give weights and
measures of the different colours, as such specks
of colour will change the tone, but any one want
ing to mix colours for matching will find that it
takes very little time to get a colour once he has
decided what the nearest colour is, on the colour
chart. By studying this, it is easy to find out
what colour should be added to produce any
given shade.
matching The most difficult problem in dyeing is the
colours matching of colours when the materials are
different. For instance it is not easy, on ac
count of the difference in surface, to match a
charmeuse to a given plush or velvet.
For beginners it is always best to start ex
perimental dyeing by daylight, unless one has
a very white light, as the yellow of artificial

SUCCESSFUL DYEING 73
light takes all, or very nearly all the yellow
out of a colour, with the result that where one
at night has a beautiful blue, this blue will turn
to green in the daytime and lavender will in
variably turn grey.
Yellow is sometimes rather a difficult colour colour
to manage, that is to say that if , in a batik the bela-Tion
original white of the material is to be used as a
background for a design in yellow, it will be
very difficult to see where the white finishes
and the yellow of the decoration begins. While
the material is wet the design will show, but
when it is dry, by some mysterious trick of
the eye, it has apparently vanished ; it is there
fore advisable to use a second colour to offset
either the white or the yellow.
If, however, a second colour is not desired in
the batik and consequently have nothing to off
set the yellow, the following hint will save the
situation; a little blue or a little red, mixed
with the yellow solution, will enable the yellow
to hold its own on the white ground. The slight
est touch of either of these colours will have the
desired effect.

74 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
When the colour scheme calls for a yellow and
a blue as separate colour units in the design,
and the blue is wanted after the yellow dipping,
the effect of the yellow on the blue (which pro
duces green) can be diminished by dyeing first,
a very weak solution of magenta, over the yel
low. Rinse the material thoroughly, then pro
ceed to dip in the blue dye-bath. In doing this,
it is necessary to be very careful with the ma
genta, as it is a very strong colour and an over
dose will be liable to produce a purple instead
of a blue. Of course, if the original yellow is
very intense it is not possible to neutralize it in
this way and the bleaching process will have to
be used, in order to obtain the blue.
And this is another good thing to remember
in making a multi-coloured batik which is to
have white as part of the colour arrangement.
It is always advisable to dye the original white
of the fabric some very pale shade, either grey,
light tan, pale blue or even pink. If the ma
terial is used in its original pure white state, a
pleasing effect will never result, as the white

^r

• • « •

'•••••••*•••••••

I Ml V
-* ti
<•¦> E
J
5 ?"
I 3'

4

-I

<

\3 \

03 w
o<03

OOOOOOOOOOOO

OOOOOOOOOO

SUCCESSFUL DYEING 75
will always stand out as a glaring hard spot
when it is next to colours that are dyed over
each other and consequently blend harmoni
ously. This preliminary all-over dyeing will
"tie in" the white and make it in key with the
rest of the scheme.
The series of photographs shown here rep
resents the successive stages of a batik in the
making. The original fabric is white silk and
the first step is the pouncing on, of the design
with charcoal, which is then strengthened with
pencil. With the tjanting this outline is then
waxed (Fig. 1). The spots which are to be
white in the completed design, are now filled in
with the brush and the material is given its first
dyeing, yellow (Fig. 2). Now all the parts that
are to stay yellow, are covered off with the
wax; when this waxing is completed the ma
terial is dipped in light blue, which being dyed
over yellow, will produce light green (Fig. 3).
After drying, all that has to stay green is cov
ered off with wax ( Fig. 4 ) . The final dipping is
in red. The last picture (Fig. 5) is the com-

76 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
pleted piece after the wax has been removed by
gasolining ; this photograph distinctly shows, in
its variations of tone, the different colours that
were used.

OJWo<H
C/3
W>

w
oo

¦^

^
^

THE VALUE OF A DYE RECORD
A dye record is an invaluable asset to a batiker ;
it is very little trouble to make and the time
spent on it will easily be saved when future
work is to be speeded up or samples are being
made. A record book will prove its value in
many ways, particularly if the batiks made are
liable to be re-ordered, as for instance, when
gowns are decorated for the trade, or if the
making of one batik leads to a demand for a
second, which perhaps is wanted with the same
colour effects although not the same design.
It is a good plan, therefore, to leave an extra
strip of material on the piece that is to be ba
tiked, or to pin a piece to the fabric which is to
be decorated and let it go through all the dif
ferent baths and processes, each time taking
off a small sample of the new colour to be pasted
in the record book.
As will be seen from the record quoted here,
77

Design, "Sobcebess." Designee, A. Cbisp. Batiked bt P. Mijeb and A. Cbisp.
Date, Januaby 2nd, 1918.

No.

Sample

Temp.

Color

Time
in bath

Acid

Remarks

1

WMte

105-110

Yellow cream

20 min.

Acetic

2

Yellow cream

110

Salmon pink

20 min.

Acetic

3

Flesh color

110

Light blue

15 min.

Acetic

4

Grey-blue

105 90

Strong blue

20 min.
20 min.

Slight crackle obtained by
reduction of temperature.
4a
Blue
100
Bleach
15-20 min.
Ammonia
The batik is dipped in am
monia and rinsed for an
hour.
5
Grey
110
Gold
40 min.
Acetic
6
Gold
110
Blue
60 min.
Acetic
7
Bluish-gold
110
Red
50 min.
Acetic
9
Bordeau
90
110
Black
Blue
60 min.
i60 min.
Blue added to improve tone
of black.
10
Black
i
Material used, crepe-de-
Chine.
Price per yd., $5.00.
Length of piece, 13 ft., 4 in.
Height of piece, 9 ft.
Gasoline, 15 gallons.
(3 baths).
Beeswax, 5 lbs.
-3
QO
tdw
Wo O Kw t-3 W
THE VALUE OF A DYE RECOED 79
every detail is marked down — the temperature,
time of dyeing, price of material and where it
was bought, in fact any little item that may be
of help later. A full explanation of this sam
ple page may be of service to some readers.
The record shows the process of dyeing in the
making of the "Sorceress" panel, shown facing
page 78. The silk used for this panel was a
very heavy Japanese crepe and the design was
worked out in nine colours. That is to say, it
was dipped eight times, the ninth being the orig
inal white of the silk. The only places where
this original white shows is in a few little flow
ers in the branches of the trees, and these, on
account of the many times the piece was dyed,
have so much crackle in them that they do not
appear as pure white.
The piece was first dyed a very light creamy
yellow colour; this tone being composed of yel
low, a speck of blue and a speck of orange. The
mixture of these colours produces gold and a
much diluted solution results in a straw yellow.
The temperature for this bath was between
105° and 110° Fahr., and the time for dyeing

80 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
about twenty minutes. After having been
rinsed and dried, the parts of the design that
were wanted the straw colour were covered in
wax, the largest surface being the scarf of the
Sorceress. The panel was now ready for the second dip
ping. This was a light salmon pink, which over
the straw-yellow gave the flesh colour for the
face and body; this tone also appears in the
light outline of the smoke and clouds. This
salmon colour was made of orange and yellow
mixed and was used very light. Temperature
110° ; time, about 20 minutes.
The third bath was blue. This was used in
the mountain in the background and in some of
the leaves in the foreground on the piece. The
blue was used pure, but not very strong. With
the flesh colour, this gave a greyish blue. Tem
perature 110°. Time 15 minutes.
The fourth colour was the same blue, only
much stronger, and in this the trees in the
mountain, the outlines of the mountain and the
stems of the bigger leaves were dyed. The
fabric was in this bath altogether about 40 min-

"SORCERESS" BY ARTHUR CRISP AND PIETER MIJER

THE VALUE OF A DYE RECORD 81
utes. The first half of this period the tempera
ture of the dye was about 105° and was reduced
to 90° for the last twenty minutes. This dif
ference in the temperature was made in order
to make the wax brittle and obtain a slight
crackle to allow the penetration of the colour.
The crackle effect was not desired all over
the design, so a second covering of wax was
applied in some parts, after the material had
been thoroughly dried. The face and body of
the figure, in particular, were carefully gone
over, as these parts had to remain as little as
possible affected by the darker colours.
The panel was now dipped in an ammonia
bath to extract the colour from the parts not
covered by wax. This took from 15 to 20 min
utes with a temperature of 100° Fahr. When
the color in the fabric was reduced to a Hght
grey, the piece was transferred from the am
monia bath to a tub of clear water at the same
temperature, and rinsed thoroughly for at least
an hour, in order to remove every trace of the
ammonia. After drying, the whole panel was
carefully gone over to close all undesired cracks

82 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
that had come during the colour extracting proc
ess; these were mainly in the figure and the
scarf. No grey was used in the panel, therefore after
the filling in of the cracks, the piece was ready
for the fifth bath. This was the gold used for
the foreground, and it also makes the high
lights in the leaves and in the tree-trunks. This
gold was obtained by mixing yellow, orange and
blue, with the yellow as the dominant colour.
Temperature, 110°. Time, 40 minutes. The
sixth bath was the same gold solution, strength
ened up with blue but without the addition of
any more orange or yellow. This colour was
used in the leaves, some parts of the trees, the
wings of the parrot and the solid colour of the
skirt. Temperature, 110°. Time, 60 minutes.
The seventh dipping was red (roccelline).
This colour was used pure and over the blueish
gold of the previously dyed colours, it appeared
a deep rich red, almost a bordeau. The turban,
the vase, parts of the parrot's wings, the flow
ers in the foreground and the borders at the
top and bottom of the panel are all in this tone.

THE VALUE OF A DYE RECORD 83
Temperature, 110°. Time, 50 minutes. After
waxing all these parts, the other covered parts
were inspected once more and all damaged
places and objectionable cracks repaired; this
completed, the panel was ready for the eighth
and final bath, black.
At this stage the only parts of the whole de
sign that were not covered in wax, were, the sky,
a small part of the turban, the two panthers and
the three little birds in the centre foreground.
The black was started pure, at a temperature
of about 90°, and the piece remained in this
bath about an hour; it was then taken out, the
temperature brought up to 110°, blue added to
the solution and the panel again dipped for an
other hour. The blue was added in order to
improve the tone of the black. A solid blue-
black was obtained in this way in place of the
rusty black that would have been the result of
dyeing straight black over the red. After the
required intensity of tone had been reached, the
piece was well rinsed and dried, preparatory to
dipping in gasoline to remove the wax.
The making of this piece took about four

84 BATIKS, AND HOW TO MAKE THEM
weeks, exclusive of the time taken to prepare
the original sketch or the full-size cartoon.
About five pounds of pure bees-wax was used
to cover all the surfaces, and fifteen gallons of
gasoline were necessary to clean the piece.
This is not surprising when one realizes the size
of the panel, which was eight feet high and
thirteen feet four inches wide; in all, 15,360
square inches.

INDEX

Acids, 70
Application of design, 50

Q
Gasoline, 56
Gasoline economy, 58

Clean outline, 54
Colour groups, 64
Colour relation, 73
Composition of colour, the, 69
"Crackle," 37, 62
D
Difference in methods, 2
Different kinds of tjantings,
19
Dijesselhof, 27
Dutch artists of fame, 25
Dyes, 40
Dyes and dye manufacturers,
70
Dye tubs, 41

European use of batik, 29
Extracting colour, 66
P

Fabrics, 41
Folding material, 51

Handling the tjanting, 54
Head-dress, 4
Heating apparatus, 39
History, 24

Javanese costume, 3
Javanese design, 5

Kains, 3

Lebeau, 27

M

Matching colours, 72
N
Native industry, 13
Native process, 15
P
Painting in colours, 63

85

86

Precautions, 57
Preparing brushes, 36
Preparation of material, 50
Preventing the wax from
sticking, 53
Price of native tjanting, 20,
44
Primary and secondary col
ours, 69 R
Redrawing of design, 52
Removing stain, 40
Eewaxing, 62
Rinsing, 61

INDEX
Streaks in dyeing, 61
T

Slendang, 4

S

Temperature of dye-bath, 59
Tertiary colours, 71
Tjantings, 32
Tjaps, 7

U
Use of brush, 36
Use of too much dye, the, 60

W
Wax mixtures, 37

YALE UNIVERSITY

-a390j02_0 0181i051b_