Batik in Home Decoration 
AN EASY AND FLEXIBLE METHOD OF DECORATING FABRICS THAT IS A REVERSE 
OF STENCILING, THE PATTERN BEING LIGHT AGAINST A DARK BACKGROUND 
by Mira Burr Edson 
Illustrations by Members of the National Society of Craftsmen 
A MONG the many, many persons who use printed fabrics 
constantly and for all sorts of purposes, it occurs very 
rarely, perhaps, to wonder how these are produced and whether 
all are made by the same or different processes. As a matter of 
fact, the same principles are followed 
to-day and with the machines that 
have always been employed in pat¬ 
tern-making. 
Although many and beautiful 
things are offered in the shops, the 
qualities in which lie the greatest 
interest or charm are possessed in a 
peculiar degree by fabrics which are 
printed or dyed by hand. This is 
perhaps due to the very simplicity 
and directness of the process which 
allows one to come in touch, directly, 
with the producer of the article. 
Hand-printed fabrics are made in 
two ways, every method being a vari¬ 
ation or an adaptation of these, or a 
combination. One is by direct print¬ 
ing or painting in color upon a white 
or a light ground, and the other, used 
to produce a light pattern on a dark 
ground, is produced by painting the 
pattern in a “resist” and then dipping 
the whole piece into dye. The first 
is familiar in the hand-processes of 
block-printing and stenciling; the 
other, as carried out by hand in the 
home, is the subject of this paper, il¬ 
lustrated by some interesting examples 
of work from The National Society 
of Craftsmen. 
The resist may be of anything 
which *will prevent the cloth from 
taking the dye. Various pastes are 
used with a chemical ingredient, but 
wax is convenient for the amateur. 
The ordinary small cake of beeswax 
will answer, the white being pre¬ 
ferred for this purpose for the reason 
that it is finer in grain. This must be 
applied hot, and an ordinary brush of 
fair size is a good instrument for this 
purpose. A little pan set over a low-burning gas jet or on the 
back of the stove will provide this need. The Japanese use a 
small instrument shaped like a tiny tea-pot with a long handle, 
in which the hot wax is put and which can be kept sufficiently 
warm or reheated at need. With the thin line flowing from the 
spout they trace the pattern upon the fabric. Instruments of 
this kind have been made and used here, but are not easily pro¬ 
cured in the market. Wax applied freely with a soft brush 
makes a delightful line, but it must be managed with skill in 
drawing and with care to keep the wax from becoming cool 
in the middle of a long line. It is possible and much easier to 
stencil the pattern on the fabric in wax or with paste. The first 
illustration shows a runner stenciled thus in wax and ready for 
dyeing. 
Other resists may be preferred or found to be more con¬ 
venient. An ordinary flour paste, 
boiled and smoothly made, into which 
has been put some oxalic acid, is used 
successfully. This too may be applied 
by means of the brush or the stencil. 
Which method and which medium to 
use depends upon personal choice, 
convenience on the subtleties of the 
effect desired, and somewhat, too, 
upon one’s skill in using the brush in 
the practice of drawing. The second 
and third illustrations have been dec¬ 
orated by different methods of apply¬ 
ing the design. In the right-hand one 
the pattern was stenciled upon the 
goods; in the other it was drawn on 
free-hand. The difference can be 
seen by one familiar with both pro¬ 
cesses. 
The dye is now prepared accord¬ 
ing to the proper directions for mak¬ 
ing it up and is allowed to become 
cool, or at least lukewarm. The fab¬ 
ric is then dipped into it, care being 
taken to have it enter smoothly so 
that the dye shall attack it equally 
and not find it in lumps or wrinkles. 
To allow of doing this well, the dish 
holding the dye must not be too small. 
The fabric is held in the dye, lightly 
moved about or drawn out and in to 
ensure an even tone, and, when dark 
enough, is taken out. After a mo¬ 
ment or two in the air the whole is 
thrown into some clear water and 
thoroughly rinsed. It is then hung 
out to dry, but not in the sun. It is 
best to avoid any chance of a line 
across the goods or other unevenness 
by hanging the piece from an end, and 
perhaps turning it around when half 
dry, rather than folding it over a 
line. If the color is not dark enough it may be dipped again. 
It is best in the first place to make it a trifle darker than the 
desired tone to allow for the rinsing and drying. 
When quite dry and otherwise satisfactory as to tint it is 
time to see that the resist is removed. If a paste was used for 
this the first rinsing should be lightly done, taking out most of 
the surplus color; then in a clean bath wash out the paste. If 
wax was used allow the piece to become thoroughly dry first. 
When this is the case the fabric can be plunged into boiling 
water. This relieves us of any possible doubt as to the “setting” 
of the dye and it melts the wax, which will rise to the surface 
The first step in batik work is to apply a wax 
“resist” in a stencil pattern or freehand. The front 
and back of a runner such as this, with the wax 
applied, will be unequally protected, giving a char¬ 
acter that printed fabrics cannot have 
( 158 ) 
