HOUSE AND GARDEN 
September, 1910 
i59 
of the water. It is well to have plenty of the hot water and 
give it a second plunge to clean fully of wax. After drying 
once more the piece is finished. 
THE AVAILABLE DYES 
As to the matter of dyes it is not easy to make authoritative 
statements. There are some in the market offered for this pur¬ 
pose which may be found fairly satisfactory for ordinary use. 
Some colors are fairly reliable in any sort of dyes, some colors 
are fleeting and difficult to manage in almost any recipe. Very 
pleasing effects have been had by using vegetable recipes, but 
these entail usually more care or time than the chemical dyes. 
In using the common Diamond or Easy dyes, it is best to experi¬ 
ment for oneself in the color desired. Professor Pellew, of 
Columbia College, has been experimenting with dyes for use in 
the arts, aided in this by some art-craftsmen. In regard to these 
he published a series of papers a year ago. Some arrangement 
for bringing these 
out, prepared for 
the use of craft- 
workers, is being 
considered. 
SUITABLE FABRICS 
For material 
unbleached muslin 
is satisfactory, or 
a fine grade of 
cheesecloth can be 
used. Linens, es¬ 
pecially those of 
a loose, coarse 
weave, are per¬ 
haps best for most 
effects by means 
of this process. 
The materials 
needed beside the 
fabric itself are: 
the design, and 
perhaps a stencil 
of it; the paste or 
wax; brushes for 
applying (the kind 
depending on the 
method selected) ; 
the dye, and a new 
large dish-pan. To 
these might be 
added a little of 
the lust of experi¬ 
ment. 
The piece shown 
in the right-hand 
illustration on this 
page is old blue in 
color, and a grace¬ 
ful poppy design is the motive coming forward on the blue 
ground in creamy white, made rather bluish due to variations in 
the thickness of the resist. The design in this instance was sten¬ 
ciled upon the fabric with a paste. The inequality of tone to be 
noticed, relieving it from the flat silhouette to its great gain in 
effect, is produced by varying the thickness of the paste which 
was applied by brush strokes—literally, painted in. This varia¬ 
tion occurs too in wax, due to its being hot or merely warm, in 
which instance it stays more on the surface of the cloth and does 
A ground design where the resist was applied 
freehand. The color is brownish yellow, 
deepening in tint at the ends by successive 
dipping 
not take hold so completely of the fibre. It may be noticed too 
that the drapery here is darker at the ends than in the middle, 
the ornament thus getting the benefit of a deeper ground. This 
is done by a second dipping in the color of the ends while the 
resist is still in place, protecting the middle of the scarf by care¬ 
fully holding it out of the dye. 
The left-hand illustration, a gourd-vine, is very pleasing in its 
free treatment of the motif and the equally free way in which it 
has been carried 
out. This was 
drawn directly 
upon the fabric 
with a brush and 
paste. The varia¬ 
tion of the ground 
appears here also, 
the color of the 
lighter parts being 
yellow and shad¬ 
ing down into a 
soft brown. 
To experiment 
with batik, it will 
be seen, is not so 
difficult, and the 
experiments are 
sure to reward one 
in some fashion, 
whatever may be 
the outcome. It is 
encouraging to re¬ 
member that a 
piece may be 
dipped more than 
once and with in¬ 
genuity something 
can always be 
made of it event¬ 
ually, although it 
may not be exact¬ 
ly according to the 
preconceived plan. 
By a little practice, 
however, one may 
be able to calculate 
effects definitely 
enough, and many 
opportunities to 
vary the effect will 
be suggested by 
the conditions of 
the moment. 
It is possible to 
carry the process further and into a much more complex field 
when a second dipping is allowed in a different color. But this 
carries the worker deep into the mysteries of processes, and for 
a beginner it is quite enough to master the possibilities of one 
dye, which, as we have seen, offers much opportunity, and in the 
hands of an artist can produce most interesting and beautiful 
results. 
The illustrations herewith are all three from table runners. 
There is, however, no lack of variety in the uses to which this 
interesting method of fabric decoration may be put—pillow-cov¬ 
ers, curtains, bureau-scarfs, bed-spreads, etc. The fact that one 
can mix one’s own dyes to any desired shade permits the carry¬ 
ing out of a consistent color scheme for any room. 
On this blue runner the resist was applied 
through a stencil over a lightly indicated 
pattern. The lighter resist here has re¬ 
sulted in a great lessening of contrast, the 
lightest portions being not white but light 
blue. 
