How do batik

• How do batik

I love the cloth; perhaps this passion takes in my personal ranking of attachments the second place after the Council. Solo - Indonesian largest and most important center of production and trade of batik. Although purchased materials and products made of it can be all over Java, of course, logical and do it correctly in Solo.

No wonder - or, on the contrary, it is surprising - that batik is still produced not only and not so much on the large, spacious, modern factories (eg, Batik Keris, whose beautiful Outlets have throughout Java and, of course, in Solo) and in small handicraft workshops - otherwise call what we saw, I think I can not.

Batik - is hand-painted on fabric, and in fact it is just such - a manual - and to this day. Even what is called forging, in fact there are handmade. How so? And like this!

A small workshop for the production of batik under the proud name of the factory was located just a few turns of the maze of narrow streets from our Gest. Charming streets.

Expressive woman, hidden behind a cloth, clearly indicated the existence of a factory. Randomly eyes in the photo did not work. And perhaps not accidental: I do not know how in the darkness prevailing in the workshop workers and workers finally manage to not lose sight again and again painting the cloth. But who told me that they do not lose?

Before the segment normal matter turn into batik, he held multiple treatments. His paint, washed, dried, washed again, etc. That is on the holder for clarity posted several cuts different stages of processing:.. Exactly what kind of fabric is changing step by step.

first on the fabric with hot wax is applied to the picture. Hence, by the way, the name of this method: hot batik. It is used for cotton fabrics. For expensive and fully manual options wax is applied, of course, by hand, and for cheaper - press. But also manually.

The wax is, incidentally, also be different. Here such.

Prepared for painting rolls.

When the pattern is applied, the fabric is sent to the coloring. Here sit specially trained girls and aunties and special brush (even, probably, the likeness of the handle) is applied to the desired pattern.

First paint the same color, then the other.

periodically dipping his pen in a heated burner paint.

paint using only natural at this factory. Of different plants and trees. I suspect that is not out of environmental considerations, and stupid because it is cheaper.

Oven for heating vats of paint.

Fabric with printed pattern goes on - at first on prokrasku background - this is in large bathrooms. They also then wash the fabric a few times - in pure water itself.

Drying - the second level of the workshop, always under an aluminum roof and a natural ventilation. Simply put - with holes around the perimeter.

The process of wax coating, painting, prokraski, washing and drying is repeated several times until a desired pattern.

Quality control before the next stage.

Standard the segment of batik - a length of 2 meters and a width of 1, 20-1, 30. If you do it entirely by hand, the cost is happiness in the end will be from 60 dollars. And if you press, then all of 6-8.

Of course, batik cost depends not only on painting techniques, but also on the quality of the fabric. In any showroom is very easy to see, touch samples at different prices. Rough, dense, with a simple pattern - the cheapest. Light, delicate, with elegant lines pattern and often traced abundance of small details - the most expensive. What surprised me personally, is the fact that batik - it's not just simply lengths of cloth and sarongs. Batik - is difficult: an infinite number of dresses, tunics, skirts, pants, shirts. Unusual design patterns, unusual design material. In the photo - my sarong and three men of the planer. Sarongs for $ 13 shirt - 27. All production factory can see for yourself how the factory.

Returning to our small factory, I want to add that when it has not only a showroom store (which, surprisingly, can not be photographed!), But also workshops of painting on fabric. Ie. You can come and negotiate a personal lesson create batik. The result should be something like that.

No, actually, I think it must have something more elegant, because these samples still were created girls doshkolnitsami)

So, next time, tying pareos, think about how much patience and hard work has been spent on the creation of even such a simple and inexpensive piece of batik. The average salary of the working of such a workshop is about 90 dollars, and this minimum is guaranteed even in the absence of orders. If any, respectively, employees receive an additional premium.