RONGAI TEACHERS’ TRAINING COLLEGE

DPTE – ART AND CRAFT

FABRIC DESIGN / FABRIC DECORATION.

Fabric design (decoration) is the patterning of an essentially plain fabric

to render it more appealing or to serve as a particular purpose. Some
technique of fabric decoration requires industrial machinery, while others
are simple and can be done using basic equipment and materials.
Fabric design refers to the artistic arrangement of motif and colours on a
chosen surface. Fabric design is the decoration of fabrics using paint, tie
and dye, batik, block printing, stencil and screen printing, appliqué,
quilting and embroidery.

FUNCTION OF DECORATED FABRICS.

The fabrics are decorated for a variety of reasons including: -
1. Aesthetic.
2. Cultural.
3. Social.
4. Ritual.
5. Religious.
6. Political.
7. Economic.

AESTHETIC.
Fabrics decorated for aesthetic purposes include: -
1. Clothing
2. Furnishing
3. Wall-hangings
4. Curtains

CULTURAL.
Different ethnic groups wear clothing that has a cultural significance e.g.
the Maasai “shuka”.

SOCIAL.
Fabrics with a special context are used by individuals or by groups of
people who desire to state their social, group affiliation or membership of
a particular order, by using a certain motif, colours and shapes. E.g.
College grandaunt gown, church choir gown (uniform), company’s
uniform.

RITUAL.
Garments or attire used for ritual purposes e.g. Circumcision or initiation
clothes. Wedding garments are also considered ritual if they are
traditional and ethnic to certain particular group.

RELIGIOUS.
These are fabrics worn by the religious groups e.g. Priests, nuns, dog
collars, pope etc.
These garments are unique and are used by particular individuals to
signify their positions.

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POLITICAL.
Fabrics with a political context are used by political groups or politicians
for campaign. Some political leaders have a consistently utilized fabric or
garment e.g. Kaunda suit was initialized or associated with the former
president of Zambia, his Excellency Kenneth Kaunda.
ECONOMIC.
Fabric with economic value are marketable commodities. In order to
enhance their economic value, the fabric must have attractive and
pleasing designs and colours and must be of good quality.

FABRIC DECORATION TECHNIQUES.

There are many techniques in fabric decoration, these include: -.
 Painting.
 Resist.
 Printing.
 Applique.
 Discharge.

PAINTING ON FABRIC
Fabric can be patterned by painting patterns on it with liquid dyes.

NB/ the only problem with this technique, is that the dyes tend to “bleed”
or run into each other unless a resist, such as wax, is used.

One of the most interesting painting techniques in Africa is mud-painting,

called bokolanfini. Done in Mali and elsewhere in West Africa.
A white fabric is boiled in leaves of a certain tree which imparts tannic
acid to the fabric.
The cloth is dried; after which it is patterned by painting it with sticky mud
collected from iron rich river banks.

When the iron [ferrous sulphate] comes in contact with the tannic acid [or
tannin] on the surface of the fabric, it turns the patterns black.

RESIST METHODS.
There are various resist methods which can be used to decorate fabric.
These include:-
Batik
Paste
Tie & dye

BATIK (WAX RESIST)

Batik is a method of decorating fabric using hot or cold wax. The wax is
applied to the surface of a cloth with a special brush, tjaps, combs, and
tjantings when used as a hot liquid.
When the wax is used cold, it is used in the form of wax crayons or blocks.

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NB/ the best batiks are those done using hot liquid wax which penetrates
into the fabric and resists dye to penetrate.

Tjap- these are blocks for printing with liquid wax. They are made of
metal so that the metal can retain the heat of the wax and prevent it from
cooling too rapidly during the printing process. The tjap is dipped into hot
wax and stamped on the surface of the fabric.
Tjanting- this is a special tool used by the Japanese for drawing with wax
on a surface of a fabric. It consists of a copper cup with one or more
spouts and a bamboo handle.
The copper cup holds hot liquid wax and the spout allows the wax to flow
in a smooth line. The thickness of the line is determined by the thickness
of the hollow in the spout.

NB/ the most distinctive feature of batik work is the “crackle” or “crazed”
effect produced when the wax crackles and allows the dye to seep into
the fabric, thus creating minute lines running in all directions.

PASTE RESIST.
Instead of using wax as a resist, any glutinous paste such as cooked flour
paste can be used. Household starch can also be used as a resist. Certain
clays can be allowed to soak for a long period of time and used as a resist.
In West Africa, cassava paste is commonly used as a resist to produce
beautiful patterned fabrics.
In Zimbabwe, boiled maize meal flour called sadza is used.
The paste is applied using brushes, sticks, blocks, combs and any other
suitable tool.

NB/ household starch or wheat flour needs to be cooked in a double-boiler

until it becomes translucent.
If the starch of flour is not cooked, it will easily flake and when immersed
in the dye bath it may wash off, thus ruining the patterning.

TIE AND DYE.

Tie and dye is a very versatile method of fabric decoration. It is a method
of resisting the penetration of dyes by tying the cloth tightly.
Dyeing is a process of imparting colour to a plain fabric by dipping it into
liquid dye.
There are two types of dyes: -
1. Cold water.
2. Hot water.
Cold water dyes are developed to be used with cold water, while hot water
dyes are developed to be used on hot water.
Cold water dyes are suitable for batik technique which uses wax.
NB/ if a waxed cloth is put into hot water the wax will melt and the design
will be ruined.
Most cold water dyes are made in such a way that they can be used in
cold water and yet are colour fast. Most dyes require the addition of
chemicals to make them fast on fabric. This means that dyes should be
able to withstand washing and sunlight. If chemicals of fixatives are not
used, dyes may wash out or fade in sunlight. Hot water dyes, unlike cold

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water dyes, require hot water (usually boiling or as specified by the
manufacturer) to fix them and make them colour-fast.

Commonly used dyes are procion and dylon. Some procion dyes require
the use of hot water while some require cold water.
Dylon dyes are basically cold water dyes and only require common table
salt to fix them.

Various methods of tying can be used to produce all sorts of interesting

patterns on the surface of a fabric.
These include:-
 Pleating
 Crumpling
 Folding
 Tritik
 Combination of batik and tie-dye.

Pleating.
Fabric can be pleated in various ways and tied and then dyed to produce
interesting horizontal, vertical, and diagonal patterns.
The pleats can also be sewn and this will produce unusual effects and
patterns.
Thick and thin, and bold and fine lines can be produced by varying the
thickness of the pleats and the tying.

Crumpling.
Fabric can be crumpled and tightly bound and dyed to produce marbled
patterns.

Folding.
Fabric can be folded in such a way as to produce squares, circles,
triangles, and rectangles.
Circles of all sizes can be produced on one piece of cloth.

Tritik
Tritik is a method of stitching fabric to prevent the penetration of dyes.
Machine and hand stitched patterns can be used, and fine and bold
stitching can create different effects.
NB/ the thread used in Tritik should be waxed, or should be strong
enough to be tightly pulled without breaking it.
Raphia is the best fibre to use in tritik work as it resists dye well and is
strong. Once the stitching has been done it has to be pulled tight to draw
the fabric together.
NB/ if this is not tightly done the dye will penetrate and ruin the pattern.
Combination of Batik and Tie & Dye.
Batik and tie and dye can be combined to produce unusual patterns.

BLOCK PRINTING
Block printing
 Printing technique whereby many identical prints are produced
using the same block.

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  It is referred to as relief printing.
 An image is transferred from an inked surface to a printing surface.
 The motif/image/design is drawn on the surface i.e., block of wood,
linoleum (lino), hardboard etc. and the unwanted areas within or
surrounding the image are cut away or sunken.
 The image areas are usually left as raised printing surface.
 A linoleum block cut is the most common example of a relief print.
 Other relief prints can be made using hands, feet, leaves, natural
stones or found objects.
 Subject matter for block printing can be a pictorial
composition/image, motif, design or a repeat pattern.
Block printing technique
Basic Preparations
 Planning the design
 Selecting and preparing materials and tools
 Preparing the working surface
Procedure
 Make the design
 Transfer the design on the block.
 Mark out the positive and negative areas.
 Cut out the negative areas of the design/motif on the block.
 Put or place registration marks on surface to be printed e.g. –paper
or clothe.
 Place the marked paper or clothe onto the working surface (printing
table)
 Ink or paint the block
 Stump the painted/inked block onto the surface of the materials.
 Lift the block carefully without smudging
 Leave print(s) to dry undisturbed
 Clean block and working surface.
NB: Materials that can be used for this procedure/technique/would
include; potato, linoleum, rubber, stone, wood, printing ink (colours).
Tools would include; cutters (lino), rollers, brushes, glass, cleaning rugs,
pencils.

Block printing using 3 colours

 Producing a three colour print using a block and two colours on a
fabric.
1. Select appropriate tools & materials.
2. Plan design to be transferred onto the block.
3. Develop an appropriate colour scheme
4. Transfer design onto the block
5. Cut the design into the block
6. Prepare the fabric by washing and ironing to remove starch &
creases.
7. Stretch the fabric on a flat surface ready for printing and
register the motif.
8. Mix lightest colour and apply onto the block using a roller.
9. Place block onto the fabric according to registration
marks/lines

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 10. Print and complete the pattern of the first colour i.e.
lightest colour.
11. Leave pattern to dry before printing the second colour.
12. Cut out the design of the next colour.
13. Select and apply the darker colour.
14. Position block, ensuring overlaps to achieve the 3 rd
colour and go over all the earlier prints.
15. In all these apply pressure on the block to ensure even
spread of the printing ink, remove and let the print dry.

NB.
 The print(s) will have two colours with a third colour appearing
where there are overlaps.
 If you use red and yellow, then you will have orange as a third
colour where red overlaps with yellow.

Block printing is frequently used to decorate fabric. Printing blocks can be

of any material which can be engraved with a design.

These include:-
1. Wood
2. Linoleum
3. Calabash
4. Clay

In addition, bits of twigs, bamboo, matchstick, potatoes, bottle tops etc.

The block printing method is basically a stamping process in which the
surface of the fabric is patterned by stamping a design engraved on the
block.
The block is used to pick up thickened dye which is then stamped onto the
fabric.

The basic materials which can be used to produce effective designs are: -
 Wood
 Lino
 Calabash
 Clay

WOOD
Wood blocks should be of well-seasoned wood. The wood should be soft
enough for carving.
Laminated wood such as plywood and blockboard are not suitable
because they easily chip during carving. The blocks must be cut into
manageable sizes not exceeding 15cm X 15cm.
A prepared design is transferred to the block by means of carbon paper or
tracing paper.
The areas which are not to be cut out are blocked in with washable black
ink. These areas are called positive or pattern areas.
The uninked areas are carved-out, these areas are called negative areas.

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NB/ no sections of the negative areas should be left raised as these will
pick up ink and be transferred onto the fabric during printing and ruin the
patterns.
LINO.
Linoleum tiles can be mounted on wood blocks and used for printing.
The lino is mounted on a wooden block which is thick enough to be held
during printing.
A prepared motif is transferred onto the lino using a carbon paper or
tracing paper. Lino cutters are used to etch the lines. Various sizes and
shapes can be used to achieve desired cuts.
NB/ the lino must be washed immediately after printing to avoid the dye
adhering to the surface.

CALABASH.
Calabash stamps are used in West Africa for printing intricate designs. The
calabash is carefully cut to the required shape and size and can be round,
rectangular, square, circular, or triangular.
Patterns are cut into the surface of the calabash in the same way as wood
and lino blocks. Handles are attached to the back of the stamps.

CLAY.
Clay can be prepared into a tile form and patterns carefully cut into the
surface, after which the clay is fired to give a durable printing surface. The
clay should not be glazed because the dyes will not adhere to a shiny
surface. Interesting incised patterns can be created on the clay before it is
fired.

SCREEN PRINTING.
Screen printing is a method of decorating fabric using a screen covered
with a special mesh. The frames of the screen are made of well-seasoned
wood.
The mesh is also referred to as silk-mesh. Silk-mesh is a type of finely
woven material that allows dye [printing ink] to penetrate through.

NB/ silk-mesh used for printing on paper is much finer in its weave
structure, while that used for printing fabric [cotton] is more open in its
weave structure.

A device called squeegee is used to force dye [printing ink] through the
mess to the fabric or paper [substrate].
The squeegee is a piece of beveled rubber sandwiched between two
pieces of wood, a wooden handle is for gripping.

DISCHARGE.
Discharge is simply the bleaching out of dyes from sections of a dyed
fabric. Bleach can be used for this purpose, certain dyes are developed for
discharge printing and they can be acquired from supply stores.
Preparation of the screen for printing.
1. Cut the silk-mesh so that it overlaps the wooden frame by about 2cm.
2. Stretch the mesh over the wooden frame and staple on the side with a
staple gun.

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3. Trace a prepared design [motif] onto the mesh.
4. Use varnish or shellac to apply on top of the mesh on areas you don’t
want ink [dye] to pass through.

PRINTING TABLE.
Use a straight, stable table, spread blankets on top, and then newspapers.
PVC sheet can also be used.

MATERIALS USED FOR SCREEN PRINTING.

1. Wooden frame
2. Mesh [silk]
3. Staples and staple gun
4. Squeegee
5. Printing inks
6. Masking tapes.
7. Substrate e.g. T-shirt, paper, fabric
8. Glass
9. Brown papers and sticker papers

CLEANING AIDS/AGENTS
1. Bleach e.g. Jik
2. Thinner
3. Scoring pads
4. Vim.

HOW TO PRINT
1. After preparing your mesh with the design on it, place it on top of the
fabric e.g. on a t-shirt, using a spatula pick the dye [printing ink] and
place it on the mesh.
2. Using a squeegee, pull the ink from the top to the bottom. Make sure
you slant the squeegee to 45° to enable the ink to be forced through
the mesh.
3. If printing multiple colours, always start with bright colours such as
yellow, orange, pink, light-blue, light-green and finish with dark [dull]
colours such as brown, dark blue, dark green, sea-green and black.
4. Allow your printed fabric to dry completely, then iron the printed
design to fix the dye to the fabric permanently.
5. Immediately after printing, wash the mesh and squeegee with bleach,
vim and thinner. Use the scoring pads to clean it well without using too
much pressure.
6. Finally rinse your mesh thoroughly on running cold water and allow it
to dry before storing it.
MOTIF
A Motif is a shape which recurs in a design repeatedly. Motifs can be
derived from nature, plants, animals, birds, flowers, human forms,
abstract forms, geometrical forms etc

NB/ the elements and principals of art and design should be considered
while making a fabric design.

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REPEAT NETWORKS.
A motif can be repeated within a network determined by the motif shape,
the direction, and the size of the printing frame or block.

NB/ in screen printing, the repeat pattern is restricted by the size of the
frame.

When using a roller, the circumference determines the largest possible

height of the pattern.
A network is a repeated combination of curved or straight lines. Patterns
can also be formed randomly without the aid of networks.
Irregular patterns can be placed on a surface without measured repetition.

(ii). Half drop.

The half-drop results from vertical alternation. Half-drop placement is
more compatible with vertical forms.

(iii). Full drop

The full drop results when a motif is dropped a whole square or placed on
every alternate square horizontally and vertically.

TRANSFERRING THE DESIGN TO SCREEN OR BLOCK.

Once a motif has been chosen and has been developed into a design
using a selected network it can be transferred onto a screen or block. The
repeat must be accurate so that when the design motif is placed and
repeated all points will connect properly.

NB/ the design can be traced by hand and transferred to a screen and to
a block, or can be transferred photographically to a screen.

TRANSFERRING A DESIGN ONTO A BLOCK.

A Wooden block or lino block can be cut to a particular shape such as a
triangle, a square, rectangle, hexagon etc., which will form a network.

A motif can then be cut into the block. When the block is printed, the
network will be automatically repeated. The design motif can be put on
the block by tracing the design on thick paper and rubbing the back with
chalk or charcoal sticks and then placing the design down on the block
and retracing the design with a sharp pencil to transfer it to the block.

NB/ the design can be transferred to the block using a tracing paper.

TRANSFERRING A DESIGN ONTO A SCREEN.

Once a screen has been prepared, the design can be transferred to the
mesh. The design is traced onto the screen by placing the screen top
down so that it is in contact with the design.
A soft pencil is used for tracing. After tracing the design, areas to resist
the penetration of the dye paste [ink] are blocked in with varnish or
shellac or wax.

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All areas to receive the dye paste [ink] are left unblocked.

NB/ the design can also be transferred to the screen by photographic

methods.
PHOTOGRAPHIC METHOD.
The photographic method is a more sophisticated and accurate method.
The design is first traced on a paper with the grid network. The design is
then traced onto a photographic acetate film.
All areas which will allow the penetration of the dye paste [ink] are
blocked in with light-resistance thick ink which is opaque and is either
black or red.

NB/ (this is the opposite of the previous hand method where the positive
areas to receive the dye are left unblocked.

The screen mesh is coated with light sensitive solution (in a dark room)
and allowed to dry.
The acetate film with the design is placed on top surface of the mesh and
held down with a piece of glass the same size as the screen.

The glass keeps the acetate film in close contact with the photo-sensitive
screen mesh.
The screen with the acetate film and glass is then put under a strong
photographic bulb and exposed for a short time.

All the areas painted with opaque ink resist the penetration of light,
whereas all those areas not blocked in are exposed to the light and
harden as a result.
The acetate film and glass are removed and the screen is washed under
cold running water to wash away the opaque ink, thus leaving positive
areas.
The positive areas of the design will allow the dye paste [ink] to penetrate
through onto the fabric [substrate] surface being printed.
The negative areas of the design do not allow the dye paste [ink] to
penetrate through because the coated areas hardened when they were
exposed to light.

LIGHT SENSITIVE SOLUTION.

Light sensitive solutions are usually prepared using a mixture of a
substance like gelatine and potassium bichromate or potassium
dichromate.

NB/ potassium bichromate and dichromate are very poisonous.

Light sensitive photographic solutions for screen printing can be bought

from various suppliers.

The steps for exposing a screen are as follows:-

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1. Coat the screen with light sensitive solution in a dark room. Make sure
there are no pin-hole or uneven patches. Leave the screen in the
darkroom.
2. Trace the design on acetate film (or thick clear tracing paper or any
paper that is light enough to allow light to penetrate). Paint the
positive areas with opaque, light-resistant ink.
3. Place the acetate film on top surface of the screen making sure that it
is perfectly straight. Tape down the film at corners to prevent the film
from slipping. Place a piece of glass on top of the film.
4. Expose the screen under strong photographic light, or under strong
sunlight. All the negative areas (those areas not blocked in with
opaque ink) hardens.
5. Remove the glass and acetate film and wash the screen immediately in
cold running water.
NB/ do not use hot water as it may damage the coating.
It will be seen that all those areas (positive) blocked in with opaque ink
will wash away leaving clear areas which will then allow the dye paste
(ink) to penetrate through onto the surface (fabric) of t-shirt being printed.

PRINTING WITH A SCREEN

Once the screen has been prepared, it can be used for printing a length of
fabric or whatever other surface you intend to print.

Printing is done as follows: -

1. Pin the fabric to a table (printing surface) flat with no creases in it.
Make a grid of vertical and horizontal lines across the fabric to guide
you on where to print.
2. Open the lids of the printing inks, keep a clean tissue or rags handy.
Keep the squeegee ready.
3. Place the screen on top of the fabric, the grid on the fabric should
guide you, pour the printing ink using a spatula onto the top section of
the mesh.
NB/ (the screen should be placed with the design in contact with the
fabric).
Grip the screen firmly and using a squeegee slide the dye paste [ink]
down the length of the screen.
NB/ slant the squeegee to 45° degrees while sliding. Have one or two
people hold down firmly the screen while you print.
Repeat this process only once.

4. Lift the screen off the fabric without sliding it. Wipe off any dye paste
[ink] which may have adhered to the surface of the screen.

Use a tissue paper and rags to clean out the ink.

5. Hung the fabric to dry or continue printing the rest of the fabric or
fabrics. If you are printing multiple colours, start with bright colours
first and finish with the dark colours.

NB/ do not allow the dye paste [ink] to dry on the screen mesh as it will
block the positive areas of the design and give patchy effects.

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The screen must be washed in cold running water, preferably with a jet of
water from a small hose pipe so that the screen mesh is not damaged
by scrubbing.

6. Once you have finished all the printing, allow the fabric to dry, hung it
on to dry in direct sunlight.
7. Fix the dye paste by ironing the fabric with low heat.
8. Wash the screen, the squeegee and store them in a safe place for the
next printing exercise.

PRINTING WITH TWO OR MORE COLOURS

If more than one colour is to be printed, a separate screen must be
prepared. The different colours of the design are traced off and put on a
separate screen. This is called colour separation. It is possible to plan a
design in such a way that the same screen can be used, but this involves
blocking off the design at different stages.

The screen must be marked off with the appropriate measurements of the
grid being used, and the screen must match [register] with each other
accurately so that when the design is printed, the different colour will be
placed in their exact positions according to the original design.

NB/ if the registration marks are not aligned properly while printing, the
final print design will be uneven and difficult to read [comprehend].

MIXED MEDIA TECHNIQUE.

Beautiful fabric designs can be created by combining Batik, Tie & Dye,
Block-printing and screen printing.
Start with tying and dying the fabric, then wax the fabric and dye again,
remove the wax and print using the screen printing technique.
Then finally make block prints and print on areas that you need.
NB/ you can enhance your fabric by spraying different colours on the
fabric, spray technique produces fine dots of colour on the fabric.
3. Stencil printing
• In stencil technique, shapes are cut out of the paper.
• Hollow designs made on stencil paper will be the shape of the
image to be printed.
• The hollow design is called a stencil while the cut-out shape is called
a template.
• Both the stencil and template can be used for printing.
• The stencil gives a positive image.
• The template produces a negative image
Techniques used in stenciling
• Spraying
• Dabbing
• Rubbing
1. Dabbing

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This is where a piece of cloth or sponge is used to pick the paint or ink
and then dabbed over the template or through the stencil, in a stamping
motion.
2. Rubbing
This is where dry media such as crayon, chalk, charcoal or coloured pencil
is used to rub over the template or through the stencil.
3. Spraying
Thinned paint is loaded on brush bristles then sprayed over the template
or through the stencil by passing the thumb over the bristles. A tooth
brush is most effective in this technique.
NB
• A stencil can have an abstract or organic design.
• You can have one or more stencils to produce a print.
• You can also make a single or repeat pattern.

4. SCREEN PRINTING
Screen printing is basically a stencil method of printing. Dye is forced
through the open spaces of a screen. A screen is a wooden framework
with a silk mesh mounted on it.
Materials and tools for screen printing
Screen
printing paste/colour
Squeegee
Padded table
Processes
Attaching silk onto wooden frame to make the screen
• Make a firm wooden framework.
• Stretch the cloth from the centre by stapling to create top edge.
• Staple the bottom edge.
• Stretch and staple centre left and right edges.
• From there staple outwards from each point.
• Your staples should not be more than a centimeter apart.
• Put gum tape all around the edges.
• The screen is ready for use.
Stencil- screen printing process (serigraphy)
• Prepare the motif/design and trace it on paper.
• Cut out the motif to create the desired stencil.
• Prepare or assemble the materials, tools & equipment.
• Prepare working table by padding it with newsprints or blanket.
• Place fabric on the padded table.
• Draw registration lines on the fabric using tailor’s chalk.
• Mount the stencil on the under-side of the screen. The stencil should
be the same size as the screen.
• Place screen on printing surface and following the registration
marks.
• Pour some text fast printing ink on the dye well of the screen.

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• Using a squeegee, squeeze the ink from top of the screen to the
bottom.
• Lift the screen off the printing surface gently.
• Leave the print to dry.
• Clean the screen and the squeegee as soon as printing is over.
NB:
Making of a paper stencil and stretching silk or cloth onto the wooden
frame with a motif on are processes on their own.

SUMMARY NOTES ON FABRIC DESIGN

FABRIC DECORATION
Specific objectives
At the end of the topic, the learner should be able to;
a) Explain the meaning of fabric decoration.
b) List materials, tool and equipment required
c) State and describe the techniques in fabric decoration
d) Decorate fabrics using selected techniques
Definition
Fabric decoration is the patterning of an essentially plain fabric to render
it more appealing.
There are several techniques of decorating fabric. These include;
i. Batik
ii. Tie-and-dye
iii. Printing
iv. Combination of techniques
BATIK
• Is a resist method of fabric decoration
• Dye is prevented from penetrating parts of a fabric by covering with
wax.
• Wax is used to outline or fill-in drawn designs on the fabric.
• It is the art of isolating desired parts of the fabric with wax,
immersing the whole fabric in the dye bath and then finally removing the
wax to reveal the pattern.
• Materials and tools for Batik
Fabric
• Choice of material depends on the type of dye to be used as well as
the function of the item to be made.
• Some examples of fabrics commonly used include; cotton, Linen,
poplin, satin, or cotton -jinja.
• The fabric should be washed in hot soapy water to remove starch,
dirt, oils or other impurities in order to allow the dye to penetrate easily.
 Include Brushes and tjanting.
Materials
Dye
• Cold water dyes are commonly used for batik. For example, procion
dyes.
• Hot water dyes are allowed to cool before use.

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Wax
• Batik requires a combination of both the paraffin and bee wax.
• This can be done by melting together one third of bee wax to two
thirds of paraffin wax.
• Paraffin wax on its own gives a rather too brittle a surface i.e. it
tends to crack very easily.
• It also tends to flow very easily once it is heated and can easily flow
over unintended areas.
• Ordinary candles found in shops are readily available, cheap
convenient and perfect for batik work
White spirit
• Helps in the removal of remnants of wax from the fabric.
• The fabric is immersed in white spirit especially the functional items
that need to be soft and flexible.
• It can also be used to clean brushes after waxing
Newspaper
• Used to sandwich the batik work so as to absorb the melted wax
while ironing, during the removal of wax. This give a fabric a translucent
effect, suitable for wall hangings and lamp shades.
Waxing tools:
BRUSHES
• Brushes of good quality bristle and of different sizes are used for
waxing.
• Large patterned batik designs are best executed with broad brushes
• Thin brushes are best used when making intricate designs and
outlining shapes before filling in.
Tjanting
• Also known as dropper tube.
• Used to obtained detailed effects in batik work.
• There are several types of Tjanting.
• The basic ones consist of a small copper cup (container) with a short
wooden handle and very thin spout.
• The tip of the spout is bent slightly downwards.
• The cup or container is filled with hot wax and poured out through
the spout
• Improvised tjantings can be made using staff and strong paper e.g.
Milk packet.
TJAP
• This is a design on a block
• The block has relief features and used as a stamp to stamp the
design on.
• It is wax relief printing block and is one of the quickest methods of
producing waxed pattern.
Double- pot or waxing pan
• Used for melting the wax.
• The pan should have a thick bottom and the sides not too high.
• This ensures the pan is well balanced and keeps the wax its
constant temperature.

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• Alternatively, you can use a double-pot method by fixing a smaller
pot inside a bigger pot and the space between them filled with water or
sand.
• The sand helps in holding the containers in position or the water
and sand helps in maintaining the wax at constant temperature
Iron box
• Useful for removing wax. It could be electric or charcoal iron
Dye bath
• These are baskets, basins or containers with mixture of dyes
• The best dye bath containers are made from glass or plastic.
• Other container should be available for washing the fabric
Stencils
• Stencil can be used creatively in a class situation where manila
paper and paraffin wax are made into strong stencils
Exercise
- Making a stencil for Batik.
- Draw a design on the manila paper and deep in liquid wax.
- Let it cool and cut out the design.
- A good stencil can be used for as many as thirty to fifty waxing.
- Stencil batik is particularly suited to the use of repeat patterns, thus
saving a lot of time.
HINTS ON THE BATIK TECHNIQUE
i. Heat wax to liquefy. Don’t over heat
ii. Pour /apply wax carefully on areas intended
iii. Remove any wax stains from areas not intended
iv. Retouching in between dying. After immersing the fabric in the dye
bath severely, the wax and times flakes off or loosens from areas desired
to remain waxed
Repeat waxing if necessary. These loosens sections must be scrapped off
and re-waxed

Techniques used in Batik making

i) Filling in or block effect:
- Shapes drawn on the fabric are fully, covered using hot-wax
ii) Outlines:
- A thin brush or tjanting is used to trace the borders of shapes drawn
on the fabric.
iii) Textured effect:
- Fabric is placed on a rough surface and rubbed with wax to
reproduce the textured effect.
- This is suitable for producing the background work.
iv) Scrapper / scratched effect:
- Wax is applied over the whole fabric and in then scratched off using
a blunt instrument to create varied lines.
- This technique allows for creation of varied tonal effects on the
fabric because the areas that were previously waxes will not absorb as
much dye as those not covered with wax.

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- Intensity of scratching can also be varied by using different sizes of
instruments and pressure applied
v) Crackled effect
- The waxed parts of the fabric are crumpled to allow the dye to
penetrate through producing very intricate web- like effect when the
fabric is dyed.
- During the dying process, the fabric is crumpled and wax develops
faint irregular cracks, varying in depth and directions.
- These fine lines have a variety of names known as views, faults or
cracks and the help differentiate batik from any other kind of fabric
decorating techniques.
Process of making a single colour
Batik
a) Wash the fabric to remove starch and other impurities
b) Draw / sketch a design on fabric.
c) Wax the fabric in the areas that you wish the dye not to penetrate.
d) Immerse the fabric in dye bath of desired colour for some time
depending on the desired shade.
e) Remove the fabric from the dye bath and allow to dry.
f) Remove the wax from the fabric.
Two-colour batik
a) Sketch your design on paper and work out your colour scheme.
b) Transfer design onto fabric.
c) Immerse the fabric onto the first dye bath (being the lightest
colour).
d) Allow the fabric to dry.
e) Wax the areas that need to retain the already dyed colour
f) Immerse fabric into the second dye bath. (Second colour).
g) Allow fabric to dry.
h) Repeat process until all the desired colours are used.
i) Remove the wax.
TIE-DYE
• This is a resist method of fabric decoration.
• The fabric is tied, knotted or stitched to prevent the penetration of
dyes.
Materials & tools
The basic materials and tools required are
• The fabric may be pure cotton, jinja a cotton, Americana
• Threads & stings for tying or stitch or knotting.
• Objects for creating patterns e.g. Stones, bottle tops etc
• Dyes
• Containers
• Iron box
Preparation for tie-dye.
• It is important that fabric is washed to remove starch and other
impurities.
• It is equally important to plan for the pattern/ design on paper. This
acts as a guide when you are producing the final work.

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Techniques of tie-dye
These include;
i. Pleating
ii. Circles
iii. Marbling
iv. Folding
v. Tritik
vi. Gathering
vii. Knotting
viii. Machine stitching
i. Pleating:
• -Fabric is pleated in such a way that pleats lie against each other.
• Done after planning and marking of the fabric
• Pleats are pressed with an iron box to hold than in place
• The fabric is then tied in sections depending on design
ii) Circles
• Circles can be produced by binding sections of the fabric and tying
then.
• Circles can also be produced by tying round or circular objects
• Fabric is folded around the object and then tied
• Size of circle normally depends on size of object being tied or length
from tip of the knotted part to the knot itself
iii) Marbling
• Fabric is crumpled and tied to produce a marbled effect.
• Some sections of the crumpled fabric are tied while others are left
exposed so that they can absorb the dyes.
• The whole piece of fabric may be crumpled or just sections of it.
iv) Folding
• Fabric can be folded into a specific shape and tied to produce a
specific pattern.
• The fabric could be folded into a square, a rectangle or triangle.
• For example, a piece of fabric may be out into rectangular shape
and folded over and over that it produces rectangles with rectangles until
it becomes very small.
• The indicated areas are then tied according to the designed pattern
• Apply creative methods of folding to interesting design
v) Tritik (stitching)
• A pattern is first planned on the fabric and then a needle and thread
are used to stitch around it.
• Areas to be stitched are first indicated on the fabric and then using
running stitches, the areas are stitched and the thread pulled very tight
and the thread is knotted to hold then at tension
Tritik
vi) Gathering
• The design is first planned on the fabric to indicate the areas to be
stitched.
• Areas are then stitched using running stitches
• Thread is then pulled together the fabric and then knotted.

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• Strong thread is recommended to hold the fabric and withstand the
tension.
• Sections where the thread is pulled are then tied with a strong knot.
vii) Knotting
• The fabric is tied into knots
• They are then pulled tight so that the strength of the knot can resist
the penetration of dye
viii) Machine stitching
• This is done using a sewing machine to produce regular designs.

PROCESS OF TIE-AND-DYE
- Wash the fabric to remove starch and other impurities.
- Dry and iron the fabric.
- Decide the technique of tying.
- Plan the design on paper.
- Tie the areas to retain the original colour of the fabric.
- Prepare the dye bath according to the manufacturer’s instructions
- Immerse the fabric into the dye bath then stir gently.
- Remove the fabric from the dye bath
- Rinse the fabric till the water is clear
- Untie the fabric, dry under the shade and then iron.
Tie-dye using two colours
1. Wash fabric in soapy water
2. Tie the areas to retain the original colour of the fabric
3. Prepare two dye-baths according to instructions from dye
manufacturer.
4. Immerse the fabric in 1st colour (lighter colour first)
5. Remove fabric from dye and rinse till water is clear
6. Untie the areas for the 2nd colour and tie the other areas to retain
the 1st colour.
7. Immerse fabric in 2nd colour
8. Remove fabric from dye and rinse till water is clear
9. Untie all the strings, dry under the shade and iron once fabric is
completely dry.
Exercise
Design and produce decorated fabric for a certain theme using either the
tie –dye or batik techniques
Revision questions
1. Describe the term Batik
2. Describe the term tie- dye.
3. State five technique used in fabric decoration and explain their
processes

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