Cathy Haight -

After creating a detailed sketch on paper, I transfer the basic lines to white cotton broadcloth. Then I apply melted wax to part of the piece using Indonesian tools (tjantings and tjeguls)and brushes. I use mixtures with different ratios of beeswax and parafin, depending on how much "crackle" I want.

Using fiber-reactive dyes (Procion) I apply color with brushes. I keep the piece damp for twenty-four hours to cure it. Then I apply more wax to act as a resist against the next dyeing. This process is repeated many times.

Between waxing, I often use the Indonesian technique of removing the wax with boiling water and caustic soda. In this way I can keep the colors pure and allow greater detail.

After finishing a batik I have it dry-cleaned to remove all traces of wax and insure more permanence of the fabric. By presenting my pieces stretched and framed without glass, the fabric and visual detail are preserved.

-->Care should be taken not to hang batiks in the direct sun in order to minimize fading.

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