Batik

We have a bit more time than expected this morning before we leave Bali so a few minutes to update you all on yesterday's trip to a batik studio that uses natural dyes and does some really top class batik. Of course that means we have more acquisitions to show off when we get home.

The owner of the batik studio was one of the founders of the YPBB Foundation - the part of Threads of Life that supports the research, development and support for natural dyes including growing the plants. He uses alot of indigo in his work.

We saw all stages of production.


Here's a picture of the stamps they use in some designs. These are dipped in hot wax and applied to the clean material.


And then there is the dying process. They make their own dyes. Here is a picture of indigo being made - part of the dye making process is getting the oxygen into the mix. This guy is aerating the mixture. The dying and pattern design is a bloke's job it appears.



Women get to do all the fine, detailed work and here are two pictures of women painting with wax onto the cloth. This cloth has already been dyed at least once and in each layer, there is added wax to block out more and to create variations of depth of colour, and sometimes mixing in red/brown colours.


And Fiona went to a pig restaurant for lunch. I didn't. I found a hippy cafe. That choice of lunches says everything. She also found the Ubud Writers Festival and I came back to organise my photos.