STEP 1
SKETCH THE DESIGN ON THE COTTON WITH A PENCIL.
STEP 2
WAX THE AREA THAT IS TO REMAIN WHITE. IN THIS CASE, THAT MEANS ALL THE BACKGROUND WILL BE WAXED.
STEP 3
DYE THE CLOTH THE LIGHTEST COLOR. IN THIS CASE, YELLOW IS THE LIGHTEST COLOR. NOTICE THE AREAS IN THE BACKGROUND WHERE THE WAX WAS "CRACKLED". HOPEFULLY, SOME OF THE YELLOW DYE WILL SEEP INTO THOSE CRACKS AND CREATE YELLOW "CRACKLE"
STEP 4
AFTER THE BATIK DRIES, WAX THE AREA THAT IS TO REMAIN YELLOW. IN THIS CASE, THE BOTTOM OF EACH PETAL (EXCEPT FOR A SMALL LINE IN THE MIDDLE THAT WILL BE GREEN) WILL BE WAXED. AS WELL, AREAS OF THE BACKGROUND THAT HAVE YELLOW CRACKLE IN THEM WILL BE WAXED.
STEP 5
DYE THE CLOTH THE SECOND COLOR. IN THIS CASE, ORANGE IS THE SECOND COLOR.
STEP 6
AFTER THE CLOTH DRIES, WAX THE AREAS THAT ARE TO REMAIN ORANGE, WHICH WILL BE THE MAJORITY OF THE PETALS AS WELL AS SOME OF THE CRACKLE THAT FORMED DURING THE ORANGE DYE-BATH.
STEP 7
DYE THE CLOTH THE LAST COLOR. IN THIS CASE, I USED A BLUE DYE. THAT WOULD CREATE A GREEN COLOR WHEREVER THE DYE MIXED WITH THE ORANGE AREAS. AS WELL, IN THE WHITE BACKGROUND, THE "CRACKLE"WOULD BE BLUE, BECAUSE THE BLUE DYE WOULD BE RUNNING INTO THE WHITE CLOTH.
STEP 8
TO REMOVE THE WAX FROM THE CLOTH, I PLACE IT BETWEEN SHEETS OF NEWSPRINT (FREE FROM THE JOURNAL...THEIR END ROLLS!) AND IRON OVER IT WITH A VERY HOT IRON. THE IRON MELTS THE WAX AND THE NEWSPRINT ABSORBS IT.
THIS IS THE MOST EXCITING PART....THE FIRST LOOK AT THE BATIK WITH THE WAX REMOVED!
THE FINISHED BATIK.....READY FOR MOUNTING.
