How to Make Faux Batik Fabric

Batik fabric can be used for garments and decorating.

Batik fabric is a printed material that is made using a traditional hand-dying technique. Batik fabrics are traditionally made in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Azerbaijan, India, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Egypt, Senegal, and Singapore. Batiks utilize a variety of colors and patterns, along with incorporating things such as flowers, nature, animals, people, religion and folklore. Making your own faux batik is less expensive than buying batik fabric and it allows you to choose the design and colors you prefer.

Things You'll Need

• Plastic sheeting
• Tape
• 1 piece of cotton or silk fabric 18" x 22" (pre-washed)
• 1 tube of gel glue
• Textile paint
• Paint brushes
• Paper cups
• Spray bottle
• Parchment paper
• Iron
• Bucket

Instructions

1. Prepare your workspace. Lay plastic sheeting out on a flat surface. Place your fabric on the plastic sheeting and tape the corners of the fabric to the plastic so it doesn't move while you are working with it. Fill your spray bottle and a paper cup with water.

2. Apply the gel glue directly to your fabric in the pattern you want for your faux batik. Try starting in one corner and work your way to the other. The gel glue lines will create barriers for the dye, so when creating patterns it is important to note that the thicker the line the better.

3. Allow the glue on your fabric to dry completely. Once the glue has dried, lightly mist your fabric with water.

4. Apply the textile paint to your fabric with paint brushes. Start with one color and paint several spots leaving other spots white. If your paint is too thick, thin it out by adding a little water. Mix the water and paint so they are completely blended.

5. Add your second color of paint by filling in some of the areas that you skipped with the first color. Either fill all the empty areas in, or leave a few blank and add a third color. The amount of colors you use on your faux batik is a personal choice, but generally 2 to 3 is ideal for blending.

6. Wait for the paint on your homemade batik to dry. Heat set your faux batik by placing it between two pieces of parchment paper and ironing it on the hottest setting. Iron each section of your fabric for 4 minutes each to ensure it is properly set.

7. Soak your homemade batik in warm water to remove the gel glue. Agitate your fabric from time to time during the soaking process to help loosen the glue. Continue to soak and periodically agitate your fabric until all the glue and its residue are gone.

8. Rinse your homemade batik after all the glue and residue are gone. Do this under a steady stream of cold water. Squeeze the excess water from your batik.

9. Dry your batik. Your batik can be hung out to dry, or machine dried on a medium heat setting. Once your batik is dry iron it on high to get rid of the wrinkles.

References

• 3 Creative Studios: Faux Batik Fabric
• "Batik and Tie Dye Techniques"; Nancy Belfer; 1992
• "What Are Textiles?"; Ruth Thomson; 2005