The Art of Batiking

I've posted about my friend Esther a couple of times - she is the Batik Goddess here in Accra!  She lives out of town a bit and will give workshops on how to make batik fabric.  A group of friends and I headed out to do just that last Saturday.  It was such a neat experience - I did get a bit flustered at one point because I just couldn't grasp the concept of dying color over color over color!  BUT.....in the end, it all came together and everyone's projects turned out great!  I will definitely do this again now that I fully understand the process and exactly what to do.  Thank you Esther!

Love these ladies! Let's get started

The wall of stamps - pick one, or two, or three 

Start with white cotton 

dip the stamp in wax

stamp a design in whatever pattern you choose

dye using tubs of color

mixed by Esther herself

these are getting dunked again into another color

looks promising?

submerge in HOT water to set

rinse in cold water

and wait....for what appears to be hideous to turn out quite amazing!

our batiks waiting to dry

our work is done

headed home with our handmade fabrics

This was another of those 'experiences' that I didn't fully appreciate until later  - once I was looking at all the pics.  It is hard, even here, to slooooowwwww down and just relish the moments.  But, Esther is.such.a.strong.woman. who has worked very hard to provide for her family by making and selling the best batik product in town.  Plus, these side workshops are a GREAT idea to supplement that.  And, truly, just like everywhere, it's all about the people - and sharing experiences like this with friends, really makes it special.  Me + my friends + doing something creative = HAPPINESS!