Batik Making

 The batiks in our store are handmade in Ghana from 100% cotton.  They have strong, vibrant colours with Ghanaian designs.  Although batiks abound in that country, we purchased ours directly from the best batik maker there; she is popular with tourists because of the quality and beauty of her fabrics. You are buying excellent quality batik from Ramicraft.

 Batik is a wax-resist dyeing technique done by hand in homes and small workshops usually by families or small groups of dealers.

 Melted wax is applied to the fabric in a design of the batik maker’s choice with a brush or pre-carved wooden block. Starting with a lighter colour the cloth is dipped in first dye, and then dried. Wherever the wax has seeped through the fabric, the dye will not penetrate; the rest is the new colour.

 More wax is applied for the next set of designs, followed by dyeing and drying until the complete number of colours and designs has been achieved.  (Often several colours are used, with a series of waxing and dyeing steps.) The fabric is boiled to remove the wax for re-use, and to reveal the deep rich colors and the fine crinkle lines that give batik its character.  The last stages involve a final drying and ironing for sale.

 Batiks have several uses including dressmaking, furnishing accessories, patchwork & quilting, curtains, etc.  The light damask ones give a slight shimmer to your finished product.

 A few of them have two designs on the same piece, meant to complement each other. One fabric is an accent to the other.

 They wash well and you’ll be glad you bought from us.