Batiking for Global Mamas

Although it doesn’t really look it, batiking is a difficult job. You have to mix the dye and hope that the consistence of the colors will produce the final color that you want. Then you have to draw out a design using precut stamps, wooden or foam. After laying out the white cloth and heating the wax you have to soak the stamps in the wax for a few moments. Then you have to be really careful when pressing the stamps on the cloth and make sure that you don’t drip wax on the cloth. You have to be precise when stamping on the cloth because you can’t go back and erase the wax that has been stamped on the material. After the wax has dried the cloth is soaked in the dyed water until every part of the cloth has the same color consistency. The cloth is then left to dry. After the cloth is dried it is taken to the inspectors in the Global Mamas shop where at least two inspectors search the cloth for mistakes. If it isn’t up to par then the inspector will show you where the mistakes are, a little wax dripping here, a stamp that wasn’t pressed hard enough into the fabric, a dye color that doesn’t come out correctly. After you are told of all the mistakes, you wonder why it didn’t turn out like you wanted. After all the design plans and what you thought were careful batiking practices. Then when looking at the original white cloth, you realize that it is of poor quality and never would have sustained long term.