Decoration Techniques
Senior 3 · Home Science
Decoration Techniques
Lesson 4 of 4
25 min
Let's begin
Hold a piece of batik cloth up to the light and you can sometimes see fine, dark veins running across it, like cracks in dry ground. They are a trace of how the cloth was made: the pattern was drawn in hot wax, the cloth was dyed, and where the cooled wax cracked, a little dye crept in. That is the whole secret of batik: wax resists dye. The same principle, using cassava paste instead of wax, gives the indigo adire cloth of the Yoruba people of Nigeria.
This lesson covers three ways to decorate fabric for the home, such as cushion covers, table runners, wall hangings and bags: batik, fabric painting and appliqué. (Tie-and-dye and block printing were covered in S2.)
Definition
Resist dyeing: decorating cloth by covering some parts with a substance (wax, paste, thread) that stops dye reaching them, then dyeing the cloth.
Batik: resist dyeing in which hot wax is the resist. Canting (tjanting): a small metal cup with a fine spout on a handle, used to draw lines of hot wax.
Appliqué: decoration made by sewing cut-out shapes of one fabric onto the surface of another.
Colourfast: describes a dyed or painted fabric whose colour does not run or fade when it is washed or exposed to light.
Use a natural fabric such as cotton, washed first to remove the factory finish so that the dye takes evenly. Use cold-water dyes: hot dye would melt the wax. Because each new dye goes over the earlier ones, the colours must be dyed in order from lightest to darkest.
Ngande Textiles: making a three-colour African batik cloth. Watch for the order of the dye baths, from light to dark, and the waxing between them.
Choose appliqué fabrics that are colourfast and need the same washing as the background; a red cotton that runs will stain a white cushion at the first wash.
| Source | Colour on cotton | Note |
|---|---|---|
| onion skins (outer, dry) | yellow to orange-brown | one of the most reliable natural dyes |
| turmeric | bright yellow | fades quickly in sunlight |
| avocado skins and stones | pink to soft brown | simmer slowly; do not boil hard |
| black tea or coffee | beige to light brown | gives an "antique" look |
Most natural dyes hold better if the cloth is first treated with a mordant, a substance such as alum that helps fix dye to the fibre.
Warning
Hot wax and dyes. Melt wax in a double boiler (a tin standing in a pan of hot water), never directly over a flame or stove plate: overheated wax smokes and can catch fire. If wax catches fire, turn off the heat and cover the pot with a lid. Never pour water on burning wax: it makes the fire spread violently. Wear gloves when dyeing, and keep dye pots, spoons and buckets for dyeing only, never for food.
Important
First aid for a burn from hot wax or water. Cool the burn at once under cool running water (not ice) and keep cooling it; many first-aid guidelines, including the European Resuscitation Council's 2021 guidance, advise at least 20 minutes. Do not peel off wax stuck to the skin. Remove rings or tight items near the burn before it swells. Cover it loosely with cling film or a clean, non-fluffy dressing. Never put butter, oil or toothpaste on a burn, and do not burst blisters. Get medical help for a large burn, a burn on the face, hands or joints, and any burn on a young child. The International Liaison Committee on Resuscitation (2025) strongly recommends cooling burns with running water at once.
Worked example
Worked example 1: planning the dye order. Keza wants a batik with a white bird, a yellow sun and a red background. In what order should she wax and dye?
Worked example
Worked example 2: fabric for appliqué leaves. Each leaf fits in a rectangle 8 cm by 5 cm. Allow 1 cm all round for turning. How big a piece of fabric is needed to cut 6 leaves in 2 rows of 3?
Tip
Memory hook: "Light to dark, wax what you want to keep." In batik, every colour you want to keep must be waxed before the next, darker dye bath.
Practice
Further reading
Sources and credits
