Batik Hand Paint Process

1. First, the artist paints the outline of the motif in hot liquid wax onto the cloth, using a special hot wax applicator. It requires great skill to apply the wax evenly with no drips!

2. Next, each color is painted one by one onto the stretched pareo. The natural wicking action of the fabric serves to blend and shade colors. The wax outlines prevent different colors from mixing.

3. Now the pareo must hang to airdry. Pray for sunny weather!

4. Then the workers soak the pareo in several baths, to fix the colors and to melt the wax out of the fabric.

5. Finally, the pareo is dried again, sewn, ironed, checked for for flaws, packaged, and then shipped.

Batik Hand Stamp Process

1. This is how the hand-stamped silk sarongs are created. The fern design was created by Pareo Island owner, Pam Soderberg. We gave it to the metal worker who crafted the bronze stamp used in the process. It is a work of art in itself!

2. The fabric is painted the lighter color (or white) and then stretched. The artisan dips the bronze stamp into the hot wax and places it precisely onto the streched fabric. No drips! Artist Michele Nu and Pam look on, admiring the skill of the textile worker.

3. The darker color is painted on, covering the lighter color where there is no wax. The wax acts as a resist against the dark color, and when it is washed out, the design remains.