Description
Pekalongan
The city of Pekalongan is on the north coast of Central Java. It is known as the “City of Batik” and has a long history of batik production. Due to to its historical trading patterns Pekalongan batik has been influenced by (and has influenced) other areas of Asia in their textile design. Pekalongan is quite contemporary in their creativity and their well established batik house produce some of the finest batik in Java.
Batik Cap (pronounced chap). Hot wax is applied to the cloth using a copper stamp.
The cloth is then dipped in dye or the colour is painted on. After the cloth is dry the wax is removed by boiling the cloth. The areas treated with wax keep their original colour. This process is repeated as many times depending how many colours are desired. The process can take days or even weeks for more complex designs and colours.
Batik Natural process
Beautiful soft tones, as well as strong and vibrant colours, are produced using only natural dyes. The process to produce strong colours that last is often a long one. It takes generations of local knowledge which is being lost with the popularity of chemical dyes.
The blue is made from indigo which is grown and harvested locally. It is first soaked in water mixed with lime powder. The lime reacts with the leaf and turns the water blue. It is them fermented for weeks to ensure the colour is strong and will remain in the cloth.
Red, yellow, brown, green and black are produced with various roots and leaves, sometimes mixed together for varying colour tones.
Click here to see batik being made