Among our many stops while visiting Bali was one to a shop specializing in batiks and hand-woven linens.
The photos above show an artist applying wax to the design imprinted on fabric. This keeps the fabric from all being dyed one color. Batik is a multistep process. After the first dye has been applied, the wax can be removed completely by placing the fabric in boiling water, or more selectively the wax can be partially removed if more than two colors are desired. The process is quite labor intensive.
Nearby were two women weaving a patterned cloth. It was also painstaking work, the threads being added one at a time.
Given the low cost of labor in Bali, the final products are surprisingly inexpensive.
