After patterning, the silk is dipped in dye, which is absorbed by the uncovered cloth areas but resisted by the waxed design, thus creating a light pattern on a dark ground. Start with the lightest colors working toward the darkest colors

  The process may be repeated many times to achieve great intricacy of design and richness of color.

 Batik, known to the ancient Sumerians, was developed into an art of great beauty by the Javanese and other Indonesian peoples. They used traditional geometric or floral motifs, often symbols of religion or social status, most frequently in blue and brown tones.

  Batik was introduced to Europe by Dutch merchants in the 17th century, and the process has since become commercialized in Indonesia.

  Due to the tremendous amount of hand-crafting involved in the batik process, it is virtually impossible to attain the level of duplication sometimes expected of mass-produced or synthetic materials