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Instructional and Informational Videos

For fantastic video clips showing how to tie and wear a sarong and further insight into the quality of our products please visit our Product Videos page.

Batik

Batik is an Indonesian word referring to the decoration of material by a wax resist technique. The base fabric is usually undyed cotton, rayon or silk but wood and other materials may also be used. A pattern is drawn onto the fabric using hot wax and once the wax is dry the fabric is dipped in a dye bath. The fabric beneath the wax does not take up the dye and when the wax is removed with hot water a pattern of white lines is left. This process can be repeated a number of times to create complex patterns in many colours. The technique of applying a wax resist to decorate material is ancient and is still practised in many parts of the world. However, it is in Indonesia, and particularly the island of Java, where the highest levels of skill and artistry exist today.

The most exclusive batik material has its wax patterns drawn by hand using a tool called a ‘canting’. Alternatively, the wax pattern can be applied using a stamp called a ‘cap’. Java Connection sells batik made using both these techniques. You can watch a short video of batik being made or read a description of the batik making process here. The resulting fabric can be used in clothing or purely for decorative purposes, wall hangings for example.

Traditional batik uses designs and patterns rich in symbolism (see glossary). Some modern batik makers also incorporate more freestyle designs and use non-natural colours, although their methods are still the same.

Java Connection Sarongs

All of our full-size sarongs and all of our sarong sets are handmade batik - guaranteed! We do sell a few printed and plain sarongs for variety (these are clearly identified in the item descriptions) but our batik sarongs are the stars of the show.

There are many companies selling sarongs with a machine printed batik-type pattern, produced in vast numbers, in large factories. We use more traditional methods.

Why are Java Connection sarongs different? Owing to the nature of the production process, our sarongs cannot be mass-produced. Our handmade batik sarongs have the main wax resist applied by hand stamp - a tjap (see glossary below), with additional small details drawn on by hand using a canting. Very often the wax is also applied to the reverse side of the cloth to ensure the sarong is equally vivid on both sides. Our sarongs are then dyed by hand, washed in hot water to remove the wax, dried, re-waxed, re-dyed etc. for as many times as necessary to produce the vibrant, intricate designs found on Java Connection sarongs.

Who makes them? Our sarongs are made for us in Yogyakarta on the island of Java - the home of the finest batik makers in the world. There is a long tradition of batik making in this area. Our sarongs are produced on a human scale - often by batik artists working from home so that they can be with their families. Many families have been producing batik for generations and will pass their knowledge and skill onto their children.

We have a close relationship with the batik makers, visit them several times a year and pay them a fair price for their for their products.

Anything else? Well, Java Connection full-size sarongs, and the sarongs in the sarong sets, are a generous 225cm x 115cm (88ins x 45ins), meaning they fit all sizes. We use only the best quality cotton and rayon so the sarongs drape beautifully and are long-lasting. Our sarongs are machine washable and fade-resistant if you follow the washing instructions.

Batik Glossary

Batik Tulis. Batik tulis is where the wax resist is drawn onto fabric by hand using a canting. This technique requires an extremely high level of skill, experience, precision and patience, and is very time consuming. Genuine batik is often imperfect. The nature of batik tulis production means that no two pieces are ever identical. Slight smearing sometimes occurs and is not considered to be a defect. Similarly, cracking and other minor imperfections are often introduced deliberately by the artist.

Batik Combination. As the name suggests, this uses a combination of tulis and cap techniques to decorate the fabric.

Batik Printing. This uses machines to produce fabric with a batik design. It can only be used for simple designs. It allows faster production and the results are uniform.

Crepe. A light, soft and thin fabric with a crinkled surface.

Organza. A crisp and sheer fabric, similar to chiffon with a stiffer texture.

Organdy. A sheer fabric that has had a acid finish applied to produce a crisp texture.

Chiffon. A lightweight sheer fabric with some stretch and a slightly rough feel.

Rayon. Although rayon is a manufactured fabric, it is not synthetic. It is made from naturally occurring cellulose usually extracted from wood pulp or other plant material. Rayon is widely used for clothing in tropical climates as it is cool and comfortable to wear in hot, humid conditions.

Sidomukti. Is based on a stylised garuda bird symbolising a happy and prosperous life.

Truntum. Is derived from ‘menuntun’ which means to guide. It consists of flower and star-like symbols in a diagonal pattern. In a traditional Javanese wedding ceremony the parents of the bride and the bridegroom wear batik with a truntum motif. This symbolises the guidance of the parents to the newlyweds. Meanwhile the bride and the bridegroom will wear the same motif of batik with a Sidomukti pattern.

Tambal design. A patchwork of well-known designs set within triangles, circles, and onion-shaped lozenges arranged in diagonal or horizontal rows. This design is said to commemorate the humility of the Buddha who wore robes made up of patches. There is a belief that a sick person who uses this batik as a blanket will recover quickly, as ‘tambal’ means to make better.

Parang. Meaning "knife" or "dagger", the motif par excellence of Javanese batik. Historically, the parang rusak was the exclusive property of the courts of Surakarta and Jogyakarta. This is the most visually striking of the Javanese batiks, a series of diagonal stripes and intercepting diagonals forming diamonds. It is regarded as auspicious. The so called parang rusak (broken sword), comprising of rows of softly folded parang, signifies that the wearer is a great destroyer of enemies.

Kawung. Consists of parallel rows of ellipses. It is a widely known old pattern that has been used on the walls of temples found in Java such as Prambanan near Jogjakarta and Kediri in East Java. This implies that the design has been known since the 13th century. Kawung is based on a combination squares and circles in parallel rows. The kawung motif was formerly reserved for royal use.

Ceplok. The ceplok pattern is made of geometric shapes to resemble life forms such as flowers, buds, seeds, and even animals (Kawung is one version of ceplok).

Nitik. Nitik motifs are composed of small dots and lines imitating the weaving structures of fabrics and matting.

Tumpal. A very old and popular design seen on batik clothing. It consists of rows of elongated triangles symbolising life force, and is considered to have magical powers. The design often appears at the ends of a sarong. When these ends are sewn together, as in the sarong, a panel is formed with two rows of tumpals facing each other, creating a lozenge of a contrasting colour in the middle. Tumpals are most often filled with flower or animal motifs.

Cap or tjap. This is where the wax resisit is applied by hand using a stamp. The stamp is already formed into a pattern, thus making the decorating process quicker. It was developed in the mid-19th century and comprises of copper strips bent to the shape required and pieces of wire for the dots, welded onto a copper block.

Canting (Wax pen). Is the tool used to apply hot wax to fabric in the batik tulis method. It is a small copper container connected to a short bamboo handle approximately 10 cm long. The artist fills the canting with liquid wax and applies the wax to the fabric using its spout(s). These can vary from 1 mm diameter, for details, to larger diameters for filling in large areas, and from a single spout to 9 spouts for drawing a series of parallel lines or dots.

Garuda. Is a large bird or bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology. It has been adopted as the national symbol of Indonesia.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about our products, or anything else, please email us at info@javaconnection.co.uk and we will be happy to provide more information.