How To Decorate Cloths Using Different Resist Techniques

There are different ways of decorating clothes. In the field of textiles, clothes can be enhanced mainly through printing, dyeing, and batiking. The resist methods of fabric decoration include Wax resist/Batik, Starch/Clay, Konkonte (Cooked cassava dough), Stitching or Tritiking, Wood and nail method, Knotting, Bunching, Binding, chemical resist and many others. However, the Wax resist, starch resist, and tie-dyeing are discussed.

• Wax resist/ Batik

Tools and materials needed:

Fabric, wax, tjantin, brush, stamps, gloves, spoon, dyes and chemicals, plastic bowls, metal pans or pots, a source of heat.

Process:

1. Apply molten wax onto the fabric using tjantin, brush, stamp etc. to resist some areas of the fabric that are not to receive dye during the dyeing process. Other techniques are used separately or in combination to this may include painting, splashing, dropping, sprinkling or stamping techniques to create interesting patterns on the surface of the fabric.

2. The fabric is dyed in the first coloured dye. It is dewaxed, rinsed and dried.

3. The fabric is rewaxed for the dyeing of the second colour to obtain the two coloured effect. The rewaxing is done at other portions of the fabric before the dyeing is carried out.

• Starch resist

Tools and materials needed:

Fabric, boiled starch, dyes, chemicals, hand gloves, spoon, brush, bowl, metal pan or pot, pencil

Process:

1. Spread the fabric on a table and the patterns or designs are created on it by the use of a pencil.

2. Boiled starch is applied to the fabric using a brush. It is allowed to dry thoroughly. Dyeing of the first colour is carried out. During dyeing, the un-starched areas receive the dye liquor.

3. Different areas of the fabric are re-starched and the dyeing of the second colour takes place. Dewaxing, rinsing and drying are then carried out.

• Tie-dyeing

Tools and materials needed:

Fabrics, dyes, chemicals, raffia/cord, hand gloves, spoon, bowl, wood and nails, a source of heat.

Process:

1. The fabric is folded, tied, stitched or bunched etc. with raffia or cord. Another alternative is to place the fabric between two pieces of wood and nailed to resist some areas of the fabric from dyeing.

2. Dye the fabric with the first coloured dye. It is untied, rinsed and dried.

3. The fabric is then refolded, tied, stitched, or bunched. The fabric is dyed in the second coloured dye. It is untied, rinsed and dried.