The art form Batik has been dated back to the 5th century and was developed in Asia, mainly Indonesia, China, Japan, India and Africa.

A batik is created by a wax resist application. Thin wax lines are made with a tjanting (canting) needle, wooden handled tool with a tiny metal cup with a tiny spout, out of which the wax seeps.

Sometimes several colours are used, with a series of dyeing, drying and waxing steps.

After the last dyeing, the fabric is hung up to dry.
Then it is dipped in a solvent to dissolve the wax, or ironed between paper towels or newspapers to absorb the wax and reveal the deep rich colours and the fine crinkle lines that give batik its character.

Other methods of applying the wax onto the fabric include pouring the liquid wax, painting the wax on with a brush, and applying the hot wax to precarved wooden or metal wire block and stamping the fabric.