Batik is a fun way to make a beautiful cushion cover. This project makes one cushion cover with an organic branch and leaf design. Start with plain white cotton and use wax and paints to build up the design in layers. You may wish to paint the back of the cushion to match the front before sewing the back and front together. Make the cover in an envelope style, or stitch on a zip or buttons.
Material you need
- 2 x 45 cm (18 inch) squares of white 100% cotton fabric
- scissors
- 45 cm (18 inch) square wooden frame
- three-pronged pins
- vanishing fabric marker pen
- fine and medium paint brushes
- cold batik wax
- iron-fixed silk paints in yellow, light green and dark green
- palette, water pot, sponge brush
- plastic sheeting, small sponge, Wax-Out liquid
- newspaper, iron, detergent
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
How to make it
1 Stretch and pin one square of fabric to the frame. Using the vanishing fabric marker pen, trace the outline of the drawing on the centre of the fabric. With a fine paint brush, paint cold wax over the traced lines. Leave to dry for about 20 minutes. Paint the background yellow using a sponge brush, then paint the branch and leaves using light green paint. Leave to dry for about 20 minutes.
2 Paint the lines of the branch and the veins of the leaves using cold wax and fine paint brush. Leave to dry for about 20 minutes.
3 Using the dark green, paint alternate stripes of the branch and on half of each leaf. Leave to dry for 20 minutes.
4 Dip a small sponge in cold wax and brush it over the entire piece so that it is covered in a layer of wax. leave to dry for 20 minutes. Remove the fabric from the frame and scrunch it to crackle the wax. protect the work surface with plastic sheeting then spread the fabric out, face up. Paint over the yellow background in the dark green, using a sponge brush. Wait a few seconds for the colour to sink into the fabric. When you are satisfied with the effect, use a hairdryer on a cool setting to halt the process.
5 Once the fabric is dry, sandwich it between the layers of newspapers and iron for 3 minutes per 30 cm (12 inch) square, keeping the iron moving. This will set the paints and absorb some of the wax. Repeat the clean newspaper until most of the wax has been absorbed.
6 Then rinse the fabric in cold water to remove all traces of dye before soaking in a solution of Wax-Out liquid for 10 minutes. Wash gently in hot soapy water then iron on the reverse while damp. If you wish, you can paint the second square of fabric (the back of the cushion cover) in yellow, then add crackle by using a layer of cold wax and the dark green paint (step 4).
