Making Batik Handkerchiefs

There's a small Camp Hyatt at our resort in Hua Hin which is fairly underutilized. They have a cute selection of crafts that are fairly unusual and have a good Thai flavor - and we usually stop by every year to do one or two things. I have noticed that they're not really introducing any new crafts, but this does not seem to dismay my kids.


This year they chose to paint batik handkerchiefs. They first pick up the picture they want to do, then the instructor uses hot wax to outline the picture on the cotton fabric that's stretched on a wooden frame. After the wax has cooled, the kids use special water-based paints to color in the picture. The paint and the fabric ensure that colors can be blended very naturally in the right sections, while the wax border ensures that colors don't bleed into different sections.

After they're done painting, the fabric is allowed to dry naturally and is soaked overnight in some sort of solution that sets the paint. Then the staff nicely iron the pieces and we pick them up the next day.

This year, the kids both picked florals. I think they did quite a nice job!