The Journal

Notes from the printing shed

Dye recipes, block carving, the honest economics of piece-rate work, and how to keep a hand-batik length looking new.

Why the wax has to crack

The fine veining that runs through every batik length is not a flaw in the process. It is the process.

Rupali Sharma

Founder

Our deepest blue needs three days, two dips and a vat that has to be fed like a living thing.

Mahesh Verma · Master dyer

Natural dye moves for the first few washes. Five minutes of care in week one buys you years.

Sunita Meena · Quality desk

Piece-rate work has a bad name in Indian textiles. Here is how we tried to make it work honestly.

Rupali Sharma · Founder

An unstitched set is more flexible than a ready-made kurta. A guide to cuts that suit batik.

Priya Nair · Studio

The blocks tell you more about a workshop than the finished cloth does. Here is what to look for.

Mahesh Verma · Master dyer