August is here and the start of school is fast approaching. Every student wants to carry a new book bag to school. Help your child show off his or her creative side by making an original batik book bag.

Batik is a method of dying fabric by using wax to create patterns. Traditional batik with various colors requires many repeated waxing and dying steps. By using different colors of crayons as the wax, a variety of colors can be applied and only one dye bath is needed.

Materials:
• Newspapers
• Broken, unwrapped crayons
• Paraffin (clear wax)
• Fabric dye
• Inexpensive brushes with wood handles (one brush for each color and  
an additional for clear paraffin)
• Baby food jars (one for each color and an additional for clear  
paraffin)
• White pillowcase or purchased white, light-weight tote bag
• Iron
• Baby food jars and an old electric skillet

Process: If you are using a pillowcase, cut it in half, then cut a 2” strip of cloth from the half with two open sides—this will form a loop of fabric. Cut the loop to create one long strip for the bag’s handle. After the batik process is complete, sew the handle on.

Place many flat sheets of newspaper inside the bag so wax will not melt through.

Using one color per jar, fill jars half-full of crayons. Put clear paraffin into another jar.

Prepare dye bath in a bucket or in the kitchen sink. For a brighter color, mix dye stronger than directions suggest.

Cover work area with newspaper and, with adult supervision, place jars in electric skillet. Add water to the skillet so the jars are half immersed. Turn skillet on low and pay attention to the water level—water will need to be added to the skillet as it evaporates.

Plan your design as wax is melting. The un-waxed areas will absorb the color of the dye; the clear wax will keep areas white. The white areas will make the colors appear brighter, so apply the clear wax throughout your design.

When wax is melted, place a brush into each jar. Apply enough wax to saturate the fabric. Wax cools rapidly, so quickly move the brush from the jar to the fabric. If you end up with unplanned dribbles or colors, don’t worry; just let them become part of the creative process. Decorate both sides of the bag and the handle. Place wax on all cut edges to keep fabric from fraying.

Remove paper from bag and, over the trash can, crumple the fabric gently to give the cracked look of batik. Place into dye bath for 10 minutes. Hang outside until dry.

Place newspaper under, inside, and over the bag and iron on medium heat (adult supervision required) to draw out the wax. The paper will need to be changed several times as the wax melts. The bag will become softer, but some wax will remain—this will make the bag more durable.

Sew on the handle and you have a one-of-a-kind book bag for the first day of school. A king size pillowcase will make two bags so invite a friend over and have a fun day designing together.