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Sew Many Places

BATIKING IN BALI

Quilting on the other side of the world!

by Jim West, Sew Many Places

I am always amazed when I travel with a group, how quickly it can turn from a simple tour into a full blown out adventure, when you have the right combination of people, sightseeing, location and attitude. And none of this could have been more true than on my recent journey to the enchanting island of Bali, a tiny island located in the heart of Indonesia.

The American Quilters Society (AQS) asked me to organize a batiking tour to Bali that would provide an in-depth look at this fabric -- how it’s made, both in factories and by hand, where it could be purchased at a great price, etc. They wanted me to find everything I possibly could that was related to the batik process and build a tour around this kind of fabric. It was the first time I had ever built a tour around a particular fabric. Usually it was the destination itself that was the draw, but this time it was the batiks.

Our special guests accompanying us on this adventure were Bonnie Browning from AQS and quilt celebrity Kaye England. Bonnie brought her husband Wayne along for the ride, so it was a bus full of ladies, myself and Wayne. And so the adventure began.

I am not always inspired to blog on my Web site, while I am actually on a tour, but because each day was so unusual and truly remarkable, I was writing like a madman.

First let me talk about our accommodations -- they were awesome! We stayed at a five-star resort, the Melia Bali Resort and Spa. The accommodations were divided into different buildings on the grounds. Some accommodations were bungalows and some were rooms in a three-level hotel structure.

There were beautiful tropical gardens, fountains, small ponds everywhere on the property, tropical birds and even a giant lizard that lazily walked around as if it was all part of a little society that got along. There were fantastic restaurants that were spread out all over the place, and there was even a restaurant with tables just 10 feet from the ocean, where you could sit and have a meal, listening to the waves crashing on the sand under a starry night and bright moon. Sound romantic? It was, and you can be sure the honeymooners who were staying at that hotel took advantage of the setting. Kaye kept grabbing my rear end, but that’s a whole different story!

The second wonderful aspect of our tour that is worth mentioning, before I jump into the batiking part, was our guide Mawa. Mawa is in his late 50s, with a gentle heart and spirit and a smile full of teeth that could direct sailors home in a fog! He was the real life force and backbone of our tour, with his daily commentary, enchanting stories of his personal life, and constant attention to service and pampering.

Because it was so humid in Bali when we were there (The paper in our rooms was even soggy.), at the end of each day, Mawa would walk down the aisle of the bus, handing out fresh rolled towels that had been in a cooler. That was so refreshing. It was just what we needed to cool off!

Unexpected details like that can really make you appreciate a trip, and these were the kinds of things that happened all the time while we were in Bali.

Our sightseeing and adventure included a visit to a coffee and clove plantation, an elephant safari ride in a lush Balinese jungle, a visit to a real Monkey Forest, visiting ancient temples dating back to 9 B.C., enjoying spectacular scenery of rice paddies terraces, tropical plants and trees, and even a day where we saw master wood carvers, silversmiths and painters. What talent and creativity, right before our very eyes. Each day brought us a new adventure and our senses were on complete overdrive.

So now onto the batiking. I’ll talk about the shopping first, since this is always a highlight of any quilting tour I escort. There were many options and venues to purchase batik fabrics. One of the real hot spots was at the market in Denpasar. Here, our quilters found blocks of batik shops, with every kind of batik you could imagine. Yes, I did say blocks of stores. And are you ready for this? The cost, if you purchased a lot of fabric from the same shop, could be as low as $1.50 a yard! It was a batik shopping frenzy!

Some of our quilters purchased 250 yards to bring back home with them. And this was only the second day after we had arrived in Bali. Can you imagine what was next?

There were opportunities to purchase really great quality batiks in some of the specialty stores that we visited. Additionally, some of the vendors actually followed our bus each day, only to sell their batik fabric as we got on and off the bus at each stop. All in all, there was no shortage of fabric, and everyone went home with something to add to their stash.

One of the highlights, without doubt, was the batik factory we visited, where every one of our quilters had an opportunity to make a batik themselves. The process is really quite interesting. Each person in our group had a Master batik artist assisting them -- kind of like their own tutor. The process begins with drawing or tracing the design using a pencil. Most of the designs were already drawn for our group because of the timeframe we had. The next step was to take a small pen-like object with a tiny cup attached to the tip. We filled it by dipping into hot wax. The wax was then spread over the outline of the design on the cloth, right at the tip so the wax flowed freely. There is a real art to how the wax is put on the fabric, and many of our quilters caught on very quickly.

Once the entire fabric had been outlined with the wax, the next step was to wash it in a pre-dying solution. Our quilters had different colors to choose from. After the fabric was dyed, it was rinsed in water and then placed in a vat of boiling water. The wax is melted off in this vat, revealing the light color that was secured during the dying process. After rinsing one more time, the fabric had been transformed into a batik. Everyone got to keep their batik as a souvenir. It was really a wonderful experience.

From elephant rides and shopping, to coffee plantations and batik making, our tour to Bali, Indonesia, was a once in a life time experience for our quilters. Because of the success of this tour, we are going to be offering it every year. Kaye England will be back as our special guest, and the tour is scheduled for September in 2008. If you have desire whatsoever to join us, don’t hesitate to call our office or go online to our Web site. It’s one of those trips that will touch your heart, activate your quilting soul and give you a better understanding of quilting on the other side of the world. &

Jim West is the founder of Sew Many Places and is one of the most sought after travel experts in North America. He has sailed on over 885 cruises during his career as a professional cruise director. Jim has traveled to 76 countries around the world, explored all seven continents, is the author of four best-selling travel books, including The Essential Little Cruise Book and Chicken Soup for the Traveler’s Soul. You may contact Jim at Jim@SewManyPlaces.com or call him 1-877-887-1188.

Reprinted from Quilting NOW, February 2008