Hello, I’m Nimali

I work on a veranda in Galle, close enough to the fort that the sea air gets into the wax. I learned batik from an aunt who made sarongs, and I kept her copper tjanting, which still drips when I hold it too long.

I draw every pattern by hand, wax it onto the cloth and dye it in a bath. Each pattern lists the cloth, the colours and how hard it is. I keep the runs small, a dozen cloths at a time, and a new post comes every other Sunday.