LENGGONG: The Community-based Rehabilitation Centre (PDK) here created history when it introduced the use of clay to make sketches of batik motifs.
PDK Lenggong guidance teacher Asmaeyah Sihabuddin said the use of clay from Sayong, Kuala Kangsar was initiated by Kraftangan Malaysia as a technique for making batik sketches.
She said the technique was done with a paper mould drawn in the form of filigree and flowers placed on the cloth before the clay was stamped with a roller.
“The batik motifs on the shirt that is stamped with the clay is left to dry before it is dipped into the colouring material within two hours.
“The use of clay is safer compared to the use of hot wax that can endanger the safety of workers among Persons with Disabilities (PwD),“ she said when met at the rehab centre here recently.
However, she said the hot wax method is still being used to print batik motifs because it is faster.
“The first batik product using this latest technique of clay mixed with water and glue is expected to be marketed next month,“ she said.
Asmaeyah who has been working at the PDK for the past 12 years, said the PwDs that are trained here are mostly individuals with Down’s Syndrome and those suffering from hearing and speech impairments, adding that the training is to ensure that they can generate income and survive on their own.
The batik handicrafts programme started a year ago to provide side income to the group, she added.
Meanwhile, Perak PDK coordinator Zamri Mat Said said 14 PwDs are being trained at the rehab centre to help them generate their source of income.
He said PDK Lenggong has been active in producing batik-themed products such as shirts, T-shirts, headscarves and headgears for men (tengkolok), among others, which are then sold online, adding that the demand for these products is encouraging. -Bernama
