1. Students will understand the development of resist dye techniques in Japan, Indonesia and West Africa as it relates to the history, traditions and cultures of those countries (historical and cultural understanding).
2. Students will learn about what materials were employed and how they were used in the different resist dye techniques (perceiving, analyzing and responding).
3. Students will find different solutions in the process of creating a resist painting by exploring line, shape, pattern, symmetry and color (creating and performing).

Watercolor or heavy drawing paper, at least 8 ½" x 11", preferably 11" x 14", pencils, erasers, craypas, watercolors, watercolor brushes, water containers, newspaper to cover tables.

1. Initiate a discussion about textile decoration by looking at different textile patterns found within your classroom. Ask students to find as many different patterns as they can as they look at each others’ clothing. Make a list of the different types of patterns they see.
2. Ask students why they think that textiles are decorated. Do they have any special meaning?
3. Show the students examples (or pictures) of tie dye. Ask them if anyone has ever tie dyed anything. Experienced students can explain the process to the class. Discuss the process of tie dye and introduce the concept of resist dye practices.
4. Show as many images of adire, batik, and tsutsugaki as possible. Discuss the history and tradition of each process.
5. Explain that each student will be creating a resist painting. They should think about their painting as though it were a piece of cloth. They may create a pattern or an image that stands on its own. They may think about how their fabric will be used, for example, for everyday wear or for a special occasion or ceremony.

1. Explain how patterns and images are created by organizing different types of lines (straight, rounded, smooth and bumpy, just to name a few) into designs and shapes. Students should think about whether they want to create an abstract or representational pattern or image and draw it in pencil on the paper.
2. Discuss the use of craypas as the resist material. Craypas are an oil based drawing material that will not absorb any water based paint, like the watercolors they will be using. This type of painting imitates the resist process used to create the textiles discussed earlier. Pressing hard with craypas will create the strongest resist, while pressing lightly or using the side of the craypas will have a different effect. Students color over their drawing with the craypas.
3. Demonstrate painting with watercolors, mixing washes and different colors in the box lids or other trays. Students apply watercolors to the craypas drawings, covering the entire page.
4. Let the resist paintings dry.

Have students write or tell about the pattern they created. Then display the resist paintings with student written-labels which name the pattern or dominant image of their imaginary textile. Discuss the differences and similarities in the patterns that students created.

Create one large or several mini "quilts" by assembling resist paintings into groups. Glue the groups of resist painting together. Name them and display them.

Cut and fold the resist paintings around paper figures to make costumes. Create characters with real or imaginary cultural identities.

Cultures all over the world use the indigo plant as a dye source. What climates does indigo prosper in? How is indigo harvested and prepared for the dye process? Have students research and report on these basic indigo characteristics.

Experiment using household and natural items, such as coffee, tea, blueberries etc. as dye sources. Have students create a chart that notes source material and corresponding colors.

Create a paste for resist dying on fabric by cooking 6 T flour, 1 T alum and 2 cups cold water on top of a double boiler. After it thickens and becomes semi-transparent, let it cool. Put it into plastic squeeze bottles. Students can use the squeeze bottles to apply the resist to fabric, creating designs on t-shirts, old sheeting, handkerchiefs and other white fabric. Let dry three days, then immerse in commercial dye. Let the dyed fabric dry, then scrape off the paste with a table knife or tongue depressor to see the effects. Iron and display the fabric.

Direct students to create symbols or images that represent good luck, prosperity, happiness or other qualities they would like to bring into the world in relation to a special occasion such as a birthday or graduation. They may create the images by using the resist painting process described above, or another drawing or painting process. Display the symbols with their explanations.

Make tie dye t-shirts with two highly contrasting dominant colors. Use them to delineate teams and have students wear them during competitive teams sporting events.

Try to relate rhythms in music to the designs in the cloth made by the students. Have the students compose simple rhythms using found materials such as drums and rattles.

Listen to and study the blues. Have students research great blues musicians. They can report on who they were, where they came from and play musical selections to the rest of the class.

Have students research the names of resist dye patterns from different cultures. They can make charts matching the designs with their titles.

Discuss with students why they think that indigo is such a popular color. Are blue jeans dyed with indigo? Have your class research the influence of indigo on contemporary fashion. Students can make charts and report on the occurrence of indigo dyed cloth all over the world.

Have your class create lists of name for textile patterns. The pattern name could be from a variety of cultures and textiles sources. Use the list as inspiration for poems and short stories about people, places and textiles.

Have students write stories from the perspective of an article of clothing that has been created using a resist dye technique. What is its life story? What does it do now? How does it feel? What does it see? What does it know?

Adire: Resist-Dyed Cloths of the Yoruba. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institute, National Museum of African Art, 1997.

Gillow, John. Traditional Indonesian Textiles. London: Thames & Hudson, 1995.

Gomez, Aurelia. Crafts of Many Cultures. New York: Scholastic Professional Books, 1992.

Hauge, Victor & Takao. Folk Traditions in Japanese Folk Art. New York: International Exhibitions Foundation, 1978.

Heringa, Rens & Harmen C. Veldhuisen. Fabric of Enchantment, Batik from the North Coast of Java. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, L.A. County Museum of Art, 1996.

Kahlenberg, Mary Hunt, ed. The Extraordinary in the Ordinary. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1998.

Kent, Kate P. West African Cloth. Denver: Denver Museum of Natural History, 1971.

Larsen, Jack Lenor. The Dyer’s Art: Ikat, Batik, Plangi. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1976.

Milord, Susan. Adventures in Art, Arts & Crafts Experiences for 8-13 Year Olds. Vermont: Williamson Publishing, 1997.

Rathbun, William Jay. Yo No Bi The Beauty of Japanese Folk Art. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1983.

Schulman, Jo Miles. Art From Many Hands. Massachusetts: Davis Publications, 1981.

Weiner, Annette B. & Jane Schneider, eds. Cloth and the Human Experience. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institute Press, 1989.

West African Textiles. North Carolina: North Carolina State University, 1985.

Wigg, Philip R, Jean Hasselschwent & Willard F. Wankelman. A Handbook of Arts & Crafts. Madison, Wisconsin: Brown & Benchmark, 1997.

Stoppleman, Monica & Carol Crowe. Fabric. New York: Crabtree Publishing Co., 1998.