Frequently Asked Questions…
Hooey Batiks, are you insured?
YES I AM! If you’ve spent any amount of time on my web site you’ll have seen the smashed tent photos here. And now I’d like to thank my insurance agent… why look, here he is now, calling in my claim!
It’s true (he’s my Dad, too!). So anyway, I do have insurance through Country Insurance — it’s a rider on my homeowner’s policy. A week after the accident I received a check that covered all of my damage, minus a teeny $250 deductible. Artists, are YOU insured?
How do I buy from the website?
OK, so you want to buy a Hooey Batik. Now what? The easiest way is through Etsy — a groovy artists-like-me-selling-their-stuff-on-line type web site. Check it out. Alternatively, email me (or call), tell me what you want and where it’s going. I’ll get your order ready, email you back a total (shipping plus IL tax if applicable) and you can either mail me a check or pay through PayPal. This is temporary, I have a shopping cart feature ALMOST ready to go. For now, let’s be low-tech hi-tech.
What about “Special Orders”?
Here’s the deal: If you see a design you like but in a wrong size, style or in ugly colors, you can order one to your specifications… mostly. Every time I dye, the colors come out a little different. I like it that way. I don’t want to measure the dye and time it exactly and have a chart that’ll tell me how to get a particular combination. This means you can tell me you want a pink and purple frog shirt and you’ll get one, but it might be a different shade of pink and purple from the pink and purple combination you saw on another shirt.
If you have a design in mind and don’t see it, ask. I’ve got a lot that just aren’t on the web site yet. Also, I have a long list of design requests I’ve been meaning to get to: hedgehogs, a dandelion, some sort of wine/grape thing, bamboo, Quaker parrot, Venus fly trap… Suggest something and I’ll add it to the list, might even use it.
For more Special Order information, check out the Special Orders page.
How long do Special Orders take?
Many factors are involved. It depends on how many other orders I have to fill, the design you want, my mood… It could be two weeks, sometimes it’s two months. I’m trying to be more consistent and prompt.
Why “Hooey”?
I had a beloved cat named Hooey, who was a fun, silly kitty. His name suited him well. My batiks are whimsical, silly and fun too. It’s a load of Hooey.
What is Batik?
I have a whole page that explains the process. Check it out here.
What is the difference between Batik and Tie dye?
Tie dye and Batik are alike in that they both use “resist” techniques, but that’s where the similarity ends. Batik is a more controlled, detailed process using melted wax as a resist to draw a design or pattern onto material.
Tie dye is a process in which a pattern is produced by a resist from folding, twisting or tying material. The end results are random patterns that are either geometric or loose and free-flowing and/or combinations of everything in between.
What kind of dye do you use?
I use a fiber-reactive dye called Procion. It’s a cold-water dye with an amazing color range, and can produce both subtle shades and eye poppingly vibrant colors. These are called Reactive dyes because they chemically react with the fiber molecules to form a dye-fiber bond.
Will the colors bleed?
Most of the excess dye is rinsed out when I remove the wax. A little more will come out in the wash, but it won’t affect the design of the batik or other items being washed with it.
Update from 8/03/06 – I can answer this question in depth after last weekend. To be brief, sheer winds blew through our art show in Bayfield, my tent (along with everyone else’s) blew over and everything got rained on (soaked!). I was wearing a dark blue Lotus shirt, soaking in it really, for a few hours. We dumped everything mish mash and dripping into 9 rubbermaid totes and about 4-5 hours later I was able to look at the damage. Pre-laundry, we sorted the batiks into colors and there was some cross-dyeing, some bleeding from my yellow price tags, and a few holes from where hangers hit the rocks. After laundry THE NEXT DAY, only one partial tote out of the 9 contained batiks damaged from batiks bleeding on to each other. And to be specific, it was the RED dye bleeding onto the palest colors. (By the way, my blue shirt temporarily colored my beige bra and my belly a pale blue color. Both the belly and the bra came clean with washing.)
So, if your new dark red hooey batik gets caught in a tornado and rained on and then thrown in a rubbermaid tote with other soaking wet things and is left to sit there overnight, then yes, there’s a chance it’s gonna bleed onto lighter colors.
Do you sew your own clothes?
I sew my own scarves and pillows but get most of my clothing from Dharma Trading Company. They specialize in ready-to-dye clothing.
How do you wear a Sarong?
There are many ways to wear a sarong. I prefer to wear mine like a skirt. It’s hard to do this with out visuals but I start out wrapping it around tightly, kind of like a towel, above my waist, and fold it down about 3-4 times so it’s resting on my hips. Here’s more.
How do I wash my newly purchased Hooey Batik?
Washing recommendations for cotton: Wash with similar colors or separately. Machine wash gentle with cold water. Tumble dry on low heat.
Washing recommendations for rayon: Wash with similar colors or separately. Machine wash gentle with cold water. Line dry.
(How I treat the batiks I keep for myself: Throw in hot water with jeans. Dry in hot dryer.)
Will it shrink?
To remove the wax, I rinse everything in boiling water then throw it in a hot dryer. It shouldn’t shrink anymore after that.
Will it fade?
If your real question is, “Will my bright red shirt turn pale pink after one washing?” then, no. I use an excellent dye. But will it fade? Yes, like a regular “store-bought” shirt will — eventually, over the years.
How long does it take to make one item?
I never make just one thing at a time, so I don’t know. Some designs are easier than others; some designs have more color combinations. It takes less time to wax a onesie than it does to wax an XXXL T-shirt. That’s not much of an answer.