Tjaps = Chops Two new ones!

Last Christmas John tried to buy my two Tjaps (pronounced chops).

Tjaps are approximately 50 year old tools that have been made and used on the island of Java (Indonesian) for over a century. They are handmade of copper strips, carefully cut and shaped and soldered into fabulous shapes and patterns. They are used by Batik artists in Java by dipping them into hot wax, shaking off the excess, and then stamping the wax onto the cloth. Aligning the edges of each consecutive stamp creates patterns which run the length and width of the fabric. (taken from Dharma)

They are so popular with artists and collectors that as soon as someone receives a shipment they almost immediately run out. And that is what happened this past Christmas. I found two that I liked, but by the time John got online on Dharma Trading Company (http://www.dharmatrading.com/) they had sold out of 350 of them!

Luckily, I receive their emails and was notified when more came in. That time we didn't waste any time in buying a couple. There were so many to choose from, but I settled on two. One is a lizard on a leaf and the second is a fox with stars.

I cannot wait to start using these. Both Nancy (my oldest) and I took a fabric design class in Kenya, so I want to put all that to use. So many ideas and so little time!!!!!

The next picture is of Nancy (2006) in Kenya working on one of her designs.