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🌿 Eco Print Art in Bali – Learning Natural Fabric Printing with a Balinese Master
Dec 14, 2025
🌿 Today I was invited into the home of Balinese eco print master Priscilla L Kusuma for a truly special experience. She shared her craftsmanship with me and introduced me to the basics of eco printing, a beautiful natural printing technique using leaves, flowers, and steam.
Priscilla is internationally recognized and even created the world’s largest one-piece eco print, measuring 3 meters by 6 meters — an incredible achievement that shows the scale of her expertise.
In this first video, she teaches me the fundamentals of eco printing:
🌿 Bathing plain cotton fabric in a mix of alum, vinegar, and water
🍃 Laying leaves and flowers carefully on the cloth
📜 Rolling and pressing the fabric
♨️ Steaming it to naturally transfer colors and patterns
Each piece is unique, fully handmade, and deeply connected to nature and Balinese tradition.
🛠️ Eco Print Tools & Ingredients Used
Steaming & Preparation
Steam cooker for eco prints
https://wcifly.com/go/amazon-wcifly0c-B0DB1N83NY
Plastic wash basin
https://wcifly.com/go/amazon-wcifly0c-B07VBYL3KL
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0:00
I already treatment this fabric first to
0:04
uh the name is Morgan thing. After that
0:06
we dry.
0:07
So this is a plain clothes.
0:08
Yeah.
0:09
Made from cotton or
0:10
this is cotton. All of natural.
0:12
All natural cotton.
0:13
Oh, it's natural cotton.
0:15
And this is a bigger rectangle.
0:16
Yeah.
0:17
All right.
0:18
Okay.
0:19
And this is what? Just water or
0:21
no? This is the aloo. We just put here
0:25
alum and ferosulfa and then vinegar.
0:30
Mhm.
0:30
to make everything that we can
0:32
transferring the color from the lips to
0:35
this.
0:36
So you said it's alum.
0:38
Yes. Alum.
0:39
What's that?
0:40
Alum is a chemical.
0:42
Ah okay.
0:43
Chemical. But there is
0:46
uh like
0:49
what is great food? Great. Yeah. So
0:53
after this we just put the leaves.
0:56
Okay.
0:58
You can just put it.
0:59
Oh, nice.
1:00
Just like this. You can
1:02
Yeah.
1:05
Everything you can just add here.
1:25
Okay. So, we just take the leaves. And
1:26
what kind of leaves?
1:28
Uh, so many leaf we can use.
1:31
But this is the basic basic uh
1:34
technique. Basic technique is uh the
1:37
plain the plain fabric with no colors.
1:42
Ah, okay.
1:44
And we can make another ones. After this
1:48
we can put
1:51
okay.
1:53
We can put uh natural dye.
1:56
Sometime I use coffee. I use tea.
2:00
Oh
2:00
sen wood to make color the background
2:04
to make echo print.
2:06
Yes.
2:06
Natural echo print.
2:07
Natural echo because they call echo
2:10
print.
2:11
That's natural. These leaves you have
2:13
dried them yet.
2:14
No, because it's already about a week
2:18
and it's dry. So, we can use flour, too.
2:22
Oh,
2:23
just put it here like this.
2:26
What kind of flowers?
2:28
Uh, any flowers.
2:29
Any
2:32
bought some flowers.
2:36
Just put Yeah. Uhhuh. Upside down.
2:38
Yeah. Upside down.
2:41
Okay.
2:43
All right.
2:44
You can just put four like this after
2:47
this enough. Everything is okay. So, we
2:52
cover it with plastic.
2:55
Oh, wait. We'll move.
2:58
Yeah.
2:59
Yeah. This plastic. That's it. And then
3:03
we just rolling up
3:06
with this plastic wipe.
3:08
Okay.
3:12
Maybe it's better if I'm from there. So
3:15
maybe recording is
3:18
like this.
3:25
Just rolling up tight.
3:27
Okay.
3:28
If it's not tight, it's not right.
3:34
Up to you. Whatever.
3:35
It's a man making a burrito.
3:39
Yes. I make uh like uh what is
3:44
swarm?
3:45
Yes, exactly.
3:47
That's for a moment. So
3:55
then the the closest wet.
4:15
Okay. and make sure there are no
4:17
Yeah.
4:18
Yeah. Oh, and this is the end of the
4:20
wall.
4:22
So, I we have to.
4:31
Oh. Oh, yeah. Okay. Ah. To make it
4:35
tighter. H like this.
4:41
Mhm.
4:57
Yes. So you can use any uh anything for
4:59
this any kind of rope or
5:01
Yeah, you can use uh sometime just from
5:05
the fabric too.
5:07
After this just steam for an hour.
5:11
Steam for an hour. Oh.
5:13
Yeah. So, I will prepare the steam
5:16
first. My steam is so unique. I make by
5:19
myself.
5:20
Yeah.
5:31
All right. Can I come to check the
5:33
screen?
5:33
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
5:35
Okay.
5:38
It's okay.
5:41
Let's see the steaming
5:44
because I have no steam. So I have pot I
5:47
make with this timber to
5:51
Oh.
6:09
Okay. Okay. Some water.
6:11
It seems like this.
6:12
Mhm. You make only one at a time also.
6:16
No, sometime just three or four.
6:18
Three of four. Okay.
6:20
So, the other one now we use the natural
6:22
dice.
6:24
Okay. Let me prepare for the natural
6:27
dice first.
6:35
Prepare with the
6:42
Yeah. So, you can actually use all kind
6:44
of
6:45
Yes. This is a thick blossom.
6:49
Mhm.
6:56
And now you're making another one.
6:58
Yes. The other one.
7:02
Okay.
7:04
We will make with the background color.
7:07
I use uh this is sapen wood.
7:11
So which kind of wood?
7:13
Sapan wood.
7:14
Sapan wood.
7:14
Sapan wood. Sapan wood is uh like this.
7:18
This is already a powder. Sometime in
7:22
Japanese we drink this.
7:25
Oh
7:27
we drink this for afternoon tea.
7:31
Okay.
7:32
We can drink this. M
7:35
maybe let's try later. Yeah. So we just
7:39
put it here. So this is the color.
7:41
So this is a red dye or purple.
7:44
Purple.
7:45
This Yeah.
7:48
So just so first
7:51
and then we prepare for the other one.
7:53
We need two fabrics because we have two
7:57
blanket to cover up this fabric with
7:59
this. So we have the background color.
8:03
Ah. Mhm.
8:04
Okay.
8:10
So this is still the mix of chemical and
8:12
vinegar. Yeah.
8:13
And water.
8:14
Yes. And water.
8:15
Vinegar is only one tablespoon. Alum is
8:18
only about one teaspoon.
8:25
Mhm.
8:29
It's not too much.
8:33
But why echo print is so beautiful and I
8:37
make it because we cannot make twice of
8:41
the print.
8:42
Mhm. Yes.
8:43
Like hermo limited edition every every
8:47
time I make this only once.
8:49
Yes. Each is a unique.
8:51
Yeah.
8:54
So we have to put it here and
8:58
put the leaf top of this.
9:01
that you done flat.
9:03
Yeah.
9:05
Just help me to put the lips.
9:08
Okay. I will make you do again.
9:40
Okay.
9:45
All right. Let's put the leaves for the
9:47
echo print. Oh,
9:48
the echo print fabric. And we made it.
9:50
This is funny.
9:52
This one
9:56
lay down the lid.
9:57
So
10:00
another you can pick another lip.
10:05
Just put it here.
10:07
Oh yeah. Different lips.
10:09
Yeah.
10:10
Oh, these ones are beautiful.
10:14
Yeah.
10:15
Wow.
10:16
We call this is shoe flowers. Sh
10:22
H I U this
10:25
Wow, beautiful. So which which side do
10:29
we want?
10:31
We can just both side or uh this make a
10:34
difference effect with different fabric.
10:37
So you can just put it up and down
10:40
there.
10:41
All right.
10:42
Upside and up.
10:44
Okay. I will find another leaves.
10:50
Okay.
10:51
So, we are laying the leaves flat to
10:54
make a fabric echo print
10:58
and it will be unique. This is the best
11:01
part.
11:02
Beautiful flower
11:05
like this.
11:08
All right. Oh, I have small leaf
11:12
one.
11:14
Okay. Let's put that.
11:22
Wow.
11:24
Oh, nice.
11:29
Always.
11:32
Okay. Yes. My neighbor there on next
11:37
street is best time and he just helping
11:40
them to
11:43
everything is done because they just put
11:45
the body to the village.
11:48
Okay.
11:50
Okay.
11:53
Oh, so
11:55
it's fine.
11:57
Oh, it's hot and
12:00
it's a warm day today.
12:02
Yes.
12:03
All right.
12:05
Uh here
12:07
and small ones. Okay. Be enough,
12:11
right?
12:12
So,
12:13
so this is the same.
12:16
So, we can make this like this. So, we
12:18
have a different pattern.
12:20
Oh, yes. Uh okay.
12:23
Okay.
12:24
This we just wait.
12:28
And the next step
12:34
we just cover up.
12:35
So this one with the purple d. So what
12:38
is the dye used again?
12:39
Uh sapen wood.
12:41
Sapen wood.
12:41
Yeah.
12:42
Oh. So you use this powder.
12:45
Yes. We boil.
12:47
I boil it.
12:48
Oh, boil.
12:51
So this you could drink it
12:53
theoretically.
12:53
Yeah.
12:54
Yeah. But it's very concentrated. Yeah.
12:56
Yeah. But sometime I'm just let it dry
13:00
and make pastel for painting.
13:02
Mhm.
13:03
Okay.
13:08
You have it there.
13:09
Yes.
13:10
Okay. Just cover up
13:14
all of this. It's okay. Not too. Yeah.
13:19
Up. Yeah. Yes. Now.
13:21
Okay.
13:22
Like this.
13:25
And then we just cover stuff up with
13:27
plastic here.
13:29
All right.
13:38
So, same process as before.
13:43
Lay down the plastic flask.
13:46
It smell like this. I love it.
13:49
Yes. Yes. It smells
13:52
kind of like tea. Yeah.
13:54
But uh
13:55
but mostly when we just use the fresh
13:58
one. Oh, that's like uh aroma therapy.
14:03
Mhm.
14:06
So we have to roll it up again.
14:09
Okay.
14:11
And
14:11
thanks for all the tea.
14:14
Yes. All right. And I already
14:18
look at this is already transferring the
14:20
color.
14:31
All right. Very tight.
14:33
Very tight.
14:44
Is already transferring for the big.
14:46
Mhm. Yeah, I can see.
14:48
Yeah.
14:49
So it's become maybe like a pink
14:54
because sometimes we can make a
14:56
different different color for sapan
14:58
wood. We can make a dark purple,
15:01
we can make red, we can make bits color,
15:05
we can make pink color depend of the
15:08
water that we just use like here. as a
15:10
more or less concentrated mix of powder
15:14
and
15:14
no no because the water is uh sometime I
15:18
use the
15:20
water is supply water from the
15:22
government.
15:22
Mhm.
15:23
They have uh something more calcium so
15:27
they make a red one.
15:29
If the water have more like ferosulfa
15:34
they become purple.
15:36
Mhm.
15:36
So that's like magic.
15:38
Ah yes. So by using different uh water
15:41
types you can totally different results.
15:43
Yes.
15:44
Different colors.
15:45
Yes.
15:45
Okay. Very interesting.
15:49
And make it tight like a burrito.
15:51
Yeah. Like burrito.
15:54
Okay.
15:58
And just sit it.
16:00
Oh beautiful. It's simple but sometime
16:04
is
16:05
difficult to find
16:08
the leaves because I specially use the
16:12
eucalyptus leaves and then we boil
16:15
again.
16:15
Mhm.
16:16
For about 45 minutes until 1 oz.
16:20
Okay.
16:27
Yeah.
16:34
And we put also this one to boil.
16:36
Yeah.
16:37
To steam it.
16:38
To steam
16:39
over the boiling water.
16:40
Yeah. Sometime we can boil that too. And
16:45
we can make this echoprin on leather,
16:49
paper,
16:51
bamboo.
16:52
Mhm.
16:53
Wood, ceramics, ceramics. You can make
16:57
apply this technique to all of the eye.
17:00
Mhm.
17:01
Oh,
17:02
I will show you my leather and my
17:07
what? Uh all paper.
17:10
Okay. Yeah. Good.
17:17
This is on paper.
17:20
Oh.
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