Name: Jim
Message: I purchase several Batiks in Taipei, Taiwan about 35 years ago. Very well done but have become very faded. I remember one of the artisit mentioning a method to reinvigorate the colors usinf an iron and wet towel but do not remember the details - think I might not remember all the details - can you help?

Sorry, but I can't imagine any way to brighten the dyes in cloth, years after it was dyed. They will temporarily appear darker when damp, but that won't last. The only way in which ironing with a wet towel might brighten the colors would be if the dye were truly not fixed at all in the fabric, if it were never washed at all, in which case the colors might migrate within the cloth when dampened.

It is so sad when dyes fade in the light. Not only ultraviolet light fades dyes; even visible light will do this. Some dyes are more vulnerable to light damage than others.

Are the back sides of the batiks equally damaged? The design in batik typically goes all the way through the fabric, but the back sides of the fabric should be less faded than the sides which have been exposed to light. Perhaps you could just turn them around, unstitching and reversing any hems or seams to the other side.