A batik is made by dyeing fabric, then putting on a design with wax or some others sort of "resist". Then it is redyed. This can happen several times with several colors or shades of the same color, depending on the complexity of the patter, To identify a batik, look at the back side it will be the same as the front (not whitish) and will be colored all the was through the selvedge. Since they are washed several times in the process, they will be preshrunk and a tighter weave than regular cotton. I love working with batiks, and hope this info was helpful.