First attempt at Shibori and Batik

I have started experimenting with combining shibori (Japanese tie dye) and batik. The silk I used was a very fine silk and I found since I am also needle felting it that it is better to use a heavier silk.
For my first attempt I decided to just experiment using brushes to apply the wax and a cookie cutter to get an abstract suggestion of a teddy bear shape. I found that for future pieces I will want to use the special tool called a tjanting . I think that will give me more control over the details I want to add to the silk. I also started out with just using bee's wax because I didn't think I needed crackle effects due to applying the batik in combination to tie dye effects. It is more common for batik artists to use a blend of parafin and bee's wax in order to get crackle textures in the dyeing process.
I am using a liquid fibre reactive dye that has been formulated for microwave dyeing. I want to do more research to see what other dyes are good for doing batik. I just found, event in concentrated form, that the dye was a bit watery for brushing it on the silk. Then again, I may just need more practice.
Again, I will include a picture once this piece is complete.

updates

It's been awhile since my last entry. My first art fair participation went really well. I had very positive and enthusiastic reactions from people. It was a really good environment to see which styles of mt work got the most attention. People were most often grabbed by my needle felted pieces, so I will continue to develop my work with this medium.
I took a workshop in July in Shibori which is Japanese tie die. I will be testing it out myself using the microwave method and a fibre reactive dye that can be used with a vinegar fixer.
The next step of my experiment will be to add a layer of batik and then use needle felting for my epherial figures. My initial mixed media pieces, such as the one in my previous post, were done with oil painting and needle felting.
With my silk pieces I am intending to get them custom framed. So far, what I have seen from other artists is works created with a method called nuno felting which is the laminating of wool and silk in layers. Needle felting onto a shibori-batik is a combination I am working to develop as a new or less common approach.
Stay tuned for notes on my process of teaching myself more about shibori and how to do batik.