New stuff...

oh, so my cousin sent me my new batch of feathers...
unfortunately, my aunt was not able to bring me my pheasant feathers, but she did bring a whole batch of peacock! so i went straight and made myself a u-band headband with it...


anyway the lack of pheasant feathers means i will not be able to make large & medium pads until the end of the month. i will continue to make comb fascinators, peacock u-bands & long pads tho...

i also attempted to make a large pad u-band with a space to attach flowers, brooches or whatever seems fancy at the time...


while at work i kept idleness at bay by making fabric-scrap roses, in raw silk, satin & tulle...

i suppose ill get around to pasting it to some fascinators or bands...

whites. the tops...

These are the white tops i have made...


first one was a mens wifebeater that i took out the shoulders and added lace straps and made it into a racer back tank



White loose pin tucked top using a thin gauzy fabric with multi-coloured pinstripes... the belt was made out of elastic & clasp found at toko Maju in Mayestik, Jakarta...

White tie neck long sleeve top in 2 different weaves & kangaroo pockets...

whites. the dresses...

here are the white dresses


the first dress i made a few months ago. a sunny dress in embroidered white cotton in floral motif with a corset tie back. doubles as a skirt...

A tunic in the same sort of fabric as above (except in paisley motif) using a pattern from burdastyle, not quite sure the pattern name, but extended it so it works as a dress as well...



white button up dress in striped weave, using a shirt pattern (also from burdastyle), and adjusted it to make it a dress...

whites. the fix-em-up tops...

to kick start my white sewing posts, these are the white tops that i have "fixed up" from older white tops...

sleeveless top with darts, remade out a short sleeve xl mens shirt from Suicide Glam that someone gave me...


sleeveless top made out of the fornt panel of a cardigan attached with a faux shirt front. made into a skirt backed sleeveless top with 3 different weave white fabics.

took an xl mens shirt that had a cigarette burn on one side of the chest and made some pin tucks along the front & neck/shoulders to hide the burn, as well as making the shoulders fit better...

2nd Reversible Jacket. Done!

its cute. and mom (the one that gave me the fabric) loves it! i think she'll wear it if she goes to idaho...

red embroidered side:

the reverse (sarung) side:

with oversized pin to close it...:

Green Dress In Time For Bali! Yay!

tomorrow i will go to bali...
and because the producer that will be there gave me a pretty satin jumput/tie-dye/tritik fabric from when she was in sumatera, i decided that it will be nice to be able to wear that fabric at the nights we get to hang out (i cant wear it to work because its to dressy)...
so i made a dress. i used a pattern from burdastyle.com, the azalea...
yes i HATE sewing satin. the tye dye wasnt so bad, but the satin black lining is evil! i cant get satin to cut right and sew right at all! and because i have this fear of zippers, i gave the front a slit and ties with thin velvet ribbon

but its made, done, and wearable...

Reversible Jacket #2...

Ok, so tonight i plan to make a reversible jacket. part 2...
i based it on a shirt pattern found on burdastyle.com ... the emily shirt...
it is then altered to make the curved front shape and added a hood...

Sewing White Cotton

Its been a while since i posted, mostly because the wi-fi in my room died because the dogs chewed the cables to the router... (ok, i'll be honest and admit that im not sure if i wrote all that technical stuff right, but the thingie in next to the big clunky pc said "router")...
anyway, the time i've been gone, i spent my time sewing white garments(tops/dresses)...
i wanted more loose cotton tops, and i picked white cotton because the boyfriend likes to see me wear white...

on the done list:

• tie neck top in swiss dot cotton (emily shirt variation)
• pin tucked oversized top in thin rainbow pinstriped gauze (based on anda pattern)
• shirt dress in texture striped cotton (emily shirt variation)
• indian embroidered tunic/caftan (ellinor variation)
• loose kangaroo pocketed top with tie neck in jaquard & plain cotton (again, emily shirt variation)

on the recycled & done list (using emily shirt as the basic pattern):

• took the "maximum psychobilly" mens shirt and made it into a sleveless tailored shirt
• took the front panel of this weird top aunt gave me and made it into a sleeves shirt with flared bottom back...

on the to do list:

• twill sheath dress (using the mila pattern)
• eyelet fabric (no idea yet, but its pretty)

yes yes, i love burdastyle.com! im sure you can tell :)

my first reversible jacket...

the idea for a reversible jacket has been in my sketch books for months, maybe even over a year...











originally it was for a beautiful 2 sided fabric from my aunt, but i didn't trust my sewing skills enough to work on it, or enough alone time to sit down and get on it...

then a few months ago i saw a gorgeous reversible batik jacket with my mom, and she told me that i should try it using the fabrics she got as gifts.

so i picked a batik i got from my grandmother, and matched it with a simple embroidered fabric thats actually for making muslim abayas.

last weekend i altered a tunic pattern for the body, and made a pattern for hood by tracing one of my favorite hoodies.







with prayer, i hoped that i didn't miscalculate anything and started cutting the fabric. i have to admit it wasn't easy working with batik sarung, as there is only so much fabric, and one must align and place the motif accordingly/aligned, as to keep the geometric pattern looking neat when done.

i decided to used the "head" of the sarung (small unique part; as opposed to the "body" which is usually 75% or more of the sarung that has the same motif) for the hood.


with the embroidered fabric i used the bottom embroidery for the back, so i don't have to cut or sew over any of the pretty embroidery, and use the pair of small embroidery parts for the sleeves instead of the front part of the jacket...

of course any "experimental" projects has it mishaps:

1. make sure the pattern is the size you want it to be. im good at enlarging patterns, but i find that sometimes i make them too big, and now i have to learn how to make a pattern smaller. i guess im not as fat as i think i am. or as tall as i think i am.
   
2. i mis-sewed the sleeves many many times. first was sewing the hard-to-control part of sewing the sleeve to the body. im not that good at "easing" fabric. i found out that making loose stitches like for gathering helps a lot. and using more than a few pins.
   
3. then i sewed the plain to the batik side wrong (note: sew main opening first, flip inside out, then stitch over the sleeve openings).
4. oh and make sure which ever side is inside, to be straight, not twisted. bad bad nala.
5. having pockets should be planned for in the beginning, not as an after thought. pulling out stitches and trying to make neat pockets fit in is not that easy. but its in, with flaps, so its all good.
6. mom suggested next time to add a stiffer fabric or a sort of interfacing to make the jacket stiffer
   

but all in all, it was a good job, nicely done... i get enough compliments, and i love that when i wear the batik side out, i can flip the sleeves and have a pretty embroidered cuff...






next reversible garment project? i still want to do that fabric i got from aunty, but i have to make sure i can make a fitted pattern. and mom gave me a red peachskin abaya fabric with white pillow embroidery; thinking of matching it with a dark purple or baby pink batik pekalongan. im thinking a longer coat with stand up collar. and maybe detacheable hood... still sketching it out...

more than just batik. pt. 1

here in Jakarta, i have noticed (more like blatantly pushed in my face) a trend that women are embracing: batik tops.

dont get me wrong, i love batik. in the past i have studied (mostly from granma) batik, collected books on it (well, mostly handed down from my granma again), and even used elements from it in my design (most notable the audition graphics for KDI 5). i am also saving some cash on Iwan Tirta's book on batik.
im very glad an indonesian traditional fabric is getting recognition and being worn daily now, instead only at weddings or other formal events... but its a trend that's overwhelmed by "sameness"; a-line babydoll & wrap javanese batik tops everyone is wearing. from my mother, great aunts, and younger cousins. its a bit too much.

besides, there are all kinds of fabrics in indonesia: batik prada from bali (with bold gold prints on bold solid background), silk ikat fabrics from sulawesi, jumputan/tritik (a type of tie-dye treatment), songket, batak tribe's ulos, not to mention their variants and all other types of weaves & dies that i cant recall at the moment...

to avoid drowning in this sea of batik motifs, and yet still feel "indonesian culture"-fied... i decided i should take one of the other fabrics and make a simple top; nice enough to wear to family events, and comfortable enough to wear out. last week i found the answer while rummaging through my mother's traditional fabric closet: a brand new green sarung samarinda, with white contrast weaving and gold threads. in 3 hours i finished the top, and wore it to my family gathering last sunday.

yay for variety!
next is the purple jumputan cotton. i think it will turn into a dress. yes.
plus im hoping my friend will have luck finding some bright ikat sarungs in makassar today :)
the one i have is too precious(sentimental value) to cut up...