BurdaStyle

i’ve had this batik fabric for almost 2 years now, not really knowing what to make from it. i’m not really a batik person, though i do love the kind of batik that has cute colours and if it’s made into a more modern design, be it a piece of clothing, bag, or shoes. so 2 years ago i decided to buy a piece of Indonesian batik cotton fabric (they’re usually sold in ready panels, around 120 cm wide and 200 cm long) so i could sew something nice out of it myself.

when i saw the Matthew Williamson dress pattern, i just knew i had to make it one day, and after months of considerations, i plucked up the courage to make it with my lovely batik fabric.

i thought to use the edges of the batik fabric (which usually has a completely different pattern than the rest of the fabric itself) for the side panels, so that there would be a bit of a twist in it. and i also shortened the hem and did a higher back side because unfortunately my back isn’t really that smooth after i got the chickenpox 3 years ago. :p instead of doing the dress with a lining and facing for the neckline & armholes, i finished it with bias tape. so yeah, everything was perfect in my mind. it seemed like a great idea at the time when i was sewing it. but when i finished sewing it and tried it on…

…hmm… my newly developed love for batik was suddenly a bit crushed. to be honest, i feel like i’m wearing my grandmum’s old batik house dress (aka daster in Indonesian). please, PLEASE, tell me if you DON’T think so? was it a mistake that i made my batik fabric into something as “simple” as this?

the edge of the batik fabric that i used as the side panels is apparently not too contrasting to the dress itself, so it doesn’t have that much of a “twist” effect as i expected… i used the selvage as the hem of the dress (i’m too lazy), so i didn’t even need to sew the hem at all. this came out quite nice, at least. from the back i guess it won’t really look like my grandmum’s old house dress, thanks to the metallic zipper (which was a blast to sew! it was the easiest zipper i’ve sewn, ever!).

well, what’s done is done. i can’t undo this dress anymore, and at least it’s comfortable for me to wear in the summer. if anyone tells me i look like a granny in her old batik house dress, i guess i could always say, “really? this is actually Matthew Williamson’s design.” it wouldn’t really be a lie, afterall. ;)