Color Craze!

colorful batik

These just came in... Love 'em all!
So excited!  (^_^)

knock knock..

...who's there?

From bunk bed to playhouse, just by throwing a fabric.

Fabric Wall Art: an upcycling project

I've been wanting to make a fabric panel wall art but haven't found (read: too lazy to look for) the right supplies yet. You know, the one where you stretch a fabric on wood frame (the one for stretching canvas) then fasten it with a staple gun.

So recently I've made my own version of the wall art for the boys' bedroom, after done unpacking almost half of our stuff from the boxes. I made adjustments on the supplies by using leftovers and existing everyday materials.

My formula is:
styrofoam + fabric + tacks + double tape = wall art

How to:
Stretch the fabric on the styrofoam, fasten with tacks and stick to the wall with double tape.

How easy is that! Don't forget to let me now if you make similar wall art like this :)

... so much for my fabric fasting *sigh*.

for the teachers

I decided to make (very simple) bags for my kids' teachers. They're actually made from tea towel I bought at IKEA, I really love the colors and motives so I kinda hacked and used them as fabric material instead.

I didn't put any lining inside so the bag came out more like a foldable roomy shopping bag. I didn't put any embroidery or embellishments either since I couldn't find any that suit both my preference and my kids'. But I think it turned out nice - simple yet nice. Hopefully the teachers will have some good use to it :)

Enchanting Indonesia 2010

Last night I and hubby went to the opening of Enchanting Indonesia 4, an event of promoting Indonesia craft and tourism in Singapore.

We each got a batik tote bag filled with Indonesian goodies! From food spices to tourism brochures - giving me a view for next week's menu and next holiday destination.

The opening ceremony was full of traditional and fusion music, dances and fashion shows. Too bad I forgot to bring my camera so I can't share the festive pictures here now. My favourite part is the 'Angklung Interactive Show', where all the audience were given different pitches of angklung to play together as per instruction from the musician on stage. We played numerous songs from Burung Kakak Tua (folk song from Maluku, Indonesia) to Elvis Presley's (forgot the song title). We even get to keep the angklung we played! Ours is number 7 or 'ti', the seventh scale tone.

Ofcourse it wont be a great event without the food and craft bazaar. There are many booths represent many provinces of Indonesia, each with their own distinctive art and culture.

I couldn't resist to buy some of the goodies, like this white tote bag with embroidery of Ondel Ondel from Betawi (natives of Jakarta, Indonesia).

And a beautiful stone and silver pendant from Reny Feby Jewelry.

I drooled over the beautiful traditional textiles like Batik, Ikat and Songket but had to refrain my self since I already have a heap of fabrics that are still untouched. Yet I found some Indonesian Batik which not from Java origin, like this Batik Tabir from Riau. The motives and methods used to make the Batik Tabir Riau is different from the Batik of Java, yet each motive also has a certain meaning like shown below.

The event is still on until tonight, 4 July 2010. So for you who's reading this and happen to be in Singapore, spare your time to visit and experience a piece of Enchanting Indonesia.

What I got..

...from Jepara, Indonesia.
Tenun Troso (handwoven fabric). The pattern is pretty and not so loud, just the way I like it and the color is summery. I'm thinking of making a dress out of it, but most probably I'll use it as a throw. It's always hard for me to remake an already gorgeous piece of fabric into other forms.


The tenun Troso below comes with golden thread, as you can see they look shiny and sparkle beautifully.





...from Lombok, Indonesia.
Beautiful colorful handwoven textiles - I already put one of them in my living room for a throw. It accentuates our black sofa nicely.


Do you know that Lombok is one of the best sources in the world for saltwater pearls? So it's only natural if I bought a pearl pendant there. Yet due to my preference in big pendants (and the budget limitation, lol) I chose the blister pearl, a half-sphere pearl that attached to the shell as it's formed.



What's more, the pendant's reversible too!

Simple Pincushion

Some of my friends have just discover their muse in sewing. So I've made them simple cute pincushions from my fabric scraps.

I sure hope they like and could put these cuties into good use :)

a handwoven fabric tour

During my short getaway to Bali last month I got the chance to visit a relative there who happen to be a manufacturer of hand woven fabrics from natural fibers such as pineapple and silk.

Too bad I didn't get to see the process in the workshop since it's closed due to a national holiday, but I did get some photos of the workshop. The photo on your left is where the cocoon of the silk moth unravelled to get the silk fiber, while the the photo on your right shows where they make threads from the silk fibers. But I didn't take photos of the hand weaving machines there *duh!*

Not only the fabrics are beautiful, but there are some of them which already got awards from international fabric competitions. Like the fabric displayed below (with a white paper note on it) is the one that got two awards in The ASEAN Silk Fabric and Fashion Design Competition 2009: Top Award from H.M. Queen Sirikit of Thailand & 1st Royal Thropy Award from Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperative. The dye used comes from natural origin such us plants.

Among the beautiful fabrics there I fell for this gorgeous white handwoven silk fabric. The texture and pattern from the skilled craftmanship just blew me away! Only then I learned that it's not for sale.. oh well. Yet I got a pretty blue-grey hand woven silk shawl as a gift, which quickly convert my disappointment into happiness ^_^

going, going, gone

These bags are going to Perth, Australia.. just hope the red haze there will be over soon.

sayang anak..

..for my twin boys

Material:

- Tenun Troso

- Batik

- IKEA cotton fabric

Details:

Applique and hand embroidery.

for Teachers with Love

My friend ordered these for her kids to give on Teacher's Day.

The bags are made of fabrics from Ikea, tenun Troso (handwoven) and batik. Can you guess which is which? :)

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to make something for my kids as well..

...got my hands full with some customized orders (not to mention the ones from my kids).


Yet, while I should finish this cushion cover set..





I ended up making this instead!





Focus!

Focus!

Focus!!

..from Indonesia with love

Perhaps you notice the 1 month gap between my last post and the previous?

OK, I confess.. I was having holiday (again?!) in my home country, Indonesia.

And look what I got.. lovely fabrics!

Batik

Tenun Troso

..and some colorful sturdy upholstery fabric

*now, if I can just stop procrastinating..*

It's my first bag!

Cute, don't you think? :D

Another good use for those impulsive buying of IKEA fabric ;)

The pattern is BurdaStyle's Charlie bag, and I made it reversible by using the instructions here.

It functions well as a shopping bag, yet I also find it great for keeping all my craft supplies :)

Purple Runner

This purple runner has a simple, clean yet tailored look, thanks to the repetitive lines from the pintucks.

What's more, it's reversible for an even wearing. One side embellished with pops of embroidery in purple shades, and the other side is plain purple for a more neutral look, both sides with pintucks.

Item: Table Runner

Measurements: 35cm x 115cm

Material: Cotton Fabric

Color: Purple

Tenun Troso

Tenun Troso is a traditional handwoven fabric originated from Troso, Jepara, Central Java, Indonesia. Available in various motives (rainbow (as in above picture), ikat, plain, batik) and materials (cotton, viscose, natural fibers).

I'm lucky to get a handful of these beautiful fabrics for my next projects :)

Martha Stewart: Batik IS of Indonesian Origin

First thing first: I'm not a die hard fan of Martha Stewart.

There's a good reason why I'm featuring her name here now, which is correlated with Indonesian BATIK.

You see, lately in my hometown (Indonesia, Java island to be exact) there's a growing trend of using Batik as everyday fashion and home decor. Whereas Batik used to be occasionally worn only, usually for formal events.

Here are some examples of the nowadays trendy casual n chic Batik fashion from my friend's boutique.

I'm not sure when exactly the trend's started, but I assume it's probably because of a recent case where a neighbouring country claimed Batik as of its origin.

I completely understand about culture influences, not to mention between neighboring countries. Yet I (and my fellow Indonesians) can be rest assured, because despite overwhelming odds of Batik being claimed by another country, Batik is already world-wide famous for being an original Javanese (Indonesian) tradition.

To make my self clear, you can take a peek at this short article from Martha Stewart, also this longer one from Wikipedia.