Batik and Bluebells

I am normally not a fan of batik fabric, but last year I went to Indonesia and saw with my own eyes the amount of work that goes into creating the intricate and colourful batik fabrics and so I bought myself one metre of a leafy, purple wax-resist batik.

But what to do with a 1m by 1m piece of fabric?  I finally found a pattern that I could squeeze a summery top out of my batik, Butterick 5354.

 

I made the yellow version because I didn't have quite enough fabric for the longer version or the sleeves.

This pattern is meant for a knit fabric, but it worked perfectly well with this woven fabric.  I did change the side seams - I didn't curve the pattern in towards a waist, instead I drew a straight line from the bottom of the armhole to the hem line.  I also extended the hemline 2" to accommodate my current figure.

I really like it!  So my obliging Mister and I went up the hill where a bountiful bluebell display occurs for two weeks every May.  I hope you enjoy the photos he took.

So that is the final of my 3 new handmade items for the month of May!

I have since made another woven fabric version of Butterick 5354, which you can see here.