Batik top with bow brooch

Batik top with bow brooch Batik top with bow brooch
Batik top with bow brooch Batik top with bow brooch

I’ve used the fabric for this batik dress, and still have some left to make a simple top. The fabric is actually not a real batik, as the pattern is printed to resemble the batik technique. The pattern is an orange variation of parang rusak pattern with orange and blue flowers.

I made a very simple pattern for this top, consisted of two pattern pieces, front and back. The neckline is V-shaped, finished with bias bindings made from the same fabric.

The big bow on the chest is a brooch, so it can be removed or placed somewhere else. The bow started as a rectangle, gathered in the middle and then covered with a smaller rectangle. I finished it by sewing a brooch pin on the back. Making the fabric bow was very easy and pretty addictive, I’m really tempted to make more bows and put them everywhere!

Batik top with bow brooch Batik top with bow brooch Batik top with bow brooch Batik top with bow brooch

I often got questions regarding my pictures. Well, actually most of my pictures were taken in my bedroom because it’s the most sunlighted room in the house. The bedroom has white walls and ceiling that act as a good reflector, and the windows are big frosted glass which diffuse the lights better. I prefer natural light than artificial light (room lights, flashlights, etc), that’s why I can only take pictures in sunny day.

I just put my camera on a tripod, then stand against the white wall and wait for my self-timed camera to click. So I have like 10 seconds after I push the shutter button, run in front of the camera and strike a pose. Very glamorous, eh? My camera is Panasonic Lumix G1, a small SLR camera that my ♥ ♥ ♥ husband gave me as a birthday present last year. This camera has a swivel LCD display so I can see myself when standing in front of the camera.

There are a lot of buttons on this camera, but I only understand the ‘A’ button. ‘A’ is for the automatic setting, it makes my life easier. But when taking pictures for this post, I want to shoot myself standing against the window. As I wasn’t in front of the camera when the shutter button was pushed, the automatic setting resulted in a very under-exposed picture of myself against the well-lighted window. A nice silhouette I must say so, but not what I had in mind.

To correct this,  I stand in front of the camera as far as I can while pushing the shutter button halfway, still in the automatic setting. At this time, the aperture and shutter speed readings were shown in the LCD display (that was swiveled toward me). This is the correct readings that I need. Then I set the camera on manual and input these readings. The result is a well-lighted me against the over-exposed window. This over-exposed lighting makes the net curtain seems to disappear, and the bow brooch that I pin on the curtain seems to float in the air. Neat!

Now I have gone rambling too far about my mediocre photography knowledge in this sewing post, so I will stop.

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