Bali Batik

Bali is an island in Indonesia. So popular for tourist destinations. For me, the island is magical. I love spending time in Bali..
I love the ocean...the rice field.. the mountain.. the paintings... the market... the shops... 
Balinese people are skilful for making any kind of Art. So many people around the world come and bring ideas and give so much color for to influence their Art.

Bali Batik is kind of different than other Batik. The process has similarity, but the color choices is really distinctive. The color graduation available is luring quilters use Bali Batik for Quilt making.

It is not easy to find Bali Batik cotton for quilting in Indonesian market a few years back... because they sent them out mostly to the U.S but now it is available even on cutting fabrics like jelly roll and charm packs. Lovely.

I'm just drooling seeing all those Batiks...
this is my stash and more ( you know that we have a secret place to hide all those fabrics... LOL )

Can't wait to create something for with these batiks...

Lovely right ?  I want to make a bed cover for myself now...
still don't know the pattern.. I'm thinking using more solids and use this batiks as an accent... kind of a modern Quilt, I can say.  

The blue batik is the one that I used to create star when I make a handpieced block with my sister. 

Aku suka dengan Batik Bali karena  warnanya bergradasi  dan coraknya yang bervariasi. Sangat cocok untuk dibuat Quilt.

Sekarang lebih mudah untuk mendapatkan Batik Bali katun yang sebelumnya hanya di ekspor ke luar negri.

Bahkan sekarang sudah tersedia yang dipotong seperti jelly roll       ( potongan panjang dengan lebar 2.5 inch ) yang digulung cantik  ataupun charm packs ( potongan 5 inch ).

Cocok sekali untuk aplikasi dan patchwork untuk dibuat Quilt, boneka.. tas... sarung bantal... wah banyak deh.....

Yukkk mari berkarya dengan bahan buatan negri sendiri... 


Be creative... Be yourself..
'Na

All about Stars

Star pattern is very common for quilters... it creates beauty.. with those sharp edges... they seem difficult to make.       
You just need a willingness to do it... piecing those small pieces together... patiently... and  you'll be satisfied with the result.

I picked this pattern because I wanted to learn about a precision. Not easy... but I had to try...
I learned from making mistakes...
Do and re-do... that's how I learn.

But when this quilt is finished.... I could take a long deep breath... Thanking God that I learn about new skill. Yeaaay !!!!

I gave this Quilt top to my Mother... she sew the backing and the front.... without quilting it. :) so I guessed I will call this Star quilt top... LOL.
She used this as a table cloth... Nice.

This is the picture of the star blocks.. I think every star has a name..

What happened when you are finished making a quilt ?

Just like giving birth to a lovely baby.... your heart just full of love... love... love... :)

A Quilt is a true labor of love...

Happy with all those stars...

'Na

Gardening

Those who loves gardening harvest happiness..
That is true.
I do love gardening... and felt so happy when I saw  my plants shows some  buds .

I love this plants. Bauhenia is the name if I'm not mistaken. 
This is not an easy to find plants, cost higher than any flowery plants.. but if you see the flower blooming... it is worth it...

I've been waiting for this plants to grow and show some buds.. but not till months.. I didn't see anything. I always keep my eyes on it... till one day.. I'm so excited to see the buds... 
Jump for joy for sure... :) took my camera and take a picture of it...
and a week later.. the flower start showing off... ooooh I am so happy...

This flower will adorn my fence... and to the carport pergola..  love it...

Flowers equals happiness.. that is for sure.
' Na

Little dress for my little girl

The reason I start to make a quilt with a sewing machine is that I can handle only a straight  stitches... never thought that I will make a dress ( because the pattern seems complicated and require more than just a straight stitches.. :) and the measurement... calculations... ooh seems out of reach for me.

But... Never say never....  my interest to a dress making actually is there hidden in the deepest part of my heart. 
When I was in high school, I used to doodle a fashion illustrations... but don't know why I didn't pursue my career as a fashion designer or at least anything that relate to sewing.

Ooh well.. life took me to a different path... I'm happy because now fabrics, needles and threads are my best friends.  
Now when the desire to sew a dress comes up again... I no longer can't hide it anymore. The little voice seems to always whisper to me to try to make it.
WOW...
Now that I sew ( mostly straight stitches for quilts ) but I have everything I need to make a dress... I have fabrics.. lots of them... sewing machine... needle and thread and buttons....
What I need now is a willingness to try... .
Do I dare ?
Well I will never know if  I am not trying... right.. ?

My mom help me to make a pattern for a dress making. Now I make dress for my little girl.

I love making it and would definitely make many more...
my fabrics are now not only for doll and quilt making... but dresses for my little one too... woooo hoooo... Yeay me....

See... if you dare.. you can achieve it.
no worries.. cause worries just takes you nowhere..

This is my first dress for my little girl.

I have lots of ideas for Children clothes in my sketchbook.. for the time to come... Hope it won't only stay as an illustration anymore...

Wow.. another dream is there to reach.

Sew happy..
'Na

Making Batik

Learn to make Batik isn't as easy as I thought. Making Batik needs skills. That isn't gained only for a few days... 
Those are skillful   practice it everyday, they even were doing it since they were little... taught by their family. It is a heritage that passed from one generation to another.  In our fast world, now we can create Batik pattern with computer and printed it with modern machine. But the old traditional way are still exist cause the beauty of handmade Batik will never be replaced... This astonished me... like Wow.. they can survive. 

I learn to make Batik too.. feeling so excited about this. I enjoyed the process from drawing pattern on the cloth.. ( I did a free hand drawing ) to coloring it. Batik can be done in two ways... with hands using tjanting ( tools to draw wax on cloth ) or with tjap / stamp.

Unfortunately I didn't take a picture for every process, but at least I have the result ...

and closer look

This is simple Batik. my master piece.. and it is not easy... so imagine how they make the complicated pattern with lots of colors. I should practice more... .
Batik is our heritage... I should now more about it.  

Ini pertama kalinya aku belajar membatik... sayangnya tidak mengabadikan semua proses2 membatik. Tapi hasil membatik masih tersimpan rapi.... dan baru sekarang di foto. :)

Membatik itu tidak mudah. Perlu keahlian dan ketelitian... tangan gemetar bisa2 malam bisa tumpah deh...

Ini hasil membatik ku...Ingin sekali untuk terus menimba ilmu tentang Batik.... karena Batik itu warisan leluhur kita, maka sudah wajiblah kita menurunkannya kepada generasi selanjutnya... paling tidak memakai Batik pun sudah upaya kita untuk membuat Batik tetap eksis.

Ada kelas2 Batik yg diadakan oleh Museum Tekstil dan para pencinta Batik .. namun sayangnya aku belum bisa gabung.... mudah2an akan ada waktunya untuk menuangkan ide2ku dengan proses membatik.

Feeling blessed,
'Na

Black and White Log Cabin Quilt

I love Black and White and all bright colors.
This surprised myself, I never thought I would love this colors when I was a teenager, I would only  wear pastel colors for my dress. The more I see the world.. makes me opened my heart and my mind... the colors that are available out there can't make me like pastels only. I still love pastels but other colors gives me such an energy... Try it yourself ! you will feel different when you wear something Red... for instance.

Sometime we need to be bold to say who really are. :) so.. this is the daring me. I choose this color and I made  a black and white log cabin block with a touched of red. Looks very sophisticated.
The first intention for this blocks are for a piano cover, but I made more blocks than I need... sooo... I am thinking about making something else... hmmm I had fun auditioning this blocks on the floor... Log cabin can create lots of design. 

Sooo.. this is the fabric I used 
Many Blacks... Many Whites... and one thouch of Red fabrics...
seems unusual... but turns out to be great...
 

Sew a log cabin with this fabrics....

sneaking up to my studio.. keep calm and sewing on... I got the result.... :) 16 blocks Log Cabin.

My little girl too get busy arranging this blocks .. " It is like a  train.. Mom.. I like it " she said. We had fun together finding the right pattern together. But I'm thinking to make a modern quilt too, which only needs  a few quilt blocks arranged on a big solid color. It's gonna be great.

I made several blocks arrangements.. . they are all looks good. 
The blocks are enough to make a wall hanging...a table runner or a baby quilt if I add more border..

 

6 patterns selections.... and may be more ...
I love the heart pattern. which one do you like ?

Love,
'Na
 

A new quilt project

The power of cyber world leads me to have more friends.. and seeing lots of works from  creative people out there..
and sure they see me too... some time they just peek without say the word.. . and I am so glad if they to stop and say hello to me...

I have Face Book  recently for my works...and it excites me everyday to be able to post my works and voila.... I got response. Wow.. that how it feels, that I actually need recognition... :)
One day.. a woman drop a message on my inbox.. telling me that she would love to have me making a quilt as a gift for a friend..

This is what I do..
send her a design sketch according to what she wants..
finding fabrics... . and do the work !!!!
then I do drawing, cutting, sewing, hand quilting and  you know the drill. :)

This quilt is about 50 X 60 cm.. it is small but beautiful I guess...
and Voila.... Applique... Patchwork and hand quilted.
this is the result...

What do you think ?
My portfolio is adding up... Thanks be to God.

So glad to finished this quilt.:)
'Na