Tuesday, April 14, 2009

When something is handmade


I never appreciated the work that goes into handmade items until I started sewing. When I picked up sewing several years ago suddenly I was turning shirts and pants inside out at the store in awe at the work that had gone into each garment. The amount of detail to construct a single shirt. Or the tiny rolled hem on a handkerchief.

This table covering is one that was in my house growing up. My aunt M. gave it to my mom as a gift and my mom mentioned that it was handmade by a friend of my aunt's. My mom gave it to me about seven years ago when I was moving into my first home. I used to love the unique touch it gave my small home.

Yet it wasn't until I started sewing and learned what batik is and how it's made that I realized how much work went into this vibrant cloth. To think that for each flower and motif she had to hand draw with wax in the negative is amazing. Then to dye, remove the wax, dye again and finally finish with a hand tied fringe border.



I just love how the earthy but bright colors bring a little interest to an otherwise pretty plain table. A little bit of art in the everyday. Here's a short, neat video on how batik is made.

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