A Batik Top for my Birthday

No, I'm not saying how old I am today.  Quite a few years older than my daughter, so she models the top.

This is the batik that I found in a charity shop recently - a great find.  I still have enough left to make another summer top.

The pattern was made with the help of the instructions in the book The Pictorial Guide to Modern Home Dressmaking.  All I needed to do was to draw a bodice pattern to fit me, cut it off at waist level, and add a pleated frill at the bottom.  The frill is a feature I tried out in the 1940s blouse that I made for the Sew for Victory Sewalong.  It is easy to do, but measuring and ironing in the pleats took a while.

Even though the colour and style really suit my daughter, and we are fairly close to each other in size, the top didn't sit quite right on her shoulders because the pattern was adjusted to fit me.
  
The great challenge in using the batik was to get the pattern to match on both sides of the front, and to make the best use of the border print.  

These buttons were the best match that I could find, very close in colour to the bright pink flower, and sufficiently bold to stand out against the intricate pattern.  

The box pleated frill from the waist didn't need hemming because it was cut from the border print along the selvedge.

Printed into the design is the phone number of the workshop where the batik was printed.  I must remember to ring up and see if they've got some more.

Linking up to Sarah's blog Confessions of a Fabric Addict for Whoop Whoop Friday