I'm not typically one to buy clothes/fabric/things with licensed cartoon characters on it, but when I saw this Mickey Mouse batik for sale, I just couldn't leave it behind. Last time I hung out with Zoe, she was obsessed with Mickey Mouse (and I hear she still is?). Plus the idea of Mickey Mouse mixed with traditional Indonesian batik motifs was just too funny.
FYI: if you're into the batik + pop culture sort of thing and you like sepak bola (soccer), you're in luck, because Premier League batik is also available... Tim and I have seen people rocking Manchester United and Chelsea batik around town.
I got the fabric from one of Indonesia's chain batik/souvenir stores, Batik Keris*, which has a whole line of Mickey and friends incorporated into batik (well, it's not true handmade, wax-resist batik, but fabric printed with batik motifs). I wasn't enamored with the pre-made clothes they had for sale, but I found the kain batik (batik fabric) hiding out in the back and I bought the least offensive piece (some of was pretty heinous...).
I used a simple pattern that Chuck got me, Simplicity 2684, which is a little tank top and capri pants (I left off the ruffle to let the Mickey shine). The set I made for Zoe had the border print on the bottom of the pant legs (yes, those are little red Mickey Mouse heads) but the set for Anna doesn't have the border print due to a cutting error on my part (oops!):
* Batik Keris actually has a pretty fascinating video on their website showing how handmade batik is made: the wax application via stamp or wax pen thingy, the hand painting, the dip and scrunch dyeing, even the industrial shirt-making process. I love seeing how things are made! Check it out!
