mtkoldra

are there unwritten/unspoken rules on quilting with batiks?
is it a good idea to use white fabric with batiks? or it is best just to use colors unless the light/white background area is big.

(fairly new to quilting and often having hard time picking up fabrics for a quilt)

feline fanatic

No rules at all except it is always a good idea to test them for color fastness. Sometimes batiks can be notorious bleeders. I've never run across one but plenty here have. They can be a little more difficult to needle if hand quilting because they are usually a tighter weave fabric, mostly due to the batiking process which preshrinks the raw fabric creating the tighter weave. However I have also run across a few that were loosely woven. You can mix them up with whatever you like. I have used whites, creams, tonals and beiges. They really pop with black! I love them for applique because they don't fray easily.

quilttiger

I have used white and neutral with batiks and have not had any problems while quilting or laundering. Perhaps I should use the color catcher the next time and see it comes out!

patchsamkim

As with other quilts, no rules if you are using batiks...use what you like. You can stay within a limited use of colors, all colors, colors with light background. I don't use batiks a lot, but love working with them when I do. A friend of mine uses batiks for most of her quilts...they are all gorgeous!

happyquiltmom

No rules...do as you wish.

Designer Edyta Sitar (Laundry Basket Quilts) mixes batiks with other prints, including Civil War reproductions. Her quilts are gorgeous!

ckcowl

with batik's & any hand dyes it's always a good idea to do a color test- make sure you don't have a bleeder- other than pre-washing recommendations there are no (rules) they are cotton fabrics that make fabulous quilts. there are great ones with white backgrounds- there are fabulous appliqued quilts with batik appliques on neutral backgrounds- use them any way you want-

ShirlinAZ

No rules. I love the jewel tones (sapphires, rubies, emeralds) with black. Right now I'm doing one with a jelly roll of colored batiks and a jelly roll of neutral batiks. After I started it I wasn't sure I was going to like it, but it's looking far better than I thought it would.