I have been sewing/quilting with batiks for a long time ...way over 15 years. There has been so much that changed in what is available. I have seen some batiks that would not be used to wash my car as I would not want to be seen with such a .. fabric. But there are others that are just amazing!
Many times its the selection that you are exposed to that forms your opinion. I have seen some pretty shabby choices, and wonder what was the buyer thinking!! when there are better selections.
My intrigue is the way the dye is dipsersed and resist to form shades and depth with out printing a whole seperate color/shade as in traditional fabrics. I got my feet wet so to speak using the type that are singular in color like the Hoffman 1895 , and worked into others as I felt more confident and needed to experiement. There are some great patterns that have been developed just to showcase batiks.
As for the feel many do feel a bit different in your hand but i think that is becasue there is still a bit of the resist remaining in the fabric. After a good wash they are soft , and can perform well because of the tight weave. A good batik will not ravel nearly as much as a traditional cotton..
I make many a quilt for family and freinds who like quilts but do not like the "Country" or a "traditional" looking quilt.