Hi everybody! I'm collecting batiks to make a Maple or Autumn Leaf quilt where each individual piece of the leaf is a different batik but in the same color way. So there will be browns, oranges, reds, purples, blues and yellows in the leaves; i.e. one leaf will have varying shades of browns, another would have varying shades of purples/blues, another shades of reds/burgundies, etc. I saw it made up on someone's site, I think it was Amish made. I'll attach a picture for you to get an idea of what it's supposed to look like.
So, I have two questions.
First, I'm pretty sure I need to prewash the batiks, right? If so, will they ravel? Should I use soap or just water?
Then, after washing, do you use the clothes dryer to dry them?
Second question.
I can't decide what to use for the background fabric. Batiks; especially if you're using several different ones for each leaf, are pretty busy. I was thinking about using a tea-stained or aged muslin in a darker cream color for the background. Then, use a color for sashing and color for the borders. What do you think? Would that work?
When I've looked for a pretty plain cream colored batik, they all have patterns. I'm afraid that's just too much pattern with the leaf being so busy. Just wanted to get everyone's input to help me decide.
Thanks!!