Batiks have a tighter weave because of the process it goes through. After the dying and the wax resist it is boiled to get the wax out. That tends to shrink the fabric. And that makes the weave tighter. Batiks are wonderful for applique. For applique you use a very fine straw needle, or a very fine (sharps I think)needle to sew the fabric. When sewing on the sewing machine, needles tend to put holes in the fabric, so use a fine sharp machine needle. If you use pellon, or some sort of adhesive to join the fabric, you will have small holes that will stay that way. See if you can live with that, or choose a looser weave. I think you will find there are different weights of batiks. Some are very light and others seem thick. I am sure it is because of the original fabric that they started with.
I think you are going to enjoy using batiks. They give a richness and texture to everything I have used them in.