I'm a batik girl and have never had a problem with batiks but this said, you will be glad you didn't use a batik back. For a while I was a purist and used all batiks. Then after using them a while I realized that the batik back didn't get as soft as my normal cotton backs. Like others, the problem with the skipped stitches is probably the setting on the longarm when it goes thru the seams. Even my juki hesitates at a thick intersection.