Lori S

I love to work on Batiks but... Just a few notes:
1. Do pretreat/wash fabrics with Retayne, batiks RUN/Bleed. it so worth the time to get to the problem prior to constuction. Prewashing will reduce some of the running/bleeding but unless pretreated they will continue to keep running ( smaller amounts at each washing) .
2. It can be tough to buy Batiks over the internet . Not all the colors will show in the small swatch, or the evenness of the color placement. Batiks like the Hoffman watercolor collection are really one color tone/tone so it is not so much of an issue with that collection.
I once purchased a batik on line , the swatch showed very good colors that I wanted but when arrived there was another color ( purple) that in the yardage.
3. Do not use Heat and Bond light or heavy , it leaves a residue stain.
4. Because they are so thightly woven , removing stitches can leave a permanent needle hole.
5. hand applique is painful .... really its hard to get the needle through.
6. If you run out of a specific batik it is next to impossible to get more . There is no identifier in the selvage , the fabric is completley dyed. So tracking one down ... is really hard. If purchasing from the internet do keep a note as to the manufacture and site used. There are a few batik lines ( Hoffman has one that is tonal , and produced for years , but there are lots and lots of shades in the collection and tough to see on a computer exactly which blue you have) .
7. Repeat number 1 .... can not stress the pretreat enough.

All that said .. I LOVE batiks and can not get enough of them. They can create some of the most dramatic quilts.

pieces

I love the batiks. Great quality fabric, wide variety of colors.
The only negative I have come across is when making a quilt you need all batiks. I have tried incorporating batiks and other cotton fabrics and they just don't seem to work together.
The lapquilt I made with batiks I machine quilted, using a walking foot on my Bernina 180 doing outline
quilting and had no problem.

katier825

I've mixed them without any problems. What kind of issue did you have?

feline fanatic

Hmmm, that's weird. I have incorporated batiks with other cotton fabrics as well and never had a problem. I think batiks make wonderful accent fabrics. I have never done a quilt that was 100% batiks.

mswordwiz

My main issue with batiks, is I never feel I have enough of them. I love working with them!

Deb watkins

I agree that the look of them is stunning, however I also think that since they do run and bleed alot, it can be a pain to work with them. I had a quilt that was washed before cutting and quilting, and it still ran and pretty much ruined the look of the quilt.

pieces

Maybe its just a personal thing. (?) I make scrappy quilts mostly, and when I tried to incorporate some batik scraps they just didn't seem to blend in.

mlaceruby

LOVE Batiks!!!!
I have never had a problem with them bleeding.
and I quilt them with the longarm no problem, I just slow down a tad bit.
I have made all batik quilts,backing and binding included and they are some of my most stunning!
they are very tightly woven so no hard stitching, but no
shrinking either.
I use them with other cottons but I try to match weight.
kona cotton is of a similar weight and works well.
I just got the Benartex Fossil ferns and love them!

feline fanatic

Bernatex Fossil Ferns are not batiks. Granted, they have a batik look about them but they are a normal screen printed 100% cotton and not batiks. But I am with you I love them too. So many colors too choose from, great blenders and lovely look to them.

kathy

I've never had a running batik either. They go thru som many harsh processes I just don't see how they can run, maybe it's the brand.