Batik fabric hard to sew through!
 

goodness, i've never had so much trouble sewing through Batik fabrics. when i have two of them together, they tend to dull my needle quickly or get pushed down into the feed dogs. i have some more that has fern print on them and when i add one of the fern with the other, it goes through easier.
I changed to a Sharp needle but now having more problems.
how in the world will i be able to quilt this thing?? anyone has this much trouble?
most of the fat qtrs were splotchy print and then some fern print that was not as wide either.
I have three more rows to piece, then to put the rows together. But not tonight?
all lovely Fall colors too.
maybe i should let a Long arm quilter do this one, he, he.

Try a size 11 needle. I can sometimes hear the needle go through a heavily dyed batik, but it always goes through. Do you have a staight stitch machine or a SS needle plate for your machine? When I try to piece on a zigzag machine, the fabric is pushed down into the feed dogs.

Did you pre wash your batik? I hear it really helps in sewing on it. I have batiks but haven't found a project for them yet.

I was told to use a quilting needle. I haven't had any problems but I'm also using a Featherweight machine and nothing seems to phase these little machines! Even layers of flannel went through just fine. My Bernina was not liking these two fabrics very well so I pulled out my featherweight! It did such a great job.

Sorry you're having problems with batiks. I use them (prewashed) all the time on my Bernina with none of the issues that have been mentioned. I use a microtex (aka sharp) needle, size 90/14, with a zigzag stitch plate and there's no resistance at all, absolutely none.

I had problems with my old Bernina, even with a new needle and prewashed fabric. I have not had any problems with my straight stitch Janome. I have sewn a great many batik fabrics since I changed machines (the motor gave out on my 3 year old Bernina.) I had a few minor problems with my Janome 6600 doing embroidery edging stitches through multiple layers of batiks. I had a featherweight for a while. I did not much care for it, but it did sew batiks just fine.

BTW, Superior Threads sells a super-sharps needle that I have been very pleased with since I got the first one a few months ago.

Yep its horrible fabric. Getting the quilt top together was a real chore. Its been in the closet waiting to be quilted for about a year now. Good luck with all the suggestion.

I hate to say this, but I've never had a problem with batiks when I hand sew or hand quilt through them. I prewash mine, so maybe that's the key.

Janet

Love batiks! No problem with stitching on my Janome 6600 even some minimal quilting on those not sent to LA Susie.

I washed mine before doing anything but I had 4yrds that I cross hatched quilted then cut and sewed to make a jacket out of and had not problem and used the same needle thru the whole process which was just a general quilting needle.

I use titanium coated needles from Superior Threads for all my machine piecing. They are very sharp and last a very long time.
Universal needles have a rounded, not sharp, point so don't sew densely woven fabric easily.

I use batiks all the time and have never had a problem, except for user error. I even hand sew the binding to the back of quilts where both binding and backing are batiks and find I like to sew them more than non batiks fabric.

I have had problems quilting all batik front and back quilts. I use schmetz top stich needles 90/14 for quilting and schmetz micro tech sharp 11/75 for piecing batiks. I think the weave can be very thight and cause problems. The fabric was washed Hoffman batiks. Indeed a straight stich plate can help or a vintage machine that has a straight stitch plate because it is straight stitch only.

I use a Schmetz Microtex Sharp needle 130/75 H-M , Size 80/12. I get them at JoAnn's, I mainly sew batiks and never have had a problem. I took a quilting class, the instructor had us use batiks and this needle.

I think the term batik includes a lot of different fabrics. Some are very thickly and closely woven, others are thinner and loose. It's really used more for a style of fabric, so you never know for sure. I've used lots of Hoffman and Moda batiks, and never had this problem. Recently bought some less expensive but lovely batik at Ben Franklins and had to wash, and rinse, and wash and rinse multiple times to stop excessive bleed. It sewed quite normally though. Good luck with your project.

I haven't had any problems at all with any of the batiks I've used either with hand stitching or on my cheapie Brother from Walmart or with my Featherweight. In fact I find batiks extremely easy to sew.

I'm surprised you are having trouble with batik fabric dulling your needle. It does have a very fine, dense weave which I find thoroughly delightful. It seems to know its place when you press it, and my blocks lie flat without the seam allowances coming unpressed. Of course I am not a great machine quilter so perhaps that's why I don't notice any issues there. And I am not a speed quilter. I do use the smaller size sharp for piecing and a larger quilting or topstitch needle for machine quilting.

Good luck with your unruly batiks! I hope the next batch is better.

I just love batiks. Try the straight stitch needle plate and pre-wash. These seem like the best suggestions.

I also use Schmetz Top Stitch needles on the Singer Q (not exactly top of the line). I both wash and not. And I am addicted to batiks. Sometimes, when we expect difficulties they appear. Perhaps, you have felt that batiks are difficult to work with and your fears manifested themselves. Can you take a break to work on something else and go back fresh? Good luck!

I have used lots of batiks, never pre-washed, and never had a problem sewing them on my Bernina. I believe batiks are made with a different weave of cotton than other quilting cottons -- more threads per inch. For this reason, I think they may be harder to hand quilt. I just have had no problems at all with machine piecing and machine quilting batiks.

Went to a talk by Tracy perrara last week she is a long arm quilter and recommended washing batiks at least twice before using them to get the wax out of them as this is the problem hope this helps for next time!

Yes i've used BAtiks before without much trouble. these fabrics were lovely but very tightly woven. I used a 14 quilt needle and changed to a sharp 10 one. better but after awhile it began to have trouble too. yes, my throat plate allows zig zag, so the fabric can go down in there. I don't have a small hole plate for straight stitch. Perhaps I should see about finding one. and yes i did wash my fabrics.

Never had a problem with batiks, just use sharp size 11 quilting needle and stitches nicely on my brother and babylock machines. I don't prewash, so that shouldn't be an issue either. It has to be some simple machine problem not the fabric. is everything cleaned and threaded properly because sewing batiks shouldn't be any harder than sewing on regular quilters cotton

I sew with batiks all of the time and have never had an issue on either my Bernina, Pfaff or Brother machines. I do normally use a 75 Quilting needle. I have several friends with all kinds of machines and using different needles that use batiks and they have not had any issues. I love them

I used to have a problem untl I switched to single hole plate and "sharp" needle. Now they go through fine! (and I rarely pre-wash)

Just an off the wall question....where did you buy them? I have made shirts for my girls out of batiks for a picture and I just finished a table topper and I hand quilted it. I never prewash I haven't ever had issues and I use cheap brother machines (not cheap as in crap but alot cheaper then most machines in price). Maybe it's the batch of fabric you bought. I think they are hard to sew because they have no give but my girls love them so I make quilts and projects for them with them. Never a problem with the needle though

maybe prewashing is the secret I had a batik kit so did not prewash and it was the most miserable stuff I ever worked with also I don't know how many needles I used but I decided no more batiks for me I will stick to lovely soft fabrics with all of their beatiful designs

I have sewn batiks and never had a problem. I always use a shmetz quilting needle.

The only thing I have found with batiks is my Brother420 sews normally very quiet, but with batiks sounds like a thrashing machine. However no problems otherwise.

as in ALL things, when it comes to "batiks", the term is used rather loosely these days. Not all batik fabrics are created equal. Most are not even "true" batiks. They are also not made with dyes, but with PAINT! So if you have a heavily colored one, with a print in it, and it is hard to sew through, it most likely is painted and not dyed! The cheaper box store batiks are worse. BUT so is Timeless Treasures!

Never really sewed much with batiks.

I have never had a problem with quilting batiks--just wash and dry and press.

I always prewash batiks, because a lot of them have a very waxy feel to them when I get them. After washing they feel "normal".

I just went through this myself, but as someone else suggested, and I always do anyway, is I prewashed 2x's (I wash 2x's for batiks because of the dye in the water and a REAL bad experience with a quilt after washing it after washing batik once.) and I went to use a Size 14 needle and had loads of problems. So I called my mom and she said to try a size 11 needle, problems are gone.

Now, I wonder if this depends on the quality of batik fabrics? Because, I've been working on a Judy Neimeyer Wedding ring quilt and most of you know that is with paper piecing and I've used a size 14 needle with no problems with the batiks I was using hmmmmmm......

I have just finished a quilt using Batik and used a 60/8 Universal needles and didn't have any problem. Maybe you can try it. Wishing you all the best :) I found the items on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/160778457600...#ht_500wt_1054

Strange!

Batiks are my favorite to use and I've never had any problems sewing with them. Did you pre-wash it? I do all my fabrics.

I've not had problems, but I have a friend who really struggled with quilting a batik top on her longarm. She researched the internet and found 3 suggestions that seemed to help most people: Spritz it with water, fabric softener, or silicone spray. She started with water, and that didn't help much. Then she went to the liquid fabric softener, and that helped a bit, but she was still getting skipped stitches. Then she spritzed with some silicone spray and that did the trick. She wasn't sure if it was just the silicone or a combo of the fabric softener and silicone that worked, but by that time she didn't care and was just happy to get it done!

I LOVE working with batiks...no problems at all. I do not prewash, I sew on a Bernina 730, use my walking foot, a sharp needle and Bottom Line or So Fine thread (top and bobbin). I like the stiffness and the quality of batiks. Make sure you have new needles and a clean, oiled machine. Good luck!

Try a Microtex 70 needle, it works much better. This was recommended by a quilting teacher.