Does anyone have any input on working with batik fabrics? I am going to be attempting it sometime soon, and I am aware that they are tightly woven fabrics and should use a sharp needle. Any advice is welcome.

I love working on batik materials. they keep there shape easy to iron, do not frey. In my opion they make a very sharp quilt. They are howeer a real pain to machine quilt. I am a long armer and the thread breaks alot when quilting them and it is not just me that says that.

no cons as far as i'm concerned.

No cons at all from me either.

I love batiks!

I love batiks too but my machine quilter agrees with you!

I can't think of any cons either :D:D:D

Once you sew with batiks, you won't want to go back to regular ol' cotton. ;) :D

i love working with Batik's the only issue i've ever had was using fusable on them, i don't know if it was due to the wax or what but i really had trouble trying to use one fusable; it did not adhere and made everything very 'shiny' i may have had the iron too hot for the fabric and fusable combo, i really don't know but i dont' bother trying fusables any more i save the batiks for other projects, but they are wonderful to work with!

Hated batik's at first when they came out but I've made my first quilt now.The rule from other top quilters is to wash your fabric twice.Flannel once.Cotton once......

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

I buy a lot of batiks from Thailand and have never had a problem with them. The beauty is in the unexpected colors that pop up here and there

thanks for very good info!

I have used hundreds of yards of batiks, the problem is not really in only one manufature, I have had it in all the major brands from Hoffman, Moda, Kaufman, etc.
To test I put the batik in a sink with Warm water ( helps to remove a wax residue,as well as some of the chemicals bonded in the wax) and leave it over night. Some that you think are OK once really saturated in water will run. Since soaps will remove some of that residue wax/chemicals much in the same way the warm water will react , you will be surprised at how many will run/bleed. It is a big clue when you put the batik in a sink of water and it seems to resist absorbing the water. This is a major sign that there is still a wax residue ( with chemicals) in the fabric. Have you ever noticed that some batiks have a strong distictive smell, this is also a sign of the chemical residue. I first noticed when I was pressing with steam the distictive smell. It is not an overwhelming odor , but noticable.
Mostly now I just assume they will and pretreat. This is a problem that is not getting better as Batiks grow in popularity. It is getting worse.
Do note there are batiks and then there are fabrics that look like batiks that are not manufactured in a traditional batik manner, marketed as batik. They are hand painted or sprayed. It is surprising how many "batiks" are really sprayed , and not done with the wax and resist. Some are done in a combination of methods. The label on the bolt does not distinguish. And then there are the printed fabrics made to look like batiks ... that is a whole different subject or should I say "keetle of Dye".

Ditto! Fantastic colors!

I love batiks, that's the majority of my stash. I've only had problems with 2 of them running (one was a cheaper one I got at Joann's the other from ebay). I use Isacord thread as a general rule when peicing and also when quilting and I've never had a problem with the tight weave, even on the longarm.

I was hoping someone was going to talk about the bleeding dye and the absolute necessity to prewash. That is my biggest complaint about Batiks.

I was hoping someone was going to talk about the bleeding dye and the absolute necessity to prewash. That is my biggest complaint about Batiks. But I've never heard of Retayne. Guess I'll have to try to find some.

I am doing a BOM with Tonga Batiks, the Wing & A Prayer pattern Nature. Anyway, I've had a lot of problems getting needles to go through when machine piecing. I dropped my needle size down to a 60/8 and still have problems.

I do think they are absolutely beautiful, but I made the mistake of doing pillow cases with them and they wrinkle like mad. I don't want to have to iron my pillowcases all the time, live and learn.

I love batiks and have a hard time staying away from them. I wash all my fabrics unless the pattern specifically states not to. I use Retayne or good old fashioned vinegar and warm water on all fabrics except the pastels. I let them soak in the vinegar either in the washer or the sink and then wash them in the washer with a little soap. I keep an eye on the rinse water to see if the fabric is bleeding. If it is I just repeat the process. I love working with batiks - they don't fray much and I've not had a problem machine quilting it and I've used it front and back of quilts with no problem. No, I do not work for Hoffman of any other mfgr. of batiks - LOL.

pre wash the reds and dark purples until you are sure they arent' bleeding dye. The reds can be bad about it.

I have made 2 stained glass quilts with batiks, and a couple runners...all prewashed and no problem....most of the fabric was bought at Joann's, but several years ago...

Yes, and I would add that batiks can be more expensive than other fabrics. I love them.

My LQS told me the manufacturers are trying to make them softer. My experience is that they are harder to hand quilt and applique. They are so gorgeous I buy them anyway.

if you order on line try www.sewbatik.com.
Their batiks are really good and color and pattern is consistent.

Made a quilt, wall hanging, etc and just love working with the fabric and the lovely colors. Lori, thanks for your information and tips on batiks.

Someone mentioned a problem with batiks wrinkling, but the ones I have seem to less prone to wrinkle than some of my other cottons. I'm guessing not all batiks are created equal any more than all other fabrics...
The ones I got from Roberta (bob1414) here on the board are a dream to work with and utterly yummy to look at! I just ordered some more from her.

I have no complaints, and I no issues with quilting them on my frame, have quilted queen size with no thread breaking. Even with Batik's on front and back.
Enjoy using them and don't worry about problems you may not encounter.

I love batiks. I prewash them in Retayne so the color won't run and use them like any other fabric. I mix them sometimes with other prints. If I like the fabrics together, then I will be happy with the end result.

All pros here! I love batiks! I made a quilt for my bed with batiks, but I did put a lightweight cotton backing on back. Batiks are very heavy and it's the warmest quilt I have ever made. Not very good in the hot Louisiana summers though.

I used fusibles on 2 all-batik quilts and had no problem. (Flower quilt from Smith Street designs where the flower was fused onto the batik and then machine embroidered.) Maybe your iron was too hot, and maybe you could try using one of the pressing cloths.