I can't tell the front from the back. Does it matter?

I choose the side that I think is prettier.

no, it does not matter---with any fabric. i pay for both sides and use both sides. with batik's use the side you like best. if you get up close and personal to a 'water-color' quilt you will find the people who make those type quilts use the back of some fabrics because they want a more muted print. (i don't believe in a wrong-side)it's ok to use your fabric any way it works for you and every fabric i have has 2 sides...both are right sides

Batiks are the BEST fabrics for using either side...in fact, some of my favorite Batiks have a better backside than frontside!! I've also been known to turn a regular cotten calico inside out to get that certain special color!!

I think most people would be surprised to see what is on the backside of their fabrics...try it, you might just find somthing very special!!

jodi

Yep, I use both sides, depending on the tone I need.

It really doesn't matter which side you use. It all depends on which side you like best or which gives you the look you want. I use both sides and have used the back side of regularr cottons too. It just depends on what look I want from the fabric.

I have the same problem. Decided I couldn't worry about it or I'd never get anything made from batiks.

I don't reallly like working with batiks because I have some color issues, but my nephew asked for a quilt in red, blue, green, yellow, purple...the list goes on. So I decided a batik jelly roll or two was the answer. Not sure I will work with batiks again, as the color decisions (even with co-ordinated jelly rolls) are just too much work! But I'm sure he will be delighted with the results.

I was just reading a book about batiks, Batik Beauties, and this was one of the first things the author said...that either side was the right side, it just depended what worked best with your project.

I was pretty glad to read that, as I had always wondered how to tell which side was the right side.

Batiks are great for that. Either side is fine.

In many cases it doesn't matter. Many quilters will use one or the other and/or both depending on the batik.

IF it is important to you in your quilting project to have the front side, then make sure to check the selvage edges. Also as you cut your fabric be sure to mark the front from the back on your pieces and be careful as you're working with them.

Pam M

I've never seen a batik with a marked selvedge.

But what you can do if you wan to be sure to use the same side throughout, you can mark the side you want on back every couple of inches with chalk before you cut it. It's easier than looking at each piece as you pick it up.

thanks ladies!

I choose the prettier side~

If you can't tell, it doesn't matter. That's one of the things I love about batik's. You can have 100 pieces and 25 the wrong side. And you will never know.

No. That is the beauty about it.

I've been using an old batik jelly roll of mostly lighter fabrics and I can NOT distinguish the front fron the back. On some you can tell and some you can't. If you cant tell, don't worry about it.

No. The dye goes all the way through and does not sit on just one side.

If YOU can't tell, then the people who see your quilts won't be ablt to tell either. Just pick the side you like the most.

If I can't tell the difference, I figure it doesn't matter. But I try to tell the difference by looking at the grain of the fabric under a bright light. The wrong side looks kind of "nubbier" if that makes sense. The right side weave is flatter. I try to be consistent, but really, if I can't tell the difference, nobody else can either. I'm sure I've been inconsistent a time or two.

Both sides on all fabrics for me too!!!

You could call it the "other side". I just used a batik and I could not tell any difference between either side.

I use both sides too!

ME TOO :-D

No. That is why I love batiks!

you can use either side but if you look closely there are little dots where the colors mesh or change on the back side

If it looks the same use either side.

To tell the back side of any fabric just rub both sides with your fingers at the same time----the rough side is the back. Try it---
Good luck, Kutnso

Yes, on some batiks it does matter. I had one batik that was very obvious that it had a right side and a wrong side. If you can't tell the difference, then it doesn't matter because others won't know the difference either.

Most of the time one side will look more richer in color. You do have to look close at it but no one can really tell since both sides are so similar.

I was just concerned that one side might wear differently than the other.

That's the beauty of Batik fabric.........there is no front and back........both sides are he same.....

There is no right or wrong side to batiks. We have a lot of ladies taking quilting classes at the store I work in, they have only worked with batiks. Then, when they work with regular cottons, I keep hearing them whisper to themselves, right sides together, right sides together. ha ha, they have only ever worked with batiks, and there is no right or wrong sides. But I have noticed that one side is slightly brighter than the other. Even the ready made, pre-packaged, Bali pops, are hand cut, and most of the ones I have used have at least 5 or 6 crooked cuts per package. Greetings from Aunti B, Saskatchewan, Canada.

i use the side i think looks the best on any fabric!!

OMG this struck me so funny!!!!

Aren't they great!

I can tell the front from the back, especially if you examine the areas that have speckles or the edges of the watermarks. One side is always sharper than the other, but by a little bit. I'll use whichever side I need - the back for "softer" or the front for "sharper." Please don't stress about it! As my mother would say, "Those people who WOULD notice - would you want them in your home or not?" (Makes me laugh every time!)

That's the whole point. Good batiks are virtually the same on both sides so you don't to sweat it!

choose the side you like best and be consistent.