Batiks - Telling Front From Back
 

My sister says there is a definite back to a batik fabric. I have fairly good eyesight, but unless it has the original fold I find it difficult to tell. I have bought about 17 different ones recently and both sides look pretty much the same to me. Is it because they do a really good job printing them? Should I be concerned when I'm sewing them together?

I'm with you. I can't tell the difference and often choose batiks specifically because there is no right or wrong side.

I agree, most batiks don't really have a "wrong side!!"

the last ones I used, a couple of them had a right and wrong side, only showed in natural daylight though, one side looked brighter than the other so I stuck labels on all the pieces as I cut them!!!! normally though, I would agree that both sides are very much the same

I think it's possible there are some fabrics that are printed to look like batiks, and this may be what your sister is talking about.

If you look closely, you can sometimes see that the pattern will be a little more prominent on one side than the other. Also, that the shades may be a little more vibrant or muted from one side to the other.

Just in case there is a difference, what I do is put a safety pin on the wrong side ... or mark X with a chalk to help me keep track.

The way they are made the dye soaks all the way through the fabric and sets the same so it is much the same all the way through. When I lived in the Far East our wives club went on a tour of where they were dying batiks and the fabric was really soaked all the way through with the dye. They were doing it by hand. I am not sure how the machine dyed ones are made.

I do as QuiltE and mark with chalk which side I think is the wrong side. But I have many times just cut my pieces and let the individual pieces tell me which side to use.

Hard to tell on lots of them ~ and hey I paid for both sides!

I'm a total "batik head". Most often you can't tell the difference between sides except for some vibrancy changes or design prominence. I find that sometimes I will like the "wrong" side better than the "right" side! As stated in an earlier post, I paid for both sides so I use either.

I use whatever side the pattern looks most interesting to me. right or wrong, that what I do.

I agree, most of the time there is no real difference. There are a few that after they are dyed have an additional design printed on the front, usually in a metallic or something. Otherwise since on most they are shaded and colors change throughout it wouldn't make a difference.

Well we just won't tell the 'batik police'. That WE can't see the difference. Lol. :)

Batiks aren't 'printed', they're immersion dyed. The design results from the wax resist (called that because it resists the dye) applied to one side. The side that had the wax on it could probably be called the 'right' side, but the only difference is that sometimes the design edges appear sharper/cleaner on that side.

For most quilts (including Tropical Nights :) ), you can just use whatever side you like best for any particular block and not worry about whether you've flipped some over ot not. Tell your sister (politely and with a smile) that it's your quilt, so your rules.

I've noticed that there is sometimes a slight difference between the two sides on batik fabric. If there is I pick the one I want to use as I stitch each seam. Most times it is not enough to matter.

Sometimes there a slight variation in clarity of the edges. I usually use that as the right side. I can tell by the smoothness of the surface on most batiks, but there just isn't enough difference to worry about.

My goodness, you're right. I did pay for both sides. That put a smile on my face. Well, I feel better now that several have said it does not matter to them either.

it really doesn't matter- even if there is a slight difference- you can use which ever side you like best---sometimes one side will be a little more vibrant than the other- but batiks are not printed fabrics- they are dyed-so both sides are beautiful and very close to the same-
i tend to use which ever side i want/like with every fabric- i pay for both sides-no reason not to use both if the back side works better for my project than the (right side) i use it- sometimes that muted/washed out color is just right. but true batiks like hand dyed fabrics can be used with no noticable difference....
tell your sister---there is no (Right or Wrong) only different-

Ha! That made me LOL :D Brilliant!

I use the "wrong" side of other fabrics as well - sometimes the pattern isn't as muted as I would like it so I will use the backside as the front. Works for me.

Sometimes I can tell, but most of the time I can't. I just used a gold batik for a border and as I was sewing the strips together to create the border I could not tell front from back. So I decided not to worry about it. I say if you can't see a difference then it's ok.

The fabric reps that we deal with in the shop say this, true batiks do not have a wrong or right side just what you choose and the ones that do have a wrong and right are usually printed. This is not a 100% rule, just a general rule.