Never noticed them, till I needed them! I needed a soft yellow to go on the back of a quilt. I am not a fan of yellow, after spending an hour in the store having my daughter keep sayin "what about this one?", and me keep saying no. everyone was annoyed, and there it was! A beautiful soft yellow, with a subtle polka dot pattern. It was a batik, $10 a yard! Ouch, had to wait till I got a coupon!
Now I just love them. The colors are not over powering. I get a variation in color and pattern. I use Lil Miss batiks. I like the way they feel, soft like a sheet. The colors are through and through, so no matter what side of the fabric I am on, it is still beautiful.

I didn't like then at first but now I have a quilt with matching pillow cases and curtains in my room. I bought the batiks at WM when they had them last summer. I can't afford them but if I find a really good price like the Hancocks of Paducah remnants bin then I purchase them.

I have been sewing/quilting with batiks for a long time ...way over 15 years. There has been so much that changed in what is available. I have seen some batiks that would not be used to wash my car as I would not want to be seen with such a .. fabric. But there are others that are just amazing!
Many times its the selection that you are exposed to that forms your opinion. I have seen some pretty shabby choices, and wonder what was the buyer thinking!! when there are better selections.
My intrigue is the way the dye is dipsersed and resist to form shades and depth with out printing a whole seperate color/shade as in traditional fabrics. I got my feet wet so to speak using the type that are singular in color like the Hoffman 1895 , and worked into others as I felt more confident and needed to experiement. There are some great patterns that have been developed just to showcase batiks.
As for the feel many do feel a bit different in your hand but i think that is becasue there is still a bit of the resist remaining in the fabric. After a good wash they are soft , and can perform well because of the tight weave. A good batik will not ravel nearly as much as a traditional cotton..
I make many a quilt for family and freinds who like quilts but do not like the "Country" or a "traditional" looking quilt.

I am not fond of batiks either. they are hard to machine quilt on for one thing, they are stiffer than most other fabric and just don't feel "cushy"

I have never bought any, I have seen some amazing quilts made with them but they are not my style either.

P.S.
Still diggin the fairy avatar.....

I think it depends on the quilt design. I have seen many quilts with batiks and they are beautiful.

I have loved batiks from the moment I first saw them. Now granted all batiks are not pretty. I like the way the colors and patterns change as you look at different sections of the same fabric. I really like the ones that seem to shimmer. They look tropical to me and I am a big fan of almost anything tropical. I'm not a fan of traditional or country looking fabrics. I guess they make so many types of fabrics because there are so many different people wanting them. :)

LOL, another one who didnt like them at first. Plus I thought they cost too much....but after I saw a few quilts I just fell in love. They remind me of watercolors.

I do not like all batiks..the shades of color and subtleness of the pattern are what I look for. If they are too garish, I don't like it.

I have made 2 quilts using all batiks, and loved how they came out

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-87502-1.htm

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-87502-1.htm

I am very picky about my batiks. I am just starting a Baltimore Album BOM, and I selected all batiks to do it with. The color differences give such texture and definition to quilts, and I think the Baltimore type appliques will look just marvelous with multi=colored fabrics.

It is like every other line of fabric, some I love, some I like and some I just don't care for.