Batiks are my favorites. When I need a special piece of fabric for a project for example , sky fabric with clouds, I get out my paints and create it. When I need grass with flowers, I create it. Its so much fun.

I have loved batik long before ever considering sewing and or quilting. I love the variations in the patterns especially to use as background art in mixed media or not!

As a matter of fact I recently took batik and cut various ones into a butterfly which is in 2D and than used the same piece as a background to put the butterfly on. It gives it the very effect I imagined it would and wanted and that is it seemingly appears to have the butterflies there and flying off into the distance causing it to blend in as if disappearing.

I wasn't sure how "quilters" take it or think of it and it got literally a lot of positive feedback with some wanting them. Of course they didn't get them but I did offer if they got the materials and brought it at the next "sew after" I'd bring my die cutting machine with the die and cut them some.

Batiks are wonderful to use not just as backgrounds but also creating fabric art and using various ones to paint your picture with.

Batik fabric like all fabric depends on the type thickness fabric you get for it to look really good. I have some of the usual stiff batik from local stores and recently purchased a bunch of it of a retailer on eBay which is a whole lot nicer and workable than the WalMart ones.

A lot of quilters don't seem to like batik for whatever reason but when you start looking at it as your canvas to create a new art and also as your paint to paint that piece it opens up an entirely other world.

Batik works really well in 2D, 3D effects for applique besides as a background canvas.

You really need to try it and create something to learn to appreciate it.

You can also take ugly fabrics and dye them over into batiks and get an entirely different piece.

its ok, I dont like the brown and blue together and it is really popular now. everyone has different tastes. thats what makes the world go round.

I totally agree with you. Fabric has to speak to me. I am not a big fan of printed fabrics unless I can use it as paint for my project.

Personally I prefer to create one of a kind watercolored projects regarding fabric as either my canvas or my paint that will go on. I also have never cared for calico fabrics.

When I look at the many beautiful quilts folks create many of them don't speak to me even though the work is beautiful. If I visually can't see a picture in the project it simply does not speak to me.

Hoffman Batiks have a very soft luxurious hand to them.
Diane/Wyoming

I'm not crazy about them to use, but I have seen a lot of beautiful quilts made with them.
I do have a few I did purchase, but that was because of a need of use in a project.

yes, batiks do have a funny feel, yet, if you tend to art/craft/and pure creativity - maybe non home quilting but art quilting batiks are simply another tool, like paint brushes, oil sticks, drawing pens and pencils. I paint. Batik fabric almost crawls across the floor when I look at it! The color is so fliud you can feel it wash over you! I love batiks over most other fabric yet have the least of it because it is so expensive. I think it works extremely well for art dolls, too. sharet

When planning their "first quilt" with my granddaughters, I decided to keep it simple and bought charm packs. I let them choose what they wanted on the Connection Threads website, and two of them chose batiks (of course, they are the most expensive!). But I have really liked working with them, and the ones we bought at Connecting Threads are very silky feeling--not stiff at all.

So...my first experience using batiks was a good one. I may use them in a quilt myself!

EXACTLY! I use it as the paint to my canvas so to speak.

I don't know yet. Just ordered some to try.