Mixing Batiks with non...would you? have you?
 

I'll be honest - I've never quilted with batiks. :eek: Gasp! I know. :o

I know that they're generally of a higher thread count & quality vs. regular quilting cotton. I know that they're manufactured/hand dyed or something in Asia...

... that's where my knowledge of them ends ...

I have a gorgeous Henry Glass cotton (Seaside Cottage cream) picked out for one of my next projects (king quilt) and I've been looking at tonals to match with it and keep coming back to two or three subtly-patterned batiks.

Can you piece and quilt batiks + non-batiks? Has anyone ever done this?

Care to post pics of your project with this combo? :)

I used a batik for one of the borders on my daughter's quilt. The rest of it is non-batik. It's been washed a few times and it still looks fine. The only caveat is that the batik seems to bleed more (it was a saturated color) so she's still using a color catcher in the washer. I've also made one that was all batik (not my favorite quilt). I am not a big batik fan unless it is something that just screams that it belongs in a particular quilt, but I have a friend who makes gorgeous quilts from batiks. The "quilt police" won't come after you for mixing fabrics! :D

I would go with whatever works for you but batiks bleed quite a bit so remember to use color catchers in the wash. Good luck and have fun.

I have done all batik and I have done a batik and print quilt. I did it in a bargello. I think the trick is having a balance. You don't want all batik and just 1 or 2 prints. You want it to look purposeful. The fabrics I chose for my bargello were fabrics my Mom personally picked out. She chose some batik and some prints so I had to try to make it work. (This is the first quilt I ever finished, so be nice) I even did a double border. First border was a print, second border was a batik, then binding was print. You can see a sliver of the border in this pic.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]352613[/ATTACH]

I've done it before and will do it again! In this quilt all of the frogs and the green squares in the border are batiks. The background fabrics (yellows) and the dark purple in the borders is 100 % cotton. The backing is also 100% cotton. I washed my fabrics prior to piecing. The batiks do tend to bleed more and with that in mind, I washed them until there wasn't any bleeding. It was gifted to MIL and I don't think she has washed it herself. It lays on the back of her couch, she doesn't want to use it because she doesn't want it to get worn out!!!

do what you want, its your quilt. I won't tell the quilt police on you!!!

I have used both in the same quilt. Just wash them all - the batiks to remove excess dye, and the quilting fabric so it matches the batiks. Batiks are washed multiple times in the dying process, so you want your other fabrics washed, too.

I always mix batiks and good quality quilting cotton. I would not use it together with flannel. The border, several of the baskets and the binding are batik, Hofman.

I have a friend who made a beautiful quilt made with batiks and non-batiks. Her only concern about mixing them was that the non-batiks were much easier to "ease in" than the batiks. She was using precuts, and we all know how accurate they are, so she ended up having to do quite a bit of easing in.

Please, don't call me the quilt police. I'm not telling the OP what she should do, I'm simply giving an answer to the question she asked. What she does with that information is totally up to her and I couldn't care less if she mixes her fabrics.

Here is my friend's quilt.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]352633[/ATTACH]

I have, I would, and I'm positive I will again. I say go for it.

Yep, me too (but I do pre-wash everything).

I do all the time...see my avatar!

One of the prettiest samplers was a quilt top made. From batik blocks and sashed with a white cotton tonal. It was as stash busting project at a quilt shop. Pretty!
Sandy

When I do mix , its with tonal or marbled fabrics...but I also like the fossil ferns for mixing with batiks.

That is the cutest darned quilt I've ever seen! Were the frogs paper pieced? Darling! Adorable!

Oooh... do you love Fossil Ferns or what? I know I do!

If I'm your friend, would you make me one of these gorgeous quilts?!? LOL!

I plan to mix batiks in the future with non batiks..here is why....

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...BYuF0QHUkYGIBA

Edyta Sitar mixes them and I love her results!! Her quilt books are beautiful.

Here is a quilt that is mixed and I think it looks great. They show you the fabric "bundles" that you can purchase to make it.

http://www.clotilde.com/detail.html?...a=love+letters

I don't use batiks at all because I find them hard to hand piece/quilt.

The frogs were actually template pieced. The legs of the frogs are dimensional. It is a quilt pattern by Java House called "Infrognito"

peckish that quilt is amazing love the colours to

I didn't know there was any reason not to, so other than carefully pre-washing the batik fabrics, I mix and match them with other quilting fabrics willy-nilly! I pre wash everything though so maybe that's why (so far) nothing seems to have gone awry. (knock on wood!)

Thank you SO much for all of your replies!!

Rubesgirl, Tashana, irishrose, sewnoma (and I think I've missed a bunch more, but):
Thanks for the heads up with the bleeding. I'll be sure to keep that in mind.


HilaryK8:
Beautiful quilt! I love the colors. Thanks for the tips!


auntpiggylpn:
OMG, I love that quilt! The froggies are amazing! Wanna make me one? :p teehee


Anna:
Thanks for the tip re: flannel


Peckish:
Good to know about the 'easing'. Maybe because of their higher thread count? hmm...
And that's a gorgeous quilt!


rebecca:
I love your siggie :)


nygal:
the last quilt I made, a baby quilt, was from one of Edita's books (sized down to crib size) and I love it. :)


Sewnoma:
lol. I thought I was the only one in this world who said "willy-nilly". love it!




Thanks to everyone for their opinions, experiences and replies!


I'm still on the fence about the fabrics I've picked...I'll have to think about it some more, but it definitely makes me feel good to know that it can be done! (mixing of the two fabric types, I mean.)

Oh my goodness.....love your frogs ;)

I think combining is a great idea....Just be careful as all batiks are not created equal, some are stiffer than others, I think from some of the wax for the process, and I think thats whats makes them hard to quilt. Some will bleed, others wouldn't....so I would recommend pre-washing and using a color catcher for sure.

i have mixed both with no problems. i do recommend washing fabric before cutting. if you are using small pieces, tie them into a pillowcase to wash them and they won't ravel or get lost in the washer.

I'm not in the mood to make another one!! But, I do have the pattern available if anyone is interested!!!

Yes!! My only word of caution is with regard to your finished 1/4" seams. Given that some prints are fairly heavy (Asians for example) and Batiks are fairly thin ... the 1/4" I use on batik-to-batik and Asian-to-Asian is definitely different, and when I sew the two together I have to adjust again.

This will probably only present a problem if you are sewing small pieces.

My avatar is a mix of batik and print and the smallest pieces are 1/4" square. Making sure that each strip set had a correct 1/4" finished seam allowance is absolutely necessary when working with pieces this small.

Again, more fantastic replies! Thank you ladies. I am so glad I asked all of you :)
You're all making me feel a lot better about mixing it up!

I'm doing her 'Reaching Out' pattern just now. My panels are quilting cotton and most of the appliqué are batik. The nine patches are a mixture. http://www.laundrybasketquilts.com/S...ut-Cover-L.jpg

Anna what is the reason you wouldn't recommend mixing with flannel. Just curious

I have always used what ever I need with my Batik's. No problem, just get a few color grabbers for the wash.