Piecing with batiks
 

Do you ever mix batik fabric and cotton fabric?

Frequently, I love the Effect of batiks with contrasting solids, especially black and white

all the time with great results!

Yes, I mix all the time. Sometimes a batik is the perfect blender.

Batik IS cotton fabric........

All the time!

i have done it in scrappy quilts... not my preference for specific designs

all the time.....makes great blenders

Glad someone else beat me to this comment! Batiks are just (usually) more tightly woven and a different dying process but it's still cotton. I use them with traditional quilting cottons all the time.

I have mixed with no issues, and they are fast becoming my preferred fabric for quilts as they don't fray as much a non batiks.

Yes all the time. In fact I did it extensively in this quilt:
http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...c-t287411.html

All the background is regular quilting cotton and every other "tooth" in the saw tooth. The outer border and all the cats are batiks.

I am always surprised at how often this question is posted to the forum. I am every curious as to why this idea even came about that you shouldn't or couldn't mix regular quilting cottons with batiks. Are quilt shops saying this? Is there some blogger out there in the web posting this? Where did the idea come from that it is somehow taboo or wrong to use them together? Does anyone have any idea??

I love to do that. I make a lot of scrappy quilts and crave variety. This has them mixed all over the place.

I don't separate my batiks from my other cottons in my stash. I mix them all the time.

I have sewn all my life but have only been quilting about 8 years. I am NO expert! I was browsing in a lovely shop and asked a clerk if she could help me find blenders for a print I had found. I was gravitating toward some great batiks that would be just perfect and she asked if I was going to mix the batiks with cotton. I was. She said most quilters would NOT do that, that the fabrics don't behave the same, etc. I thanked her and bought what i wanted (the beautiful batiks came home with me and went directly into that quilt with the cottons)! I have heard that again a few times, but I just am hardheaded and don't listen! lol I love to mix!

There are non-cotton batiks. Rayon batiks are especially vibrant in color and great for clothing, but I wouldn't personally use them in a quilt because I prefer cotton for quilts. But I assume you're talking about cotton batiks. I mix them with other types of cotton fabric in scrap quilts, and will use them in non-scrappy quilts if the fabrics look good together.

I use batiks all the time in many of my quilts. Have never made a whole batik quilt. I use them as blenders along with all my regular fabrics.

All the time.

All the time. I love batik fabric.

One of the reasons I love them. The subtle shading is another and I have put it with other cottons all the time and have had no problems.

Another all the time. Doing a solid batik drunkard's path, and will mix whatever and wherever I see fit depending on what's in stash.

i've mixed them too. comes out great.

Here is one that I did mixing batiks and grunge fabric[ATTACH=CONFIG]572101[/ATTACH]

I have heard the same at some quilt shops - OMG you mix? I'm like, um, yes, it's still cotton! I've heard it's not "traditional" to mix batiks and cottons!

Felinefanatic - what a beautiful quilt with the cats!!!! Just gorgeous!

I mix them up all the time! I did it for my bali star wedding quilt! Here's what it looks like (un-quilted as of yet)

[ATTACH=CONFIG]572103[/ATTACH]

I do it frequently because the batiks add a dimension to quilts that just be achieved any other way. I especially like to use pieces that have more than one color that compliments more than one other fabric in the quilt.

Edyta Sitar has made quite a career specifically mixing batiks with quilting cotton.

I like batiks, but do not think I have ever made a quilt with just batiks.

I like the way they mix with each other........................what about broadcloth and cotton together?????

If you like it----do it!

Thank you all for your input. It's very helpful.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]572114[/ATTACH]This pillow is a mix of regular cotton, homespun, and batiks. I like mixing it up, adds a lot of variety. Edyta Sitar is a master of mixing batiks in her quilts. I originally thought a batik quilt had to be ALL batiks until I saw her work and was inspired to try it....

Sorry for duplicate pic!

Batik is the black and white dot strip.
 

I didn't have an issue mixing the tighter woven batik fabric with the quilter's cotton fabric. I was told at the fabric store to use a microtex needle in my machine to quilt batiks. It quilted great and the quilt washed well.

Adds much interest to your quilts.

Yes with beautiful results.

Love Batiks and use them all the time with all fabrics

Yes I have, and I have made beautiful quilts with both.

What is broadcloth?