Is there a difference in Batiks?
 

When I was looking around at an online store it shows Tonga Batiks and I know most are made in Indonesia. Is there a difference in the quality of the two? I am assuming that the Tonga Batiks are made in Tonga, which I know is a Kindgdom on an island in the South Pacific. Do they work well together?

Sorry Valsma I have no clue. I will keep watch to see what the answer is. :) Now...to figure out how to make it to where I can watch it.......hmmmmmm

no clue either. but I'll be interested in the answer

I think Tonga Batiks is just the name of that company. It is not an indication of where the batiks were manufactured. Although batiks originated in Indonesia (I used to live there), most fabrics sold as batiks today are probably manufactured elsewhere. Quality is not necessarily dependent on where the batiks are made, but rather on the processes and quality control used in the making. Even with batiks made in Indonesia, there can be differences in quality. How you measure quality is an issue also. Hand-painted batiks are definitely more expensive; are they higher quality? Batiks made by hand with a copper tjap - would you consider this to be a higher quality than a batik made in a factory with an imprinting tjap?

Most of the differences between batiks sold in the U.S. are in the designs and colors -- not in the quality of the griege goods or the dye process. You have to decide if you like how the individual fabrics work together. It is definitely not necessary to buy a "coordinating" set of batiks from a single manufacturer, for example, in order to create a gorgeous quilt.

Batiks are usually printed on a higher thread-count fabric than other cottons. However, lots of people mix batiks with non-batik cottons in quilts.

I mix all kinds of batiks together with each other, and with other cotton fabric and the results have always been great. The only thing I don't mix in are cheap FQs. I have had a few in the past, but wasn't happy with the quality. The ones from Connecting Threads are nice, but a bit thinner than some of the name brands. I still like them though and I do mix them together.

I just got done with hand washing ALL of my batiks - over 200 pieces. I started buying fat quarters and quickly decided to buy 1/2 yard pieces unless I really liked it - and then bought bigger pieces. Anyway, for the most part they are very smooth and almost silky feeling. The only ones that seemed to be "cheap" were the fat quarters that I got at JoAnn Fabric. A few bled a lot though - so pre-washing is a must. Out of 200, I don't think that there were 5 that even had a name on the selvage.

I've been told the same information that Prism shared. I love batiks and I too mix them up and enjoy them.

I would though, caution you on quality of the batik. There is a HUGE range out there. If you're buying online you may want to purchase a FQ first to "test" it and see if it will work in the project you're planning.

I have mixed batiks with non-batiks in several quilts, and have been very happy with the results.
Sue

I love some of the patterns and colors of the batiks and the feel of the fabric is amazing. I haven't dived head first into a lot of them because I kept reading how badly the colors bled. I worry that even after a prewash or so they would still bleed and ruin a quilt. I think that when I do try them, I will prewash and try to set the color. I am sure that the names are just brand names like the other fabrics available.