I have found that I LOVE batiks!!

i do love batiks--I only prewash if they fail the "white paper" test--but for me that's true of most fabric. On the LA, i do loosen the frame tightness a bit for batiks as they are a tighter weave and deflect the needle more, so more possibility of a crud stitch.

i think the thing I like most about them is all the colors--a shelve of batiks is like a treasure chest full of gems!

I mostly use batiks when quilting and I am just now getting to the point of using other fabrics. I love batiks. I pre-wash with colour catchers and don't sweat the right or wrong side that much. If I can't tell when I am sewing with them, I doubt others will when looking at the finished quilt. I have found that using all batiks produces a heavier quilt than regular fabric. I guess that is because of the tightness of the weave. But as I say, batiks are my go-to fabric.

I love batiks and use them with my regular fabrics with no problems. Yes, I find some will bleed more than others but I starch all my fabrics before I cut into them so I know ahead of time if they're going to bleen on me. I do find you need to use a sharp needle to penetrate the batiks more so than regular cottons but otherwise I haven't found many problems with them. You can't beat the colors you find batiks in.................love, love, love batiks

To answer the part about washing, I never have, and I've been very lucky. I have not had a problem.

I have found that most batiks are "sturdier" that cotton, probably from the tighter weave. There are so many variations on which brand you buy. I've never had a problem with any Kaufman or others but for instance; my cousin brought me back a bunch from her trip to Bali. I'm sorry to say the fabric is very thin and most do bleed.

Some may be more expensive than some cottons. I don't price shop when it comes to fabric whether its cotton or batik. If I can afford it, I'll buy it.

I'm a big fan of batiks and haven't found any difference in sides of the fabric - I love it for that! I never get it "upside down"!

I find batiks more difficult to hand quilt. But, I love them anyhow!

I love how they press so crisply. When we sew on them, it can sound like the needle is dull. But it's not, it's just the tight weave. A microtex needle will help.

Oh My - I have written on here many times about pre-washing batiks - a MUST. Especially darker colors or bright colors. I have had to throw away two pieces that never quit bleeding - one was maybe a green and gold color and the other was a dark blue - I kept changing the water in my pure white dish pan and it never did stop bleeding - my husband said it looked like an octopus that squirted his blue ink out.

I too love batiks but I've found with the tighter weave that when hand appliqueing narrow points or narrow curved leaves/petals, I can have problems distributing the extra bulk fabric evenly.