Pepita

I’m in with the love Batiks group. In the process of making batik fabric as you know wax is applied to the fabric before the dye. Then the fabric is boiled to remove the wax. The boiling causes the fabric to shrink and tightens the weave of the cloth. As a result, the fabric doesn’t ravel as easily as other fabrics. That makes it great for needle turn appliqué. If you are piecing with it it acts like any other fabric. I’ve not had a problem sewing with it. I would be aware of your other fabrics and try to use fabrics that won’t shrink a great deal with repeated washings.

newbee3

they are wonderful to work with

Kitsie

Aashley, that i one especially beautiful quilt!! I love working with batik fabrics and have had no probems with bleeding, stiffness or anything. No special treatment, I do pre-wash amost all fabrics anyway. I do find "you get what you pay for" and purchase well known brands.

joe'smom

amethyst, I didn't' mean to come across as negative about batiks, it's just that you asked for the 'cons,' LOL.

I wouldn't worry about using batiks in a sleeping quilt for the quilt top, but maybe would hesitate to back with batik. On the other hand, there's usually something between you and the quilt, so a batik back probably wouldn't be a problem, either.

I share your fascination with batiks; I feel that they have a wild, primal energy; and then, there are the wonderful color variations. One of the first quilts I made was with all batiks, except for the background fabric (photo of top below). I was remembering a jigsaw puzzle I'd enjoyed, called 'butterflies in the mist,' so this represented butterflies in the rainforest.

If they call to you, I say, use them.

amethyst

Thank you all so much for your responses. I'm getting excited about my next project and have decided to use batiks. I love seeing all your quilts. Hopefully I'll be posting some pics of my project along the way. It's nice to see that this seems to be a pretty active board so I might be back often for your advise!

Schill93

That is an absolutely gorgeous quilt Aashley333. The colors you chose were exceptional. Bravo.!!!

SusieQOH

I love batiks but I don't work with them too often. I don't like the way the fabric feels. But I love the rich colors and designs.

juliasb

I love quilting with batiks. The richness in the colors is not to be matched in any other type of fabric. The tightly woven fabric makes perfect bed quilts. The key is in the prewashing. Using a color catcher is advised. You will still have vibrant colors even after washing. I have a special section of my stash just for batiks They are well worth the extra you may pay for them. They are great for quilting with.

amethyst

Ok. I have batiks heading my way! Very excited to get started on this project!

What else do I need? Microtex needles, color catchers. I’ll be ordering a new rotary cutter because mine is starting to act up. Any special recommendations when it comes to thread? Or anything else that I’m missing?