amethyst

Whenever I am looking at fabrics online, my eye is drawn over and over to batiks. I just love the bright colors. Generally, it seems that batiks are more expensive than cotton fabrics. Are there other cons to working with batiks that I should know about? I’ve never worked with it before. Thanks

joe'smom

Batik fabric is tightly woven and not soft, like regular quilting cotton. It's also a bit stinky when pressed. Personally, I would not use a batik without pre-washing with like colors and color catchers, because in my experience, they tend to bleed.

amethyst

So, are you saying batiks might look great for a display quilt but maybe not the best for a quilt I actually want to sleep with?

Battle Axe

I'm with Joe's Mom. I finally caved and used up my jelly roll of batiks. I made a hanging garden. I have one side of the binding left to do and I just can't seem to hold a needle anymore. I'll try to get a picture of it.

Battle Axe

[img]20201211_130646.jpg[/img]

amethyst

What are color catchers?

(Sorry. I’m such a quilting newbie.)

Watson

I've used a lot of batiks and I love them however....as has been said, they are a bit stiffer, although they aren't uncomfortable once washed or anything.
They absolutely need to be pre-washed and even treated with Retayne. My latest quilt is a good (bad) example of batiks. Pre-washed with colour catchers that came out clear, but one block in the entire quilt bled and I'm having to re-wash, spot treat, applique and now Retayne the whole quilt so I know it won't bleed again before I send it out.
On the other hand, I've done batik quilts that never bled at all, and that was before my pre-washing days, so there is that.
If you are machine quilting, the stiffness doesn't make a difference, once you get your tension right, as with any fabric...hand-quilting I imagine it would be more difficult.
Are they worth it....yup. You just don't get the depth and richness you can get with Batiks in regular fabrics.
Here's the quilt and the rotten block that bled. There are other blocks made of this same fabric in the quilt so why this one and not the others is a mystery.



Watson

amethyst

Oh my, Watson! That is a beautiful quilt! (And I can’t even find the bleeding square when I look at the quilt in its entirety)

Battle Axe

Color catchers are in Walmart in a small box. They look like a dryer sheet, but are made somewhere in Europe with a blend of secret ingredients. You put a couple in with the washing and they will turn all sorts of colors. They bind up the free dye that is in the water and don't let it transfer.

Tartan

Batiks can make a beautiful quilt but they are more dense. I am also careful of putting them with lights in case of bleeding. Be aware if you plan to machine quilt your quilt, sometimes you will get skipped stitches over seams. Batiks are excellent for raw edge appliqué as the edges don’t fray like cotton fabric.