Tuesday, February 11, 2014

The "Learning to Love Batiks" Quilt

When I attended The Stash Bash in 2013, I thought about purchasing a jelly roll of batiks. I think, at the time, I was trying to challenge myself to come up with a quilt that focused on the batiks (instead of using them as blenders) even though I was less than enthusiastic about them.  Of course, when you are at a  retreat with wonderfully supportive quilters, who also happen to be wonderfully sarcastic and eager to encourage someone to be crazy, that thought developed into an actual purchase.

So, I came home and auditions fabrics to go with the bright, rainbow batiks and I auditioned patterns until I finally came up with what I thought would work. I ended up using this Bold and Beautiful print by Michele D'Amore for Benartex I had in my stash, which was perfect, and the "Sparkler" quilt pattern by Freshly Pieced

I really like how the top turned out.  I think the use of a print instead of a solid with the batiks makes it interesting and attractive.
 
I decided the quilting needed to mirror the fabric designs so I created meandering and twining leaves with a loose flower in certain blocks. I felt like it kept the design a little whimsical and feeling like Spring somehow.
In keeping with the "spring" feel, I used one layer of Warm and Natural 80/20 batting and a solid pink fabric as the backing of the quilt and hand sewed a multi-color dot fabric on for the binding. 
Since it measures approximately 56.5" square, it is a nice, light weight quilt that is perfect for draping over your legs when sitting on the porch on a spring or summer evening. I have already washed it (I wanted to be sure there wasn't any color bleed from the batiks) for these pictures and I'm kinda glad I did. The crinkly look suits it.
So, do I now love batiks? No. Do I hate them? No. I think they are like any other fabric. There are good and bad prints that can be used for beautiful or questionable creations. It's all a matter of personal taste.  It is unlikely I will purchase more again anytime soon, though. That's just me.

Oh, and I think I'm renaming this quilt "Spring" and I have decided to sell it. Now to figure out how to do that. :)
Cheers!
Beck

4 comments:

Shay said...

Great use of Batiks Beck ...like you Im not a fan of them generally probably because I've seen them used so badly in quilts fairly consistently . But your creation is just lovely!

rubyslipperz1052 said...

I'm SOO GLAD you challenged yourself with the batiks! Your quilt is really pretty/fun/cheery. Thanks for sharing and inspiring

hugZ,
annie

rubyslipperz1052 said...

ooops...forgot to ask what is the name of the pattern you used? =)

QuiltNut Creations said...

This quilt is fabulous; perfect for batiks! I love that you used a print instead of a solid for the background.