Have You Ever Wondered How Some Quilters Have a "Knack" for Choosing the Perfect Fabrics for Their Quilts?
Using This Resource, You, Too, Will Create Gorgeous Quilts
and Know Just Which Fabrics to Use
Date:
From: Penny Halgren
Greetings Quilter,
How do you choose the fabric for a quilt?
That seems to be the biggest challenge for all quilters. Whether you start with a quilt pattern or a stack of fabrics, it seems like the most difficult decision is which fabrics to include in the quilt.
As a matter of fact, many quilters tell me that they have a difficult time starting some quilts because they are "stuck," and can't seem to find the right fabric for their quilt.
So the pattern they love sits around, nagging them to start. But the fabric just isn’t matching the quilt they have pictured in their mind..
Or, they have fabric they love but can’t seem to find the pattern that will show off their beautiful fabric.
If you are anything like I am, you see a beautiful fabric in the store, and buy some - not having a particular project in mind, but knowing that somehow it will be perfect for some quilt someday.
In addition to my florals and fun prints, I have a stack of batik fabrics I have collected over the years - and it keeps getting taller.
The thing is, I haven’t really figured out how to use them in my quilts effectively.
 This ocean waves quilt uses batik fabrics in the center squares. |
I have made a couple of quilts. In my Ocean Waves quilt, I took squares of batiks and placed them in the center of each ocean waves block. Each of the batiks had an ocean scene, so I thought it was a pretty good way to feature the fabric, and I kind of like the quilt.
But it wasn't very imaginative, and I still have a bunch of batiks in my stack – waiting for some inspiration.
I suppose I could just cut them up and put them in quilts like other fabric, but with fabric so special, I want to be able to showcase them, and not just have them look like any other fabric.
A couple of weeks ago in our Eavesdrop on a Telephone Conversation, Sandy from Hoffman Fabrics told us all about how Hoffman batiks are made. All of their batik fabric is hand made in Bali:
A batik will often start as a hand-painted fabric. The artisans apply dye with sponges to the plain white cloth and scrunch it up to create the texture that we love, and then let that dry in big fields of grass.
From a black-and-white drawing that the Hoffman artists come up with, someone in Bali creates a copper chop that emulates the design. The chop is dipped in wax and stamped throughout that piece of fabric, which is 16 - 18 yards long.
Once the wax hardens, they over-dye the fabric again. Anywhere that there is no wax will take that second application of dye. The areas underneath the wax will remain as they were from the initial dye step.
Some of their batiks go through as many as five different steps before they get the finished look they want. And because every step is done by humans and the fabric is laid out to dry in the sun, each yard is unique, and each bolt of fabric will vary some – depending on the weather conditions when it is laid out to dry, and the dye lot that is used to dye the fabric.
 My batik stash that is waiting for the ideas in Batik Gems. |
Now, that’s amazing.
Because there seems to be so much batik fabric now, I thought maybe someone had figured out a way to mechanically produce the fabric while making it still look like it was handmade.
Guess not.
And that makes me want to do something a little more special with those beautiful fabrics.
Maybe you can imagine how excited I was when I saw a brand new resource coming out in November – Batik Gems by Laurie Shifron.
Laurie is a self-taught quilter, just like we are. She loves to share her enthusiasm and love for batiks and her no-nonsense quilting tips with quilters all around the world. Her appearance on the television show Simply Quilts with Alex Anderson is still shown in reruns.
This book is all about quilting projects using batik fabrics – 29 projects in all. Because the book hasn’t been released yet, I can’t see more than just a couple of the projects, but it looks like they will range from something simple to quilts that are a little more complex.
 Using this brand new resource, you can create beautiful quilts using the batiks in your stash - or new ones! |
And, it looks like Batik Gems will show us how to use batik fabric as simple patches in traditional quilt blocks as well as in sashing and borders.
So, I won’t be limited to using my batiks as centerpieces in blocks.
And the thing is, that because these quilts use large pieces of fabric, you can use any fabric with an interesting print or design and create the same affect at if you used batik fabric.
Because batiks often are so colorful, they create challenges when it comes to knowing how to use them in quilts. And because Laurie focuses on how to use these colorful fabrics in your quilts, the same techniques apply whether or not you use batik fabric.
This new quilting resource looks so good that I chose to send it out as the book of the month to members of Penny’s Inner Circle in www.TheQuiltingCoach.com. So, if you are a member – don’t buy this; you are getting it as a benefit of your membership.
If you aren’t a member, you will want to invest in this! Or join :-)
The thing is, with the holidays coming up, you can use these quilt patterns to make gifts for the family members on your gift list.
And you can use fabric in your stash – whether they are batiks or not. I can imagine some fabulous prints being used in the quilts pictured on the front and back of this book – let alone what is inside.
And, if you are concerned about being able to finish a quilt before Christmas, fear not – the quilt pictured on the cover of Batik Gems by Laurie Shifron is made of large rectangles and simple 4 patch blocks – easy to make, and I’m sure you could finish the quilt top in a day or two.
These quilts highlight everything wonderful about batik fabrics - the rich colors, exotic prints and the dramatic effects you can get with easy patterns.
Laurie makes these quilts easy to create with complete how-to instructions and lots of tips on fabrics, tools, and techniques. All of this for a tiny $27.95 plus shipping and handling.
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In Batik Gems, you will :
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Because this is a brand new resource, and hasn’t been released by the publisher, we are taking pre-orders for delivery the middle of November.
You will certainly want to get in on the ground floor, and get started on some batik projects before your friends see this book on the shelves of their local quilt shop.
Amazon.com is taking pre-orders for delivery in mid-January, so you can have all 29 projects made before quilters who order this from amazon.com get theirs.
This just in from Quilter Eileen in Newfoundland, Canada:
Quilter Eileen Green in Newfoundland, Canada sent in some tips for working with batik fabrics. Eileen is a quilter of 25 years who teaches in a brand new quilt shop called Piece Makers. She is one of those fortunate quilters who has been able to live her passion once she retired - namely, teaching quilting! What could be better? Eileen has worked with batiks and knows that sometimes the quality of the fabric, including many threads per inch, can present some challenges for quilters. She has discovered the following: Using a Microtex needle #12 might make your machine piecing easier, depending on the density (thread count) of the fabric. A stronger, sharper sewing machine needle will fly through fabric with a high thread count, and because of the quality of the batik, the threads will pop right back in place, and not leave any machine stitching holes. She has better luck when she uses a #40 thread on top and #50 in the bobbin. Now that is a departure for me - I was taught to match my top and bobbin thread when piecing. Check the results on a sample first. Save some scraps as you cut your fabric for this purpose. That way, you won't feel as if you have wasted even one square inch of your precious batik fabric. Different machines give different results. She uses the Baby Lock quilters professional at work, and has more success with that machine. Her home machine is a Bernina 440 (Quilters Edition). She makes sure that she has Bernina needles in it and she uses a quilters #12 successfully. She suspects that the higher speed of the Baby Lock might make a difference in the quality of her stitching. The brand of the thread can also make a difference - she likes Superior Quilting thread best. The variegated threads are beautiful with batiks. Thanks, Eileen! |
Reserve Your Copy of This Amazing Resource Today!
Taking the first step couldn't be easier. Using our SECURE SERVER, you can reserve your copy of Batik Gems.
But, you need to be quick. Because this is a pre-order, we need to let the publisher know by Monday, November 3 whether yours will be included in our delivery. That means that you need to reserve your copy by Sunday, November 2 at midnight Pacific Time. That way, I can count up our orders and fax them in on Monday.
Don't miss out on this fabulous quilting resource - reserve your copy today. This also would make a great gift for a quilting friend, and how easy is this to wrap up, and even mail, if you have to? One less gift to shop for!
Batik Gems - 29 Dazzling Quilt Projects: Click here to reserve your copy with our SECURE SERVER. This will take you to a form where you can enter your order information and be confident that it is secure. You will be charged $27.95 plus a small shipping and handling charge. Your quilting goodies will be shipped as soon as we receive them - in mid-November.
You can pay with PayPal if you prefer. Just click on the PayPal button when you get to the shopping cart.
Happy Quilting!
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Remember, this is a pre-order. The deadline is Sunday, November 2, and delivery is mid-November.
