Sew Happy Friday – Help with Fabrics – Mixing Batiks and Prints

 

One area that some quilters, crafters and seamstresses sometimes find challenging is how to choose fabric that “play well together”.  I hope to make some posts using various sources that will provide some help for those who struggle with this.  (Important to remember.  There are no quilt police.  If you like it, it’s OK.  Don’t think you have to follow anyone’s specific “must-dos”.)
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You can mix batiks and prints!  Even in the recent trend to make clothing with mixed fabrics this can be done tastefully.

When I first started noticing batiks I was not particularly drawn to them, though I liked the colors.  (Probably it was the price.)  Then I ordered some for a lap quilt for a friend, thinking that they really suited her style better than some other things.  When I washed them and ironed them I realized here was a fabric I really liked!  So, I’ll probably be ordering more along the way.  It helps that the designs they are putting on batiks now have improved in variety.  The down side is that they generally cost more, though some sellers are trying to offer some less expensive choices.  However, considering how they are made, I won’t complain of the prices any more.

Here’s a video with Edyta Sitar showing how she mixes batiks and prints.  I thought it was helpful to actually see the process in action.