Batiks Gone Modern {Introduction + Giveaway}

This is the project that I am MOST excited about as an Island Batik Ambassador -- our modern quilt month!

Some people think that modern quilting and batiks don't mix -- those people would be wrong.

To me, modern quilting is dominated more by design aesthetics rather than the type of fabric. Obviously, some fabrics lend themselves more readily to a modern aesthetic than others but let's take a stroll on the wild side and let me convince you that batiks can be totally modern.

1. Any quilt in all solids is easily translated into batik "near-solids" or blenders.
I would consider this as a "jumping off point" for any modern quilter wanting to work with batiks.

2. Batiks and ombre are a match made in quilter's heaven.
Batiks have a built in "blend" within themselves -- making them a perfect choice for an ombre quilt.

3. You can cut batik fabric into the same shapes and sew it together using any modern-styled pattern.
Alternate gridwork? Totally an option. Wonky piecing? Yep, you can do that. Paper piecing? Sure! (I think you get the picture.)


Before you go buy 30 yards of batiks, let's bring you back to earth and note a few caveats and limitations with batiks:

1. More than likely, you're not going to mix prints and batiks.
One exception is using a blender batik as your background, but most of the time you'll lean toward making all batik projects.

2. The larger scale prints might not be as easily used in modern-style pieces.
The high color contrast larger scale prints might not be as easy to use in a modern quilt project as things with blender batiks or smaller scale prints that read as a solid or blender at a distance.

3. Be prepared for the texture difference.
As a whole, I find that batiks can be slightly thinner but also slightly stiffer than a comparable print or solid fabric. (And ps. expect to pay a few dollars more for batiks as your LQS!)


So let's dive into what I'm going to be making this month. For this project I decided to design around the fabric that I had, rather than starting with a basic design. Once you see the fabric you'll understand why:

I saw it and it screamed "Make us into something ombre-gorgeous, Alison!" and I complied.

Ombre on its own certainly isn't modern (look at the traditional bargello quilts from the last 20 years) so I wanted to use a distinctly modern block and/or block arrangement so that if you saw this quilt from 10 yards, you would say, "A modern mini!" and be very excited. Here's my mock-up design:

Yes. Everest made from a mountain of ombre wonky crosses. For some reason Blogger turned the diagram magenta rather than the lovely shades of purple and lavender that I made it in, but I think you get the point. All of my fabric cuts are half yards, so the outermost border will depend on how much I have left of it at the end. My design ends up at approximately 32 inches square.

My goal is to have this mini quilt as a free pattern at the end of the month, but if you want to make along with me, I'll be putting the directions up here on the blog as I go along. This doesn't have any sort of set schedule since I'm already hosting one quilt along, but expect 2-4 more posts about this project with lots of pictures and details.

What would you have made with this bundle? Tell me and you'll be entered to win some Island Batik fabric in your choice of colors!

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