Day 4 of Island Batik Week is here!! We love having this opportunity to showcase and celebrate the vibrant colors of Island Batik’s Spring/Summer releases. We absolutely adore working with this wonderful company and have so much respect for its designers. We’ll be featuring one designer every day this week and each post will offer a fabric + thread giveaway, so make sure to come back daily to learn more and to enter-to-win some gorgeous prizes!
To learn about Island Batik and the batik process, please visit their website. For a peek at the full range of Spring/Summer 2017 releases, in-stores now, click here or on the image below to browse the catalog.
ISLAND BATIK WEEK SCHEDULE
August 21 – Jackie Kunkel on Auribuzz (Jackie’s Post — Island Batik’s Post)
August 22 – Tammy Silvers on Auribuzz (Island Batik’s Post)
August 23 – Cheri Good Designs on Auribuzz (Island Batik’s Post)
August 24 – Nan Baker (Nan’s Post — Island Batik’s Post)
August 25 – Ebony Love
Zen is a new collection by Kathy Engle for Island Batik. The collection is truly calming, with shades of blue and green, featuring soft florals, starfish, and subtle wave-like patterns. We love that Island Batik turns to a dedicated tribe of makers to bring their collections to life… their Ambassadors. Nan Baker of Purrfect Spots is one of those Ambassadors and she created one of the stunning quilts to showcase this gorgeous new line.
Nan has long been a champion of both Island Batik fabrics and Aurifil threads. We’ve partnered with her on three different Petfinder Foundation collections, benefitting pets in need, and truly admire her creativity, her quilty skills, and her warm spirit. We’re thrilled to have a chance to showcase her here today!
While we don’t have a collection to coordinate with Zen, Nan was king enough to select 6 colorful spools to coordinate: 5006, 2720, 2784, 1231, 2810 and 2730. Don’t miss your chance to win a fabric stack and some threads at the end of this post!
THE INTERVIEW
What first drew you to the world of sewing and quilting?
My grandmother taught me to sew and I fell in love with fabrics and threads. I can’t remember a time in my life when I didn’t do some sort of stitching. I was a cross stitch and needlepoint designer. I thought my designs would transfer nicely into quilting and that is how I got started with quilting.
How did you first get involved with Island Batik?
I saw their booth at Fall International Quilt Market and instantly fell in love with their lovely batiks. Another thing that got my attention was the fact that they gave a portion of fabric sales to the Quilted in Honor program for veterans. My husband and many of my friends are veterans, so that held a special place in my heart. I started talking to the staff and the next thing I knew they asked for some of my designs. The rest as they say is history!
What do you love most about Batik Fabrics?
What’s not to love? All the different colors are unbelievable eye candy. I love the texture. The fabrics are so crisp and stable and make sewing a breeze. And it just seems quilts made with Island Batik fabric stand out among other quilts.
What is your favorite Quilting Technique?
I love, love, love hand quilting, but I never have enough time to do that as I am usually under a deadline so don’t get an opportunity to enjoy it like I do. Maybe someday.
Can you tell us a little more about Sea of Tranquility?
Sea of Tranquility comes from the name of the sea on the Moon. It just seemed to fit. I usually name the blocks in my patterns as it easier to follow when assembling the quilt. I had a great time with this one as I used “Moon Terms”, space terms, astronaut names and the spaceship that did the moon landing so it is a lot of fun.
How did you first discover Aurifil Threads and what do you love most about them?
When I started quilting, it just seems that the name Aurifil just went with it – like peanut butter and jelly. I was so excited when I got my first Aurifil Threads. It was like the icing on the cake. I love the colors and also the way they sew on my machine. They don’t break and they are dependable. Sewing with them is like sewing with a good friend. Adding Island Batik Fabrics to the mix – well it just doesn’t get any better.
What is coming up next for you this year — where can we find you?
I am so excited as I will be introducing my Island Batik Signature Collection – Northern Woods at Fall Market in Houston. I am loving the colors as they are fabulous fall colors and fall colors are my favorites. I can’t wait to show off my quilts with this collection (all quilted with Aurifil Threads). I will be in the Island Batik booth at market. So you can look for me there!
I will also be teaching a TQPM (The Quilt Pattern Magazine) Kennel Quilt class at Quilt Market. I am happy to add that Island Batik and Aurifil are sponsors of the class plus the “Piece for Shelter Pets” project which encourages quilters to make Kennel Quilts for our furry friends in pet shelters. I am so proud to be working with two organizations that love and support our animal friends who need help.
I have a number of other things in the works, so I hope that you’ll follow along with me on my blog and on Facebook throughout the coming year!
FUN LINKS
Zen
Seas the Day
Piece for Shelter Pets Initiative
Furry Friday
ZEN PATTERNS
All available through Island Batik
THE GIVEAWAY
To enter-to-win 6 Large Spools of Aurifil 50wt thread in colors that coordinate with Zen + one stack of Zen fabrics from Island Batik, click here to head to the Rafflecopter entry page, or simply click on the image above. You do not have to complete all the options to be entered but the more options you choose, the more entries you have! Entries will be accepted from now through 11:59pm Eastern Time on Thursday, August 31! Winner will be randomly selected and announced here on Friday, September 1. Good luck!
UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Kathleen Kingsbury! (Winner has been emailed 🙂 )
ABOUT NAN
Blog — Facebook — Instagram
Nan Baker has been stitching all of her life and created her company, PURRFECT SPOTS, to combine her love for needlework with her love for animals. Her designs have appeared in many publications including The Quilt Pattern Magazine, Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks, American Patchwork and Quilting, Fons & Porter Love of Quilting and on QNNtv.com. She is the Marketing Director for The Quilt Pattern Magazine and spearheaded the TQPM Kennel Quilt Team initiative which helps shelter pets in disasters.
Nan was a member of the Disaster Animal Response Team for The Humane Society of the United States. As a result of her disaster work, she created The CASEY Plan (Caring for Animals Safely in Emergencies during the Year) which is a nationwide program. A portion of her sales is donated to helping animals in disasters.
ABOUT ISLAND BATIK
Website — Blog — Facebook — Pinterest — Twitter — Instagram
Island Batik is a manufacturer, importer and distributor of cotton batik, rayon batik and hand-printed cotton from Indonesia. Originally established in 1997, Island Batik’s mission is to share the ancient cultural art of batik and hand-dyed fabric with our many valued customers around the world.
I haven’t worked with batiks very much. I love that I can use either side of the fabric.
Batiks are so easy to work with because there is no wrong side.
I love the gorgeous rich colors of batiks.
Love the feel of batiks.
I love that there is no right or wrong side of the fabric for batiks much of the time, and if there is the difference is so subtle you can use that to your advantage and it gives your quilt more depth.
I love the feel of batiks.
Batik fabrics add such a richness and depth to a project whether in quilts, table runners, or bags. Rayon batiks make wonderful blouses.
I love the feel and how stable they are to work with.
I started using batiks a little over a year ago. I had them in my possession longer, but i was intimidated by them, not sure what to do with them. I finally used them in an orange peel quilt and fell in LOVE, then used some in applique, them in a scrap quilt. And much more. I love how you can use them as blenders, that they can stand alone, be used as your background or as a border, anything really. They are so versatile. They can be bright and vivid or subdued, anything you need. By far my go to fabric choice now.
I love the gorgeous colors of batiks!
Love the Zen collection of Batiks! Great colors and designs.
I love the rich colors and patterns in batik fabrics. I also like the feel of the fabric and it is easy to work with.
I love the crisp feeling of batiks and the vibrant colors.
I love the bright beautiful colors and the fact that there is no wrong or right side. Batiks are just happy fabrics.
I love the rich colors & prints! It is a dream to sew with too!
I agree with Nan-the bright, saturated colors of batiks are amazing-the colors choices endless! Love, love this collection! Thank you for sharing, Susan
I love the texture created by the printing process. Everything flows.
What’s not to love??? The wide range of colors, patterns and deep saturation is so much fun to create with and there’s never an issue to coordinate them with other fabrics. I love them all!
Batiks blend together and create a pleasing finish. I love these blues and greens; they are very calming.
Batiks are my favorite fabric to work with. Beautiful colors!
I love the beautiful blending in colors!
Love love Batiks, my favourite fabric! They blend so well together and they are like looking at a rainbow in a finished quilt.
i love batiks for their colors, feel, no raveling, and no wrong side. the zen collection is all my favorite colors.
The fabrics and threads are luscious. Love them.
The softness of the fabric!
I love the rich colors and tight weave that makes it easy to sew.
Beautiful collection. Love the deep tones of batiks
I’m like others and love the intense saturation of colors. Besides that the spots and dots add even more movement to your final design. Thanks Aurifil, island Batik and Nann for a fabulous giveaway.
Just love batiks! Why? The color, the intensity, the movement, can’t be beat. So very uplifting, fabrics that definitely affect one’s mood.
I love the colors of batiks. And, thanks for the chance to win this gorgeous collection.
Love the rich colors and textures created by using batiks.
I love the vibrant colors!
I love the color, the feel and the crispness of the fabric. Wonderful!
I love the high thread count and the rich colours of batiks!
I love the colors it’s definitely eye candy & also love there isn’t a wrong/right side of the fabric. I’ve only made one quilt with batiks but use it a lot for accent strips in pillow cases.
COLORS+DESIGN! THANKS NAN+AURIFIL !
I love the colors of these fabrics and thread!
I love the look and feel of batiks!
I love the colors and sh.a ding nuances. I’d love to include so,e of those Zen fabrics in the batik quilt I’m working on right now.
Batiks seem to be getting better n better with color. So vibrant.
I love the rich, variation of colors in each piece of fabric. It blends with so many other fabrics.
I love all the gorgeous, rich colors that are available in Batiks!
I love the deep rich colors.
It’s great that batiks are reversible. One less thing to think about! (One less mistake to make…)
I mostly use batiks, they really make you understand value-because you don’t get lost in a printed image.
YAY for Nan! And thanks so much for sharing my pattern design, too. Island Batik is just the best, and so is Aurifil.
I do love those island batiks–beautiful colors…and those matching threads. I do enjoy sewing with batiks.
Everything! The beautiful colors and designs and the weave of the fabric.
Loved Sea of Tranquility… Batiks are very easy to work with, no fraying, great blendable colors. Its hard to put together a batik quilt that doesn’t look good!
I love the blues of these batiks!!! Gorgeous colours💙💙💙
It definitely is the colors.
Beautiful colors in Zen! I have some batiks in my stash, but can always use more. 🙂 I started using Aurifil after guidance from my local quilt shop — love it!
What I love most is how the all the colors make me feel when I’m working with them, HAPPY !!!
I love the beautiful colors of batik fabrics – they seem to glow. Thanks.
The feel and the color intensity of batiks is amazing!! Thank you!
I love the depth of color in batiks. They are wonderful to work with. I love the Zen fabric collection and love Aurifil threads. Thanks for a great giveaway.
I love the way the colors blend so well together, often giving so much movement in a single piece. The hand is also great to work with.
I love the colours and no wrong or right side.
I love the colors and patterns on the fabrics.
I love how the fabric feels cool to the touch.
I love the “hand” of batiks and the fact it’s easy to use both sides for different effects.
I love using batiks in applique, and love all the beautiful colors, Thanks
saturated colors & muted designs are spectacular!
Batiks are a favourite because the colours are so rich and blend well with other fabrics and other batiks.
The colors are so vibrant and you can’t go wrong for selection because you can use both sides.
What beautiful & peaceful colors!!!
I love the richness of the colors..also a delight to the eyes!
I love that I can usually find just the right color fabric in a batik. They are always so bright and cheerful!
Such a soothing group of colors in vibrant batiks! And the great threads that match perfectly!
I love working with batiks because there’s no chance of me sewing the wrong sides together. Both back and front of the fabric look exactly the same.
Beautiful colors both fabric and thread.
I enjoy the light feel of batiks, the vibrant colors and the unique designs.
What’s not to love? I love everything about working with batiks … the quality of the fabric (tight weave), the beautiful saturated colors, it’s timeless, both sides of the fabric are the same, the crispness, and I feel it will wear much better than fabric that is not batik.
I absolutely love batiks!! I am currently working on a BOM that. Is all batiks, so winning would be a great boost. Thanks so much for the chance to win! 😊
I don’t have much experience with batiks but I love the variety of prints and colors that are available.
When all is said and done I have to admit blue really is my favorite color and I almost always want to use blues, aqua’s and teal in my quilts. I have to force myself to try other colors, the rich Batik blues are some of my favorites.
I love the depth of color, and the feel of good ba tik fabrics.
These are beautiful colors. Batiks are so easy to work with. Love them. Thanks for the giveaway, grinnie1961 at gmail dot com
I love all the rich colors. Nan’s line has terrific colors.
Wow love the colors she got..I just love them because it’s like happy sewing eye candy fun..tytyty… happyness04431@yahoo.com
I love the saturated colors.
Love the feel of Batiks & the Gorgeous colors/shadings & prints!!! LOVE these blues & greens you’re sharing today!!
Thank you for chance to win your Give-a-way too! 🙂
I love that there is more than one color in the piece of fabric.
I love the saturated colors!
I love how it’s so easy to use both sides of batik fabrics!
I like that you can
use either side of
the fabric.
Carla from Utah
They are so crisp and stay put. Very little stretch and rich color!!
Love, love the colors and how they feel. 🙂
craftyccain@gmail.com
I love no wrong or right side and all the prints and colors
I love the beautiful colors and the shading in batiks! So much fun to work with.
I.Love.Zen! My favorite colors! I like the texture batiks add to a quilt design! Thanks for the giveaway!
What’s not to like about batiks?!! Thanks for the chance to win 🙂
I like the close weave of batiks, but mostly the colors and patterns of the fabrics. Each new collection is like opening a new box of crayons. I feel the same way about Aurifil–there’ s something exciting and satisfying when popping the lid of a new colorful collection!
I love the painterly quality of batik fabrics!
I love batiks for the body in the fabric and the saturated colors. Thanks!
I love the colors in the Island Batiks.
I love the vibrant colors and patterns in batiks!
I love batiks, and these are some of my favorite colors!
I love working with batiks,! They have so much movement, but yet can work as a blender. All the colors seem to go together. Jadahlgr at Yahoo dot Com
I love the variety of shades and hues in batiks, and that there is no right or wrong side!
I love Island Batiks. They are such high quality and are easy to work with. I love their textures and the pretty, saturated colors. I feel like I’m creating special things when I sew with Island Batiks.
reillyr2(at)hotmail(dot)com
Batik fabrics are my first choice when selecting fabrics for a quilt. The relationship between Island Batiks and Aurifil Threads really help create beautiful quilts. The saturation of color in Batiks are so beautiful and the beautiful Aurifil matching threads really enhance my quilts.
The colors of Zen are luscious! Love, love them.
As well as the tightness of the weave, I love the colours and versatility.
I love the colors and how the pattern and color shifts across each fabric. My favorite thing about batiks is how easy they are to press and cut and how well they take an iron. These fabrics are so beautiful and I love Nan’s quilts!
I love the rich colors.
Love the colors and patterns in batiks.
I love the feel of batiks and the depth of color.
Love all the different colors available and the different patterns!
I love the way batiks feel!!
I love the vibrant colors!
Love the rich colors, love it doesn’t made a difference what side you use.
In the case of this collection, all those wonderful blues and greens — be still my heart!
I wish I won! those are my favorite colors!