Is this a batik?

8 years ago

last modified: 8 years ago

I was sorting through (another) small fabric stash and found four fat-quarters - three batiks with this swirly-pink batik (?) mixed in.

This photo is darker than the actually fabric.

This fabric would work wonderfully with one of the new batiks I picked up for March’s lotto block.

Can you tell from looking if it’s a batik? I’ve had it for at least three years - that’s how long I’ve been under a self-imposed “no more fabrics” rule or probably much longer.

Featured Answer

jlt37869

8 years ago

From the photo, I can't tell one way or the other. By chance, does it look the same on the other side? If it does that is sometimes one way to tell that it is a batik. If it coordinates well with your dark batik, I would go ahead and use it.

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Comments (7)

Fran
8 years ago
I'm not sure about batik, but it looks like a hand died fabric.
caroline94535 thanked Fran
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latifolia
8 years ago
In addition to checking the color on the back, feel the fabric. Often, but not always, the weave is tighter and the fabric is stiffer.
caroline94535 thanked latifolia
glassquilt
8 years ago
Wax is applied in a design, the fabric is dyed, the wax resist is removed in boiling water. I'm pretty sure the boiling water would cause shrinkage.
caroline94535 thanked glassquilt
Karen S. (7b, NYC)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
It's not batik, rather some kind of space dyed fabric.

In order to be a batik, it must have some kind of wax resist on it, which this has none of.

Pet peeve of mine, folks call too many things batik, which they often are not, often just hand dyed or what used to be called in textile manufacturing 'space dyed' .

Here's a top I made of almost ALL batiks, literally, except 4 purple bits & the light blue triangles.

"The Blue Green Batik Depression blocks, I'd recently finished piecing the top.

PIC i'M TRYING TO POST WON'T APPEAR, WILL TRY AGAIN LATER: SO STRANGE!!!

The Blue Green Batik Depression blocks, I'd recently finished piecing the top.

Well I started playing w/ the same design on the back, different coloring & somewhat different scale.

The outer border fabric is a perfect example of batik.

Gotta go to work!
caroline94535 thanked Karen S. (7b, NYC)
caroline94535
Original Author
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Ladies, you are all so helpful. I thank each of you. I appreciate the batiks lessons! I knew joining this year’s Lotto would be a great learning experience!

Jennifer - it does have the same print on both sides, and it does have a good “hand,” but after reading all the responses l, I really do not believe it is a true batik.

As for the two replacement “Pinwheels” I was trying to make, they turned out to be yet another triangulated disaster. I’ll share that lunacy in the “2018 block...” thread.

Fran - I agree. The fabric looks like they took a piece of mottled-pink cloth and floated it on water that had a streaks and splashes of a darker pink oily residue.

Latifolia - the fabric has a good sturdy feel, but when I compare crumpling it in one hand and a “quilt shop verified” batik in the other, they do not feel the same...Alarm buzzer sounding! :)

GlassQuilt - I think the batiks, at least the ones I tried at the quilt shop, feel more firm, possibly a bit waxy or as if they have something added to the material.

Karen - I can’t wait to see your quilt top. It sounds so beautiful!
Karen S. (7b, NYC)
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Trying to post pix again:

Don't know if this will be visible as example. This almost all batik is NOT the one about which I spoke above. Am trying a different mode of attaching pix.

Here goes.

Well that's working ;>)

Caroline, the feel of a batiked fabric will definitely be stiffer.

GlassQuilt, stiffer & w/that certain feel cause of the residual wax in them. Not sure the boiling would shrink the fabrics, it's likelier the drying. If air dried, I suspect there'd be less shrinkage than if mechanically dried (machine heat).