About Vendulka
Vendulka Battais is an award winning textile artist, tutor and half of the couple running textile studio OliVen in the heart of Suffolk.
Vendulka started her creative journey making clothes from remnants with her mum in the Czech Republic. She learned simple patchwork when she moved to the UK and was looking for a new hobby. From squares and triangles, Vendulka’s work evolved into quilting, embroidery, and circular patterns inspired by mandalas and dreamcatchers.
It was this growing passion which led her to start her own patchwork and quilting shop with her partner, Olivier, on the Isle of Wight in 2011. It’s called OliVen. In 2015, they moved family and shop to the village of Monks Eleigh in Suffolk.
Vendulka loves to make patchwork quilts, teach patchwork in the shop, travel to teach groups and demonstrate at shows.
Somehow she found the time to publish a wonderful book, Cathedral Windows – New Views, and win the Best in Show Award at Festival of Quilts 2021. This is what the judges had to say about the work: “a wonderful collaboration of design and workmanship. We loved the variety of feathers and their balance of glorious colour. A masterclass in the stitching of an intricate Mandala, together with precise use of the glitter liner medium.”
Signature Technique
Bringing embroidery into quilting
Top Tips
- Glittery and metallic paint on fabric brings a project to life – especially in the dark!
- Create an enhanced 3D effect on Cathedral windows with folded patchwork, padding, and a new colour twist.
- Combine different elements such as machine quilting and hand embroidery. It’s a joy to work on and the result is stunning.
Videos
Patterns
Posts
Fun at the Jane Austen House Museum, Chawton, Hants
Brilliant day filming - despite the damp English weather; we got to see the Jane Austen Coverlet which was sewn by Jane and her mother and sister and they used the EPP method; the Community sewing Project organised by Lucy Bailey, (that Valerie and she are standing in front of) reimagines the Jane Austen quilt and commemorates her life and legacy, and the Admiral's Quilt was created with the EPP blocks left over and is on the approppriate bed in the house, is quite stunning.
Zig Zag Table runner
You may have watched Anne Baxter's workshop for a Zig Zag Table runner, which Anne creates cleverly using rectangular blocks, and simple strip piecing and without using triangles. This is Susanne's gorgeous version of the table runner. Susanne told us she wanted to use this lovely collection of batik strips she had in her stash for ages. But, she couldn't bear to cut off the points so she made a turn-through backing and top stitched all around.
More Fruity Friends from Valerie
I just loved this range of fabrics - they are so jolly - and in both colourways; so inspired by the cushion pattern from Lynne Goldsworthy - click here for the workshop - I worked on creating a fun quilt (wip) With my leftovers I quickly took my 40minute quilt idea to create this little charity quilt for a youngster (still to be quilted but now layered!) There is a bigger pink version too!