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
22 January 2016
New Videos Every Friday [...]
More Crazy stuff from Valerie
Look what I made while the snooker was on at the weekend! It really is quick to make! Delicious fabric from Lady Sew & Sew - Five Fat 1/4's plus 1m for the border - check out the quick workshop by clicking here (the workshop is free this month as a special treat from us!) And I just can't stop!!!!
New Year – New Ideas
Spent a great day yesterday down in Emsworth with Jennie Rayment catching up on what she's been up to (busy lady!) and planning some great projects for 2016 -including one that we will be rolling out over a series a weeks to keep you interested - so keep watching. Here are a few of the projects that I managed to finish over the holidays and which will be winging their way to Momentum - the charity that supports children with life limiting illnesses, and their families, and is based in Kingston-upon-Thames.