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
Magna Carta Quilts on display at Guildford Cathedral
Paula Doyle joined myself and the boys from Communicate TV and showed us round the finished quilts -they are really amazing. 8 of them plus a backing mosaic representing the River Thames. Sponsorship is still needed so if you would like to have a square embroidered, click here for more details. The film will be coming to the website shortly.
Fabric Copyright
This is the content of a newsletter item that my friend Isa at Creative Quilting sent out and it's worth a read by anyone and everyone who loves fabric! I usually very much enjoy writing my newsletters, telling you about all the new things we are doing, the new fabrics and the up coming shows. However, this time, it is with a very heavy heart that I am writing this one.
Filming with Jennie Rayment
Well it happened! We got a date in the diary when we could catch up with the ever-busy but very talented Jennie - and at one of our favourite studio venues - Marsh Farm Hotel at Royal Wootton Bassett - we have been there 21 times now!! Great videos and workshops filmed, with both Jennie and myself contributing AND we found out about Jennie's new book- !!!