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
Tumbling Blocks quilt get’s adopted
Jo's lovely handmade Tumbling blocks quilt was adopted by the newest addition to their household - good choice Ziggy! If you want to know how to make this lovely quilt, you can enjoy the video with Valerie.
Handpiecing Tumbling Blocks or if you would rather work this by Machine, you can join Jennie:
Tumbling Blocks with Jennie Rayment
Update 20th June 2014
A list of quick reminders for you: Midsummer Mystery Quilt [...]
Embroidery with Lorna Bateman
Lorna joined Valerie and the film team to share with us her love of embroidery, embellishing and pinweaving; so we have some great films to share with you soon. And here they are surrounded by some of Lorna's beautiful work.