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
A couple of comments from you
Dear Val and Jennie,
Thank you for bringing the superb fabric bundle The Lakes, to your site. The colours are mouth wateringly beautiful and I would love a pack.
Your site is excellent I love the way you include some different skills, as it is always exciting to learn something new. Many thanks
Margaret I have been a subscribed member for a few months now and just love the site.
I have just became a grandmother for the first time and intend to make my new grandson Jennie's yoyo caterpillar for Christmas. Barbara
1st November 2013
If it’s Friday there must be something new to watch! [...]
Piping a cushion
Hi, I have just followed Jennie Rayment's video on piping for a cushion, and am delighted with the result. It is something I have avoided all my life (I am 64!) and now I cannot for the life of me understand why I was so afraid of it.
The piping I have done is, in fact, for the edging of the P&Q magazine project "Hand Quilting for All", which simply tells you to buy piping cord and insert into the bias strips (which I had just cut following the instructions). I bought 5mm cord hoping that was right. I now cannot wait to try it out on a cushion.