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
How do you cut the strips for Log Cabin?
This is the question from Janice: like you I just love the look of the log cabin and am about tho venture down this road. Can you tell me - is the strips cut on the bias or just straight across? Here is our answer:
ALWAYS assume that strips are cut ACROSS your fabric unless you are told otherwise - when you cut down the grain is very unforgiving and when you cut on the bias your quilt will wave!!!
Comments About our Films on Youtube
3 Comments from Youtube July 2013: Comment on How to pull the machine thread up through your work with Valerie Nesbitt From across the pond again, North Carolina, USA, I am thoroughly enjoying AND learning from these tutorials. LOVE the variety of subjects, especially the projects and the techniques incorporated into it. Also enjoy the interviews and off site shows.
What to watch here during August 2013
There are five Fridays in this month – so lots to view – and we start off by continuing to wander round the Textiles in Focus (2013) exhibition where we meet up with Lynda Monk who demonstrates how she used Lutradur and puff paint; and Jean Wright who is also demonstrating – but this time her love is goldwork; we also enjoy more of the Fen Edge Textiles exhibition that was on display.