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
Do I have to use cotton fabrics in my quilt?
We tend to use cotton fabrics in quilts as they are easier to use and wash and we have a huge range of wonderful fabrics now being commercially designed and produced just for us. But you can of course use any fabric you like; try to determine what the fabric is, as this will make it easier for you to understand how it will behave not only while you are sewing it, but also when the quilt/project is finished.
What to Watch in January 2013
Inspiration We start off with lots more inspiration from the Hope Quilters’ Exhibition with Sylvia Critcher acting as our guide. Workshops to enjoy The workshops this month include a really quick JR bag – that’s Jennie Rayment but it could be Jelly Roll; a really quick Stripey Quilts from Valerie and how to machine quilt it very simply; and Valerie shows you how to create a Tumbling Blocks quilt by hand - the display quilt is stunning.
Happy New Year
Do you make New Year's Resolutions? Well mine is to sort out and then use more fabric! As well as completing more quilts - turning the tops from WIP's into real quilts. I was doing well at the end of the year as I had a good couple of days with not much going on - so I hope to continue !!!!