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
More films for Justhands-on.tv
A great day was had on Monday filming new content for the site; we were joined by Myfanwy Hart https://www.myfanwyhart.co.uk/, textile artist and fabric dyer, who worked with her embellishing machine and a wonderful new product to texture fabric; Val Toombes of Silk Sacks www.silksacks.co.uk/ showed us how to make silk paper and also a delightful brooch, and Lynette Harris (our very own Stitch Witch) www.stitch-witch.org.uk did several small pieces to camera from folding tree decorations to designing your very own celtic pattern.
Guildford Quilters Exhibition – Clandon House
Due to be held 24th April onwards at Clandon House, an 18th-century Palladian mansion ( West Clandon, Guildford, GU4 7RQ)
spent a really lovely few hours doing a recci on the place for Dave and Matt as we will be there on 24th filming the event. The house is spectacular as are the grounds – it is now part of the National Trust so if you are a member of that you will be able to get into the exhibition for free.
Quilts for Momentum – Kingston upon Thames
The many and varied blocks made for the 'Be a Star' competition are now merging into quilts; here are the first two (as work in progress) Thank you to all who took part. Momentum is a registered charity established in 2004 which aims to help children (up to the age of 17) and the families of children, undergoing treatment for cancer in Surrey and South West London.