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
Filming at Bee Crafty in Huntingdon
Dave and Matt will be doing all the important stuff today but we have plans to wander round the shop and find out just how much crafty stuff Julie and Sarah can hold. We will also be meeting up with some great tutors: Gina Ferrari, Jill Adamson and Tanyia Haines - so we will be covering beading, free motion textile embroidery, twisted bargello at least.
Great value patchwork
Many of you will have seen the adverts for a new magazine that is persuading you (or trying to) make a patchwork quilt in what looks like 6" squares monthly over a LONG period of time. Some bright spark has worked out that despite the cheap introductory copy the whole quilt will cost you £354 (yes you do get fabric in that price but even so!) A spokesperson for the magazine says that they offer excellent advice - well I think we do much better so with our many valued and high quality teachers from the UK sharing their expertise - and all for just £60 a year - GREAT VALUE I think; Jennie and I hope you agree.
New colourway for Rosebud Fayre quilt
Rosebud Fayre Block of the Month From Julia (work in progress) : - great job! Julia says: I tried so hard to get the same material as you for the block of the month but I couldn't find it anywhere. Somewhat discouraged I tried to find something similar but failed miserably. Half-heartedly I decided to try a completely different colour combination.