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
Fashion Sans Frontieres!
Jennie: Nearly there - the Festival of Quilts! Justhands-on.tv will be there filming all sorts of delights for your enjoyment over the coming months. Not only will the camera crew (Bizview.tv) be at the show BUT.... they are filming the Fashion Show on Friday evening which will be available on our site for all our members. 6 Brits and 8 Russians will parade down the catwalk with day/evening/wearable art and an accessory. It is a very exclusive do and the garments will be amazing - I am perhaps not as serious as the others in my work so have gone for 95% calico but have done a new bridal outfit with a surprise.....
August 2010
Here I am returned from France, where we spent a [...]
Competition winners
Val: Fabric is in the post to the girls who won and Elizabeth in Ayreshire loves the idea that she will soon be the proud owner of the Husqvarna Viking ER10 Embellisher machine. Congratulations to you all. Don't forget that there is a Janome BCC-30 sewing machine on offer; all you have to do is answer 3 simple questions correctly to be in with a chance to win it.