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
Kim Thittichai shares her love of embellishing
Queen of Embellishing and mixed media, Kim Thittichai shares with you her great embellishing product called "Hot Spots"www.justhands-on.tv/videos/category/4/ And Mixed media textile enthusiasts will love Kim’s books ; Hot Textiles and Experimental Textiles
Changing your password
Val: If you have forgotten your password, you can ask the computer software to issue you with another one and in return you will get a series of letters and numbers, which are impossible to remember!! However, once you have logged in you can find a 'Change my Password' option at the top righthand side of your screen under the Members tab; so you can then type in something you can remember and is also easy to type!
Exciting new needlework kits
Val: We are very excited to announce three wonderful kits that have been designed by Heather Harrison, a graduate of the Royal School of Needlework, that we are being allowed to sell here on the site. There is blackwork, crewel work and stumpwork - all three kits are Heather's own unique design and come complete with everything you need to make the project and, of course, excellent instructions.