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
Subscriber Giveaway for May 2019 – City Lights Cushion pattern from Lina Patchwork
Sorry the competition is now closed. The pattern is available in the Shop
How long are my strips for the 40 minute quilt?
How do I calculate the length of my strips? Answer: The 40 minute quilt is made up from scrap strips, each cut 2.5" wide by whatever length your material is. Valerie joined lots together to get her quilt top. In order to work out how long you want you need to think about the size you want to create and will there be borders? - if not then the calculation goes like this: For each strip sewn it will become 2" wide and if you want it to be 40" in the other direction then just divide the size - say 60" by 2 = 30 strips at 40 This can also be made with a ready-bought jelly roll - just look at the number of strips in it.
The rug did get finished
The jelly roll rug that got started on the weekend away is finally finished - doesn't it look good.