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
21 December 2018
New Videos Every Friday A textile exhibition by [...]
7 December 2018
New Videos Every Friday Gail Penberthy's Festive Tree Skirt [...]
See what our retreaters have been up to
A weekend away with Paula Doyle and Jennie Rayment can keep a group of quilters very busy and enjoying themselves - See what they got up to last weekend and if you're tempted come and join us at a retreat in 2019 Next year Jennie's teaching Octagons in March 2019 -click here for details and she's back in November 2019 with Paula - Jennie will be teaching the Lone Star Medallion Quilt and Paula will be Stashbusting - click here for details Be quick though - places go quickly Paula's Easy Stack Quilts - here are some before and after's Fanadoo!