Designing Batiks

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Are you curious about how fabric companies design their batiks? In the July/August issue of McCall’s Quilting, we asked three different companies about their process and here is part of what they shared with us.

Karen Gibbs, Design Director for Banyan Batiks by Northcott, had this to say.

Each batik starts with the collaboration of our design team in Colorado and the talented artisans in a group of factories sprinkled around Indonesia. Inspiration for me comes from the imagination of design, which is then translated to batik by exploring the different techniques we can use to make these ideas come to fruition. I like to create batiks by collection. I’m a quilter and when creating quilts, I like to have not only a color palette that works together, but also interesting motifs. Batiks are fantastic for adding texture to any project, so I want to design a texture to go with each collection. For instance, the Treads we’ve created to go with the Ride On collection add a 3-D effect to a project. This unique batik was created without a typical wax application, but more with the manipulation of color.

Prints are from the Ride On collection by Banyan Batiks

Elizabeth Phillips, Marketing Director for Island Batik, told us this about their process.

Prior to designing new collections, Island Batik spends an incredible amount of time researching top trends, both within quilting and beyond; color trends are often found not just in textiles, but across a wide range of industries, including home decorating, fashion, and weddings, and Island Batik ensures that all of the colors and patterns are on trend and recognizable well beyond the quilting industry. Trends have historically tended to be cyclical, but Island Batik’s seasonal lines are designed to be on trend with what is happening and popular now. Island Batik selects color palettes that reflect the upcoming trends and stay true to the company’s personal style, while also ensuring the colors connect to quilters of all ages and styles.

Nellie Wu, Marketing Director for Timeless Treasures and Dear Stella, told us this:

Timeless Treasures has been producing batiks for more than 20 years and was one of the first manufacturers to focus on batiks for quilting. Tonga Batiks are produced in Indonesia using traditional wax-resist dyeing methods. The textured motifs of the batiks range from subtle nature-inspired designs to bold and impactful geometrics. Tonga Batik collections are always color focused and are known in the industry for interesting, strong, and on-trend assortments in every release. When working with designers, the process begins by honing in on a color story. Then, complementary prints and textures are selected, often with quilt projects in mind.