Book Description

Find a treasure chest of ideas for your batiks! Get inspired to play with the brilliant colors and dramatic motifs of batik fabrics with this visual feast of batik quilts. Then follow techniques and patterns that will give you the confidence to dive into your collection and stitch up rich, color-splashed quilts.

· Choose from 18 spectacular projects, from small wall quilts to full-size bed quilts, that showcase the vibrant hues and exotic designs of batik abrics

· Use simple-to-stitch shapes based on classic blocks and patterns, plus find tips for combining batiks with traditional quilting fabrics

· Learn about the ancient art form of batik, which uses a combination of waxes and dyes to make intricate patterns on fabric

· Enhance your quilts with a variety of exciting options for borders and settings that will dazzle the eye

Find the inspiration to start stitching your batiks today with this book of beautiful quilts for batik lovers and fabric lovers everywhere! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Good for making exact copies of author's quilts but . . .
This book is very frustrating to me. I love batiks, and the author's works are beautiful, but I am not a beginner and definitely not interested in copying her quilts in whatever size and color schemes she has used. Therefore, I find it extremely annoying that the directions tell you how many of what size shapes to cut for her quilt, but don't say what the finished block sizes are. Of course, I can figure that out, but why make me do all that math istead of including such basic information? Total book includes 10 pages of text on batiks, 22 pages of text on very basic, generic quiltmaking techniques, and 77 pages consist of 18 particular quilts with the instructions for copying them.

Breathtaking Batiks
Do you drool over breathtakingly beautiful batiks? Are you drawn to classic patchwork patterns that allow the beauty of the fabric to shine? Finally, a book that inspires through the use of timeless patchwork with thoughtful direction and gorgeous batiks! These patterns are simple and can be easily adapted to nonbatik fabrics. Ms. Shifrin has a real eye for color and value, and it shows in the gorgeous quilts displayed on the pages of this book. The straightforward explanations of the batik process and the fabrics produced are both informative and helpful. Go ahead, now you can confidently create your own stunning batik beauties!

Wonderful Book with lots of eye candy
The book contains lots of information on Batiks and many beautiful pictures. I took a class by Laurie Shifrin, we did the "Behind the Shadows" quilt from the book, page 54. Not only is she a great author, but in person is very friendly and always ready to offer encouragement. She will be releasing a new book sometime this winter. I got a sneak preview during a trunk show and believe me the color and fabric combinations are eye-catching. The only complaint I have with the book is that it doesn't contain the block sizes.

Excellent patterns for any fabric
In this book, Laurie talks about the history of batiks and about how they are made today. She also talks about how to buy Batiks, and how to tell the real Batiks apart from the look-alikes. I also see instructions on caring and protecting your Batik fabric. However, not as much about this as I expected.
This book also has a lot of basic quiltmaking instructions. If this was the only book I owned, I would be able to finish a quilt right down to the binding. There's not too much on quilting patterns because she feels the batiks speak for themselves so the quilts don't need too much quilting.
I am not a person who likes the Batik fabrics, but I love the patterns in this book just using my fabrics. Most of the patterns are simple rotary cutting quilts using squares, rectangles and triangles. I did see a few quilts that use applique or a template.
The directions are simple to follow and well illustrated. Laurie has also rated each pattern by skill level. I'm a beginner, but with these directions, I feel I could successfully and easily complete every one.

Wonderful for any Fabrics
In this book, Laurie talks about the history of batiks and about how they are made today. She also talks about how to buy Batiks, and how to tell the real Batiks apart from the look-alikes. I also see instructions on caring and protecting your Batik fabric. However, not as much about this as I expected.
This book also has a lot of basic quiltmaking instructions. If this was the only book I owned, I would be able to finish a quilt right down to the binding. There's not too much on quilting patterns because she feels the batiks speak for themselves so the quilts don't need too much quilting.
I am not a person who likes the Batik fabrics, but I love the patterns in this book just using my fabrics. Most of the patterns are simple rotary cutting quilts using squares, rectangles and triangles. I did see a few quilts that use applique or a template.
The directions are simple to follow and well illustrated. Laurie has also rated each pattern by skill level. I'm a beginner, but with these directions, I feel I could successfully and easily complete every one. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

great generous book
I've started doing batik just a couple of months ago, and this is the third book I have bought from Amazon on this subject. I think this is the best of them three because it has very very clear instructions on every project the author suggests, great photos of each step, she shows very clearly a lot of techniques to use on different things (check out the lamp shade it's great)and I think most important of all she is very generous about her knowledge of batik, explaining everything that could happen if you do this or that, and with every day words, not all the technical-chemical mumbo jumbo i've found in other books.

One last thing, check out her galley in the book: it's really beautiful! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Beautiful and informative - this is all you need!
Having done a batik in a craft class in school years ago, I was really interested in doing more, but couldn't find a class in the city (NYC!). I bought this book and everything in it is beautiful artwork, inspiring and really lovely. Aside from being a book depicting the beautiful and intricate work that can be done with batik, this turns out to be a detailed guidebook on how to take on batik and do it in your own home. With step by step pictures about the dying process, detailed information on waxing techniques and options, this book is all you need to get to start doing batik in your own home. I HIGHLY recommended it if you're looking to try batik yourself!

A BEAUTIFUL book
This is not your standard hippy type batik. The work in here is incredible. I have never seen anything like it, and I've seen most of the books on batik that are out there. The artists featured are fantastic. The book has extensive information on working with wax and other resists, removing the resists, using different types of dyes. I highly recommend it.

I already have all the materials, had them for years, didn't know where to start. This will help me get going. ... Read more

Book Description

A comprehensive and richly illustrated survey of batik, a glorious textile art and popular Indonesian cloth.

Every aspect of batik is rich in symbolism: its colors, motifs, and designs, as well as the way it is made, folded, and worn. Formerly a family and tribal signifier, and then a symbol of Indonesian independence and identity, it is now a fabric in demand all over the world. Fiona Kerlogue explores the origins of batik in the Indonesian archipelago; the materials and methods of production; regional traditions and differences; motifs and symbolism, including Malay, Chinese, and Islamic meanings; modern influences, such as industrialization, war, and independence; batik as traditional and modern costume; and batik as an art form.

An illustrated index of motifs and their meanings, glossary, bibliography, and international listing of batik collections complete this authoritative yet accessible work. 205 illustrations, 168 in color. ... Read more

Book Description

Batik is an exciting and unusual art form in which vibrantly colored fabric designs are created by the repeated application of hot wax and dyes. By following the seven easy-to-understand projects in Batik, you will discover the fascination of this ancient Asian art. As a method for embellishing and patterning cloth, the possibilities are endless, and finished batiks can be fashioned into clothing, cushion covers, wall hangings, or pictures. Artist Sarah Tucker's own enthusiastic approach offers a stimulating introduction to batik for the complete beginner, but it will also inspire those more experienced in the medium. Lavishly illustrated in full color. 96 pp8 1/2 x 10 1/2 ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent how-to-do-it book
This book is exactly what I wanted: a strong, clear, detailed guide to the techniques involved in creating works in batik - pictures, scarves, cushion covers. It's full of illustrations which made it easy to follow but it also encouraged me to be more ambitious, trying out techniques which were quite new to me. Good for a beginner, therefore, but also good for those who already know about batik but want to get to grips with new ideas! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not deep enough or broad enough
I recieved this book as part of a start up kit on batik.The billing on the book was that it was a good how-to on the batik process.I found it to be remarkably lacking.There was no advice as to how to deal with the more common problems mentioned in the process, and the process, itself was extremely lacking.There were a lot of pretty pictures of batik work from a modern standpoint - but they did not fit in well with the subject matter and seemed more like a "look what I did".There were very few pictures, for example, of the various steps of the process while the artist was in action.

I suppose at this low cost, you get what you pay for. ... Read more

Book Description

From about 1840 onwards, batiks found their way from what was called the Netherlands East Indies, then under Dutch colonial rule, to the Netherlands, where they were kept in private and public collections. Owing to Holland's great interest in Batik, Amsterdam's Tropenmuseum now owns a collection of over 3000 pieces. Many represent the major batik centres that emerged on Java, Madura and Sumatra.

Batiks tell the stories of their maker, their wearers and eventual collectors. By studying the history of individual pieces from their creation to their arrival in the Tropenmuseum, we can relate them to their shared history.

Batik became a product of intercultural contact in a society where different ethnic groups lived next to or with each other. This book focuses on this communication, on batiks as visual witnesses of cultural encounter within the East but also between the East and the West.

This book will appeal to anyone interested in Indonesian arts and textiles. It is a rich source of study for scholars interested in the art of batik and the society in which it developed to its high level of perfection. ... Read more