Introducing Banyan Batiks

Introducing Banyan Batiks

Let me start out by saying generally I haven’t liked batik fabric in the past, but these days I have been much more interested in the new modern batik fabric showing up out there. The Modern Batiks are not the same as the old-school-muddy-overly-busy batiks of the 1990’s…  🙂  I like things I see designers such as Alison Glass and Melissa Averinos doing in this area.

Fresh Modern Batik fabric, Banyan Batiks, New batiks, Quilting, Vibrant fabrics, Colorful quilting, patchwork, Modern quilting.

So after that disclaimer of sorts, I am excited to be sharing this news with you today – Two things:

  • First, let me introduce you  to Banyan Batiks – a new division of Northcott Fabrics, whose sole purpose is to bring fresh new modern batiks with a super soft hand to the world!
  • Secondly,  I am happy to announce that I will be designing lines of batiks for Banyan, with my first line coming out to the stores next year (still not exactly sure WHEN, but I will let you know when I find out!)

 Say what?!?!

Yup, I can hardly believe it either! I will be designing batiks, something I never expected to be doing. Ever.

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Photo courtesy of Banyan Batiks

 Want to hear how this came about?

Karen Gibbs who designed all of the Batiks pictured here sent me an email sometime this May or June asking me if I would like to design batiks for this new company she was working with now.  And I said to her, uh, Karen, remember, I don’t really like Batiks. She said, “Exactly!” She knew that, but she loved my sense of color and design principles and she thought I would bring a outside world view into the Batik world.  So I said “Sure, I would dive in!”

I thought the idea of creating something that I really liked from an area of the quilting world that I wasn’t really fond of in the past was an intriguing challenge. I would need to LOVE what I came up with!

So I have designed some batiks. I am still awaiting strikeoffs (which are samples of the first attempts of the factories to interpret my designs). And I will be honest here, I am still not sure how I feel about this process, but I think I am liking it. Being batiks means that the crisp lines I drew will be more organic when they come back. And I think I like that. Again, I am unsure. I will know more when I actually see this in fabric!

I am nervous that people will not LOVE them. And I also really want everyone to know that I will NOT stop working with fabrics from other designers. If anything, my hope for this line is that it will not only go together as a collection, but Mainly that it will go with EVERYTHING else. I want everyone to mix it up with all of the new and old prints that my many, many friends have also designed.  I will not be here just to sell you my fabric, I will keep working with a large variety of colors and patterns. You know how pattern on pattern I am about things.

So that’s my side of things so far on this new path. I am sure I will have much more to share as the journey continues.

Modern Batik fabric - Banyan Batiks

Photo courtesy of Banyan Batiks

Now onto the photos in this post. These are all of Karen’s Batiks. I think they are more “traditional” Batik-ish than mine will be, but even so, I think they are less traditional than others.

Fresh Modern Batik fabric, New batiks, Quilting, Banyan Batiks, Vibrant fabrics, Colorful quilting, patchwork, Modern quilting.

Karen Gibbs did this interview with American Quilt Retailer about the Company Mission, etc. She talks a lot about her process and the start of this birthing of Banyan Batiks.

Fresh Modern Batik fabric, Banyan Batiks, New batiks, Quilting, Vibrant fabrics, Colorful quilting, patchwork, Modern quilting.

Photo courtesy of Banyan Batiks

I wanted to have more time to play with these before I posted today. But my goal was to post this post here on my site at the same time that Karen is announcing to the Quilting World at Quilt Market that I will be designing with Banyan.  I am not even there and I am nervously excited about this announcement!

But here is what I have started doing —

Playtime with Modern Batik Fabric Now!

Laying out some combinations:

Fresh Modern Batik fabric, New batiks, Quilting, Banyan Batiks, Vibrant fabrics, Colorful quilting, patchwork, Modern quilting. Fresh Modern Batik fabric, New batiks, Quilting, Banyan Batiks, Vibrant fabrics, Colorful quilting, patchwork, Modern quilting. Fresh Modern Batik fabric, New batiks, Quilting, Banyan Batiks, Vibrant fabrics, Colorful quilting, patchwork, Modern quilting.

And then playing with some improv blocking for now.

Fresh Modern Batik fabric, New batiks, Quilting, Banyan Batiks, Vibrant fabrics, Colorful quilting, patchwork, Modern quilting.

Loving those Green strips above!

Fresh Modern Batik fabric, New batiks, Quilting, Banyan Batiks, Vibrant fabrics, Colorful quilting, patchwork, Modern quilting.

And I really love all of the blues showing here.

Fresh Modern Batik fabric, New batiks, Quilting, Banyan Batiks, Vibrant fabrics, Colorful quilting, patchwork, Modern quilting.

That’s it for today. I want to proofread this and get it posted.

What do you think?

Keep Sewing, Keep Happy,

Scott

6 Comments

  • Patty

    Reply

    Love the red and aqua piece. Excited for you and your new adventure I fabric!!

    October 27, 2017 at 9:01 pm
    • Patty

      Reply

      in fabric

      October 27, 2017 at 9:02 pm
  • Congratulations, Scott!! That’s really awesome! Looking forward to seeing your Batiks!

    October 29, 2017 at 12:10 am
  • Judy

    Reply

    Congratulations! That is so exciting and I can’t wait to see what you come up with. I love the idea that you want them to blend in with other lines of fabric. Your out of the box thinking in combining fabrics always makes your projects interesting.

    October 29, 2017 at 4:46 pm

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