Launching QS Extra Wide Batik Fabric

Extra Wide fabrics are very difficult to get hold of as most manufacturers don't make any and those who do, only make a very limited selection.  These need to be generally ordered months in advance and then just arrive with no notice.  If a fabric is popular and we want to reorder, generally the chances are slim. Batik extra wides are even more difficult to get hold off.

Extra Wide fabrics are approximately 108 inches for standard fabrics and for Batik they are 106 inches wide approx.  They are fantastic for quilt backs, piecing, dress making etc and are of course 100% cotton.

Several months ago we made the decision to source a range of extra wide batiks fabrics of our own and import them from Indonesia.

It was a very long process and the hardest was actually deciding on what to have produced.
I have chosen 20 different colours/designs for our first order.

I asked the factory to send me pictures of them being produced.

Here is a link to a you tube video produced by Moda of the whole process, which really makes you appreciate how much work and effort is involved in this fabric.  Just click the link below.

The Traditional Batik Process


So when the fabrics were ready we then had to arrange shipping.  They took around five weeks by sea to get to the UK. Next they had to have all the correct documentation and payment of import duty and vat in order to clear customs.

This is the first ship which the fabrics started on, on their very long journey to the UK

and today they arrived!

Here are just a few of the bolts now in the store cupboard.

These extra wide batiks have been specially produced on 40's fabric which is slightly less dense a weave than standard Batik fabric which is generally a 50's.

50's fabric is too tight a weave to use as a backing fabric as the needle can damage the threads when quilting and create holes and in turn this can cause bearding (where the wadding pokes out of the holes).  By using the 40's fabric the needle goes between the threads.

The fabrics are now in the online shop here  - http://www.quiltsandwich.co.uk/#!quilt-backs-shop/c50p   click on the batik section. We have the largest collection of extra wide fabrics in the UK.

Minimum cut as usual is half a metre and in the online shop they are just £21 per metre.
As they are extra wide they are almost 2.5 times as wide as standard width, so in reality this would equate to just over £8 per metre of standard width - which is a superb price for high quality batik.

I shall also be launching these at Harrogate Quilt Show, so be sure to call by. I will be on stand 166 & 167.