Discover SewBatik Fabrics in an exclusive interview on Sewing in Slippers. Sue welcomes Bruce and Diane, the brilliant minds behind SewBatik fabrics, a personal favorite of mine for creating exquisite applique quilts. US based designer, SewBatik brings to life its extraordinary batik fabrics by combining the rich Indonesian tradition of batik while catering to the needs of the US quilting community. Be inspired by the creativity, dedication, and passion in every yard of SewBatik’s fabrics.
I’m so pleased to have Diane and Bruce Magidson as my special guests on Sewing in Slippers with Sue. Bruce and Diane are vendor friends of mine while we were traveling to quilt shows all over the country and growing our community of quilters. I so miss seeing their happy faces every month in Houston and Paducah and all over the quilting world. Bruce and Diane have transformed their business over the last few years by offering their fabrics exclusively in the SewBatik.com online store, featuring fabrics for Garments, Bags, Home Dec, and of course, quilts! With a laser focus on customer service, Bruce and Diane’s North Dakota-based small business provides a wide range of top-quality products and services. The retail store is open by appointment.
While Bruce designs the batik prints and colorations, he also has vast technical expertise in the textile industry, specifically a deep knowledge of the base cloth. Diane is the creative force for playing with the fabrics and expertly transforming yardage into beautiful things for garment sewers, quilters, and home dec sewers. It’s the perfect partnership, in life and in business!
The wide range of products includes batiks on rayon, cotton jersey, canvas, linen, and of course, top-quality quilter’s cotton. We are looking forward to the introduction of cotton lawn in the near future! Liberty Fabrics is known for Cotton Lawn, but they don’t make any batik fabrics. This will be a lovely addition to the SewBatik line for quilters and garment makers!
This is where SewBatik really shines! No longer are batiks only on cotton cloth for quilters. Bruce brings his textile expertise and adventurous spirit with him when he studies other materials that will work with this traditional Indonesian art form.
Since Bruce and I are both techie textile people who worked in the textile industry since the mid-1980s, I enjoyed learning from Bruce about his ability to reproduce hand-dyed Gradations and artful batiks with wonderful quality and color consistency. Bruce explained the process of how the gradations are dyed on a cement floor in Indonesia. The dies are applied by hand or with a wooden spatula, and developed in natural sunlight The process is fascinating!
Diane and I are currently collaborating on the perfect bundle for Applique Artists. This bundle will have a gorgeous selection of greens for leaves and vines, with a balanced collection of floral colors that blend beautifully from light to dark. The collection will have accents of Yellow, Orange, Brown, and Black for the perfect pallet for just about any floral applique quilt. This lovely collection pairs beautifully with my Artist Pallet from Wonderfil Threads. Each of the variegated threads is paired perfectly with the leaf and floral fabric colors. Stay tuned for more information!
On the wall behind Bruce and Diane are a few quilts that showcase the versatility of Nuance Gradations. Let’s look at the Rays of Hope quilt. Look at the depth of the rays made from the light, medium, and dark shades in each Gradation fabric. Diane remarks, “I think that this quilt is really the epitome of how you can use the gradation to your advantage!”
For you, who love gradations as much as I do, you’ll want to go get this free reference guide on the SewBatik.com website. This guide shows you how to convert Nuance gradation fabrics into individual light medium and dark shades. The PDF download will help you plan what fabrics you need to make any standard quilt pattern a masterpiece by utilizing the soft gradual flow of one color to another. Get the PDF HERE.
This transition is spotlighted in my Gradations Course Quilt, behind me in the interview. I used SewBatik’s Hyacinth Nuance Gradation fabric for the Rotary Cut Applique rings and flowers, and the Fairway gradation for the green leaves behind the flowers. You can see how the colors gradually shift across the quilt. I’d love to see this quilt made with every SewBatik Nuance Gradation Fabric! So here is a challenge to my students, make a Gradations quilt with something other than the Hyacinth Gradation Fabric, and send me a photo! I’ll send you one-half yard of ANOTHER gradation fabric
Last year, I used beautiful gradation fabric and I made folded roses for my mother. I made her a whole bouquet of 3D folded roses with 12″ wide strips of Gradations. The subtle way they change color. Gradatopms bring so much life and so much realism into the flowers, and I love adding this depth and shading in my floral quilts.
While serving quilters is still the backbone of the business, SewBatik has expanded to cater to garment and home dec sewers as well. Diane shows us a beautiful Kimono, made from the same Hyacinth Gradation fabric as my quilt. Get the free pattern and watch Diane on YouTube HERE so you can make this gorgeous addition to your wardrobe!
Diane loves to push the envelope, and use unexpected fabrications in her quilts, garments, and bags. Quilters don’t generally use knits for quilts, but Diane’s jersey quilt is so soft and cuddly, it is a family favorite snuggle quilt! Diane is now custom quilting for customers who want to pair two different base fabrics into one quilted garment. I just love the canvas jacket that has wool batting and cotton lining, using the Tamarack jacket pattern. Stunning!
Diane’s focus on simple garment and home dec sewing patterns has enticed many brand-new sewers. The pandemic inspired young and old, men and women to begin sewing. Diane’s easy patterns and expert advice give garment sewers and quilters the perfect place to start. Diane and I both started sewing garments while we were “school girls” and look where we ended up! I credit Diane for giving home sewers a wonderful success path to start their sewing journey.
Saying YES to a simple garment keeps quilters happy between big quilting projects by giving them a quick win, and a beautiful fabric that they can wear as well as using that same fabric in a quilt, a tote bag, or something for the home or your grandchildren! Diane loves working with “By Annie” bags like this child’s backpack made with SewBatik custom quilted canvas. 
What is next for SewBatik? The customers will decide! SewBatik will keep experimenting, researching, and bringing new base fabrics to the cutting table, and their customers will keep asking for what they need most. Bruce and Diane are here to serve, and love being a small company with a great big heart!
What is next for SewBatik? The customers will decide! SewBatik will keep experimenting, researching, and bringing new base fabrics to the cutting table, and their customers will keep asking for what they need most. Bruce and Diane are here to serve, and love being a small company with a great big heart!
Diane and Bruce, I just love the products and projects that you are producing, and I echo your commitment to the individuals we serve! Our viewers enjoy getting to know the real people behind these beautiful fabrics for their projects. I love supporting and promoting other small businesses here on Sewing in Slippers with Sue. So thank you thank you for all that you do for the quilting and sewing world, and thank you for being my special guests today!
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