Focused on the Lustre Collection

Let's talk Lustre! This unique batik is designed with a sophisticated elegance in mind. We love batiks because of their riot of color, the hand done quality that is achieved with them. When designing batiks, it becomes quite interesting trying to stay within the confines of the processes available but push for innovative results! Lustre is a prime example of achieving that difficult juggling act.

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This video was taken in a recent excursion to Indonesia, where I was privileged to work on my Lustre Collection with the talented team there. You'll note the deep rich color has been applied, in a traditional fashion, the black over printing also applied. We are working with a bleach with a screen to achieve the delicate details in both the paisley and the lace effect I wanted in Lustre. Instead of using wax, applied with a tjap, I am using this bleach technique to be able to get those small details, those thin lines, the intricacy. The bleach will not turn everything white. We will let it stay on the fabric for just a bit, so not to ruin the integrity of the fabric, to just achieve a tonal look with this coloration. 

When I came up with more exciting colors in Lustre, we asked her to do it again with them--it is such a gorgeous quilt!!

There are so many techniques to explore with the talented artisans in Indonesia. By layering the different options, a larger repeat, a more intricate application and then a touch of metallic, things like Lustre are achievable! 

This design became an Essential for Banyan Batiks, not because it was a 'basic", but because basically as a quilter, you wanted every colorway. It's been featured in many quilts as the feature fabric, or the jumping off design for selecting projects or other batiks to go with it.

Maybe you've seen Tiffany Hayes from Needle in a Hayesstack's Valencia quilt? She made  it initially in two colorways to feature the different color palettes of Lustre.

This fabulous coloration is with the new Lustre colors in the Earthtone palette. Tiffany's calling this version, Terra Gemma

I've been so thrilled to have a few projects featured in publications lately! A couple of them were Lustre focused of course!  I love the Loud Lipstick quilt project featured in Quiltmaker--link provided in the caption on the photo. This one features Lustre as the feature fabric. To offset it, I used the dark black ketan--it's got a little bit of navy in the motif--love it to offset those bright batik colors!

While the previous two projects were all about Lustre, I really like what Lustre does for other batiks around it. It's a tight design, more detailed motif with absolutely no large open spaces, so it's great to cut up too! Check out this Triangle Twist quilt published in Quilter's World. Love how it works with equally strong feature fabrics with the plaid and the saturation of such a great color Ketan.

Check out the pattern in the link provided!

I have a new collection coming out called Florentine. I paired the feature fabric in it with some of the Lustre colorways and I just love it!! Thinking of just piecing something with it, see what happens!! What do you think??

In case your looking to try some blocks with Lustre, look at Banyan Batiks Time to Quilt. It was something we showcased last spring during the start of the pandemic, but I find those blocks are wonderful go to blocks to try a bunch of things. Check it out on the Banyan Batiks website. They are written for a two color application, but I usually have to mix in a few more colors:)

A couple Lustre with Florentine! A bold batik that could use something like Lustre to work with it!

With a new palette of colors, I just had to play with a few projects! The first one is inspired by all those that planted gardens, growing tons of vegetables and are now trying to can everything! Jelly Jars are hard to come by in the grocery stores! Here's a quilt project to make showcasing our new love for this process!! There are multiple sizes in the pattern, there's some bargello if you'd like or even trapunto--all explained with lots of images--or just go and grab those beautiful Lustres and get canning! You can find the pattern at Quiltwoman.com.