Some of you may know Erin Janzen from our Facebook group and her use of batiks in several Legit quilts. Erin was kind enough to talk to us about why and how she uses batiks.
How long have you been paper piecing?
I’ve been quilting for 25 years and took up paper piecing about a year in so 24 years.
How did you find Legit Kits?
A friend of mine sent me a picture of someone’s Land Of The Free in progress and insisted I find the pattern to make one as she knew that paper piecing was my specialty. I got on the internet and quickly fell in love with Legit patterns, customer service & the Legit family.
After my eagle was complete, I discovered that pattern testing was a thing for Legit. This lead me to be selected for Skulliver, OMG David & Muscle.
I have made Easy Rider, Little Hooter, Little Hummer as well bringing my total finished to 7. With at least 3 more patterns waiting in my studio to get started!
What inspired you to use batiks over the Kona Solids and other printed fabrics?
I use batiks for the movement in them, I’ve always found solids to read too flat for me. They lay flatter than regular cottons giving me less bulk in my seams. They stretch less giving me more accurate blocks.
What is your process for choosing batiks when you go shopping?
Batiks make up half of the stock in my shop so it’s easy to find just the right colours. When converting from Kona solids, I cut apart the colour swatches within the pattern and lay them on the closest batik I can find. Trying hard not to alter the colours chosen by Legit.
What to avoid when shopping for batiks?
When purchasing batiks I try to stick with basics for my background fabrics but allowing tone on tones to be in the rest. Making sure not to use prints with more then one colour within them.
