Island Batiks

Island Batiks

Dive into the bright and colorful world of Island Batik fabric collections! Filled with personality, these handcrafted fabrics are made with exquisite care in Bali. Each yard is hand-stamped with intricate wax resist designs and cured in the island sunshine. Take a tropical vacation with uniquely beautiful Island Batik fabrics and find yourself transported to your happy place!

Island Batik is a manufacturer, importer, and distributor of cotton batik fabric, rayon batik fabric, and hand-printed cotton from Indonesia. Established in 1997, their mission is to share the time-honored art of batik and hand-dyed fabric with quilters and sewists around the world. The philosophy of Island Batiks has always been to participate in the success, enrichment, and development of the community where they manufacture their batik fabrics.

Located in Carlsbad, California, Island Batik fabrics are imported from Bali and then shipped out to fabric stores, including the Missouri Star Batik Boutique! At Missouri Star, you can find all your favorite Island Batik precuts including Island Batik fat quarter bundles, Island Batik jelly rolls (Island Batik Strips), Island Batik layer cakes (Island Batik Stacks), and even Island Batik Stamps (5” squares).

Island Batiks' team of wonderful creative designers is led by Kathy Engle, the unique talent behind their innovative batik designs. Over a period of 30 years, Kathy’s style has become distinctive and well-loved by our customers. Create your very own Island Batik quilt with one of our many Island Batik patterns and free tutorials! In the video below, Jenny demonstrates how to make the show-stopping Handy Dandy quilt using 2.5 inch strips of precut fabric (Island Batks jelly roll).

Batik fabrics are different from all other quilting fabrics because of how and where they are made. As we mentioned before, they are hand-dyed fabrics, created in the same way they have been made for centuries. Island Batik fabrics are designed in the U.S. and handmade in Indonesia. Because Island Batiks fabrics are hand-dyed, you can count on slight variations in color, so every single fabric bolt is unique!

Watch the video below to see how they are made in Bali - it’s a fascinating process!

There are two main types of batik fabrics: hand-painted and block printed. In this case, Island Batik fabrics are printed with blocks that are created with copper called a “tjap” (pronounced chop). That copper stamp is then used to carefully apply wax to the fabrics, rather than being painted on. It creates greater consistency in the designs.

Occasionally, you may see some fabrics that have a batik-like appearance but have not been produced using either of the traditional techniques mentioned above. One easy way to tell if a batik fabric is the real deal is to check whether or not the design is visible on both sides of the fabric. If it is just printed on one side, it is not a batik! Rest assured that the Island Batik fabrics you are purchasing at Missouri Star are authentic!