What exactly are "fossil fern" fabrics.are they a "batic"...I am new to quilting, and don't know alot about so

Question

have some "fossil fern" fabrics, and want to know what the term "fossil fern" fabric means

Answer 1

"Fossil Fern" is a line of quilting fabrics from Benartex. The link below shows some examples. For some reason the Benartex website isn't letting me in, so I can't say for sure if they are true batiks or if they are commercially printed fabrics that look like batiks. The difference has to do with how they are made - the first answerer explains batiks very well. The biggest difference between a true batik and a batik-patterned fabric is dye. Batiks are dyed to create the pattern (using wax reliefs), where batik-patterned fabrics have the pattern printed on. True batiks can produce colors that are incredible, but they require extra care when using because there is a lot of excess dye. You'll need to pre-wash batiks at least once, and preferably several times before using the fabric.

Answer 2

I worked at a quilting store years ago, so they may have changed slightly, but I don't remember them being batiked, I think they're printed. I believe that one side is darker and one side lighter.

Batik is a technique where wax is melted and put on fabric before dye is added, so the wax prevents the dye taking on waxed areas. This can be done over and over to create different effects. The wax is then melted back out of the fabric. You can tell if things are batiked because both sides of the fabric will have the same intensity, just like yarn-dyed plaids vs printed plaids.