About Victoria

Welcome to my batik studio.

So it's a magical story and "Batikwalla" hadn't been claimed yet so that's what I went with.  

Way back in 1987 I found a dress stored in my grandmother's attic with the name Batikwalla on it.  I was really into vintage clothes and unique fashion, so I kept the dress and still have it to this day.  I carried that dress around for YEARS across the country and through different life phases.  It's a miracle it lasted this long actually, in my possession.  (I truly am a collector of special clothing.)  Then one day out of the blue, I MET the woman who designed this very dress, that my mother bought from her in the late 60's, before I was even born.  She contacted me online to ask me about the name "Batikwalla" and did I know who she was, or anything about it?  She explained that from the success with the clothing boutique in Georgetown of D.C, she shifted gears and opened up several yoga studios along the east coast.  One of her employees was consistently buying my batik yoga pants and of course they caught her attention.  Surprised to see the name "Batikwalla" on the yoga pants, she reached out to ask me about them.  You can imagine the surprise we had when we made the connection.  Today she is happy to see the name carry on and is now a loyal customer of my batik shop!

 The story doesn't even stop here, but let's let it be for now.

I'm sure you know what batik is.

But just in case...  Batik is a fiber art technique that uses beeswax as a resist to paint designs on fabric.  How did I learn to batik?  I am entirely self taught, which started very early in life.  As a kid I was intrigued by craft books and magazines that were so popular in the 70's and 80's.  The pictures got me thinking of a dreamy "hippie" world out there.  As a teenager already not impressed with conventional society, I hopped onto a train to Oregon fresh from the east coast.  For better or worse, I found myself in a strange new place that was prime for creative exploration.  The first thing on my list was to learn how to batik.  

In the fine year of 1989, I checked out books from the local library (remember those?), and spent about $100 gathering supplies so I could learn batik.  With my first brush stroke of molten wax I knew I was onto something.  I painted every piece of fabric I could get my hands on.  Anything that could hold liquid became a container for dye, including pots and pans, the only bathtub in the house, and every sink with a stopper, which was two, but they worked.  

Word of mouth got out and I began to sell my new boho batik hippie style tshirts to people in the neighborhood.  More sales came through funky craft fairs and colorful music festivals, including the Eugene Saturday Market and the Oregon Country Fair, and my most favorite, the parking lot scene of the Grateful Dead concerts.  This is how it all began.  Once I tapped into the creative process, there was no turning back, and I have pursued it intently ever since.   

Please watch out for fake pages and sites pretending to be me.