The Details...Quilt Batik Shopping in Bali

Inconsistent internet speeds at all of our accommodations put me off blogging while on our trip. Now that I am home I will recap this great adventure. First...the most important day of the whole trip...quilt batik fabric shopping. 

To start out...all I had were two addresses I had found on trip advisor and blogs for shops in Bali that sold quilt batiks. The street, Jalan Sulawesi is loaded with fabric shops but they all seemed oriented toward clothing and home decor.  We arrived and started the search...

After the third quick sweep through a fabric shop, a shop worker asked me what I was looking for...when I told her cotton batiks she told me to follow her. We did a turn onto another street...not a  name familiar from my research at all...right away I knew this was going to be good!!!

When I found out the prices, I was instantly overwhelmed. $2.50 per meter...and it was good quality. I started pulling hanging fabrics off the wall!

Pretty soon there were Australian quilters joining me in the shop. One quilter I spoke with visits fairly often since Bali is a quick and inexpensive trip from many Australian cities. I was making quite a spectacle of myself...creating a great pile of fabrics to be cut. The Australian quilters assured me this was the shop to hit...fixed prices...no bartering. Consistent quality.  I didn't notice any obvious dye issues. The shop is constantly turning over its stock of fabric so even though they do have an email address you can't order from afar. 

At one point, the shop owner brought out ice water for us...a much needed refreshment since the store was not air-conditioned and I felt like I was shopping in a sauna. Our Bali driver, Wayan, was very patient...I absolutely could not believe we had spent three hours in this shop!  It was finally time to pay up. My total came to $350...which I was able to charge. The shop owner said he would now be able to afford air-conditioning after my purchase. Gotta love a good sense of humor!

The woman who led me to the shop helped me carry it all back to our car. I paid her $5 for her help...she spent the entire three hours waiting for me to finish my shopping. Many Balinese are lucky to make $100 a month so she made a great little tip from me and I was happy to pay her for this wonderful find.

Here's the stash laid out at our hotel...

I bought several pieces that were 4 to 6 meters in length since I tend to make large quilts. Generally speaking...I buy at least two meters of a piece that is good deal...that's just my standard. There weren't really any fabrics for light backgrounds on the day I was there.  I also bought precuts which were made at the shop. The fat quarter sets had 19 pieces and were $15. The Jelly Rolls had 40 strips and were also $15.00. 

No...I don't have any immediate plans for any of this fabric. I have ten tops I need to get quilted in the next three months. 

Here are the shop details incase you get a chance to visit.

CV Dewi Mas

Jalan Gajah Mada 48 Denpasar

Tele: +62 (361) 236707 / 236650 / 222994 

( if you are employing a local Bali driver, these phone numbers should help a great deal as he can call the shop for directions.)

Open Monday through Saturday, 0930 - 1630

Sundays 0930-1330

The owner is Rayyis Aljaidi. His email is: rayyisbali@ymail.com