APPLIQUE

'Applique' or 'appliqué' (from French, "applied") is an ancient needlework technique in which pieces of fabric, embroidery, or other materials are sewn onto a foundation fabric to create designs.^[1] It is particularly suitable for work which is to be seen from a distance, such as in banner-making.
In 'reverse applique', layers of fabric are stitched together and the upper layers are cutway so that lower layers form the design. Mola or San Blas is a reverse applique technique.^1[2]
A famous example of applique is the Hastings Embroidery whose designs are appliqued onto the backing fabric using a variety of embroidery stitches.

Contents

Quilting

Decorating using appliques

Notes

External links

References

Quilting

Applique is used extensively in quilting. "Dresden Plate" and "Sunbonnet Sue" are two examples of traditional American quilt blocks that are constructed with both patchwork and applique. Baltimore album quilts, Broderie perse, Hawaiian quilts, Amish quilts and the ralli quilts of India and Pakistan also use applique.

Decorating using appliques

The basic idea of appliqué seems easy, cutting a shape out of one fabric and sewing that shape onto another fabric.
Appliqué is a simple and effective method of decorating fabric, whether done by hand or by machine. Appliqué doesn't just use fabric; it can also be used with other materials such as beads, sequins, etc. It is often combined with other types of needlework such as embroidery to create the desired effect.
Appliqué is suitable for small or large scale work but not every material is appropriate for every appliqué project. For something purely decorative, such as a wall hanging, there is a wider choice of fabrics to select. There are two important steps in appliqué. The first includes the designing and transfer of the design to the fabric; the second is the appliqué itself. There are two approaches to designing for appliqué. The first approach is to work directly with materials, cutting shapes, arranging and rearranging the shapes, and stitching them to a background either by hand or machine without any planning. The second approach is to plan a design on paper, using cut paper, tracing shapes out of books, or drawing simple forms such as leaves, butterflies, fish, etc. The colour and texture of the material should be carefully chosen as they are a very important part of the design. Bonding is another method which is much faster and easier method to stitching.

Notes

1. Reader's Digest ''Complete Guide to Needlework''. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992). ISBN 0-89577-059-8, p. 192-206
2. Gillow, John, and Bryan Sentance: ''World Textiles'', Bulfinch Press/Little, Brown, 1999, ISBN 0-8212-2621-5

External links

★ Applique Techniques

★ Quilt exhibition at the Cincinnati Art Museum in 2008

References

★ Barber, Elizabeth Wayland: ''Women's Work:The First 20,000 Years'', W. W. Norton, 1994

★ Gillow, John, and Bryan Sentance: ''World Textiles'', Bulfinch Press/Little, Brown, 1999, ISBN 0-8212-2621-5

★ Reader's Digest ''Complete Guide to Needlework''. The Reader's Digest Association, Inc. (March 1992). ISBN 0-89577-059-8