Embroidery Definitions — definitions of embroidery techniques, stitches and needlework terms from Apparel Search
Appliqué is a technique in which pieces of fabric are sewn onto a foundation piece of fabric to create designs. It is particularly suitable for work that is to be seen from a distance, such as banner-making, and it is used extensively in quilting. The Hastings Embroidery is a famous example, with designs appliquéd onto the backing fabric using a variety of embroidery stitches, and well-known quilt blocks such as Dresden Plate and Sunbonnet Sue combine patchwork with appliqué.
A famous example of appliquee is the Hastings Embroidery whose designs are appliqueed onto the backing fabric using a variety of embroidery stitches.
Appliquee is also used extensively in quilting. "Dresden Plate" and "Sunbonnet Sue" are just two examples of well-known quilt blocks that use both patchwork and appliquee to construct.
Baltimore album quilts and Amish are famous examples of appliquee quilts due to the quality of their designs.
Types of appliquee include:
The basic idea of applique seems easy cutting a shape out of one fabric and sewing that shape onto another fabric. However, it is actually a fair bit more complicated than that: there are a few things that you need to consider such as whether to hand sew or machine sew, what materials to use, how to stop the edges from fraying, etc.
Applique is a simple and effective method of decorating fabric whether you are using hand applique
or machine applique. Hand applique means you sew it yourself, so you have to know at least one type of stitch such as the slipstitch. Machine applique is of course done mostly on sewing machines. Applique doesn't just use fabric; it can also be used with other materials such as beads, sequins, etc. and is often combined with other types of needlework such as embroidery to create the desired effect.
Applique is suitable for small or large scale work but not every material is appropriate for every applique project. If you are planning applique for something that will require frequent washing such as table mats you must choose fabrics that wash well, e.g. linen. If you are planning something purely decorative such as a wall hanging there is a wider choice of fabrics to select.
There are two important steps in applique. The first includes the designing and transfer of the design to the fabric, the second is the applique itself. There are two approaches to designing for applique . 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 color and texture of the material should be carefully chosen as they are a very important part of the design.
The word applique comes from the French word appliqueer, meaning to put or lay on. As a method of decoration applique has been a popular technique and has a long history with the earliest known example being a canopy of leather in Egypt believed to date from 980 BC. However, it is highly likely that other cultures were using applique before this time.
Over the centuries many different materials have been used in applique including beads, fabric, fish scales, and leaves. They have been sewn on to almost any stitchable material imaginable: linen, beaten bark, leather, etc. Needles are the main tools used in applique whether by hand or machine. In the past needles made from bone or twigs were used but nowadays metal needles are used.
Many cultures use applique to decorate clothes, quilts, curtains, wall hangings, cushions, bags, etc. Today applique
is a craft in its own right and is done as a hobby and profit.
Applique is widely used throughout the world as in many cultures it is common to decorate oneself and one's surroundings. Various cultures have even developed their own style of applique, e.g. the Cuna Indians of the San Blas Islands, off the coast of Panama have developed a style of applique called mola work. The designs used are often symbolic. Often, the women get together to applique and have a social time.
Applique has also been used by various churches for religious garments, decorations such as wall hangings, and altar cloths. Often these items have symbolic or ceremonial significance with the applique consisting of symbols, such as the star to represent the bright star that shone above the manger of baby Jesus, and the cross to represent Christianity. Other designs like spirals are used simply for decoration.
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| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/appliquee). 1/3/06 |
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Most embroidery builds an image line by line with thread; appliqué builds it area by area with cloth. That makes color and texture decisions come first: a leaf is not stitched green, it is cut from a green fabric whose weave, print and weight become part of the design. Two working methods follow from that. Some makers work directly with materials, cutting shapes, rearranging them on the ground and stitching them down without a fixed plan, so the composition grows from the fabrics at hand. Others plan on paper first — tracing shapes from books or drawing simple forms such as leaves, butterflies and fish — then transfer the design to fabric before cutting. Neither method is more correct; direct work suits bold, spontaneous pieces, while paper planning suits repeatable quilt blocks and matching sets where every unit must align.
The technical heart of appliqué is the edge. A cut shape has a raw perimeter that will fray in handling and washing unless it is turned under, covered by a dense stitch such as satin stitch, fused and stitched, or cut from a material that does not fray, such as felt or leather. Material choice follows the object's life: table mats and other pieces washed frequently need fabrics that wash well, such as linen and stable cottons, matched in weight so one layer does not pucker the other, while a wall hanging that will never be laundered can use delicate, unstable or mixed materials freely. Cultural traditions show how far the basic idea travels — the mola work of the Cuna people of the San Blas Islands layers and cuts away stacked fabrics to reveal designs below, and churches have long used appliquéd symbols such as stars and crosses on altar cloths and vestments, where a bold shape must read clearly across a large room.
Appliqué sews cut pieces of fabric onto a foundation fabric to build a design. The applied shapes form the picture or pattern, and their edges are secured by hand stitching such as slipstitch or by machine stitching, often combined with embroidery, beads or sequins.
Hand appliqué is sewn by the maker using a stitch such as slipstitch, giving close control over curves and edge turning. Machine appliqué is worked mostly on a sewing machine, which is faster for large or repeated work. Both must deal with the same central problem: stopping the cut edges from fraying.
The word comes from the French appliquer, meaning to put or lay on. The earliest known example is a canopy of leather in Egypt believed to date from 980 BC, and many cultures have since applied fabric, beads, fish scales and leaves to linen, leather and beaten bark.