So this month has been all about appliqué for me.
I have actually been working on two patterns that involve appliqué this month. A wall hanging Wattle Flowers and a quilt pattern Be the Best You. So I thought it would be fun to look at the different methods of application and some of the different styles of appliqué.
At some point your textile journey you will come across appliqué, whether you are a quilter, fashion designer, textile artist, or a beginner sewer.
Appliqué is basically the process of applying one piece of fabric to another piece. For a bit of history the word is derived from French (appliquér) and Latin (applicare) words which both mean to attach or join. Appliqué dates back as far as ancient Egyptians, where there is evidence they not only used it on their clothing but on household items as well.
There are three main processes (or types of application) for appliqué; machine, hand and fused.
Machine appliqué is essentially when you use your machine is sew the shape onto the backing fabric (clothing, bag, quilt block, etc.). These shapes can be bought pre-cut or made by you. There is also a more traditional method called the track down & trim. In brief you stitch a placement line, then place your fabric over the placement line, stitch around the desired shape and then trim away the excess fabric to the sewn line.
Hand appliqué is basically the same as machine appliqué, except you work by hand sewing the fabric down. Hand appliqué is useful when adding embellishments to the design such as sequins or beads.
Fused appliqué is when a fusible adhesive is placed between the two fabrics creating a bond. You can then stitch around the shape by hand or machine. Again you can either buy pre-cut bonded shapes or make them yourself.
So after you have decided upon application method, you can then choose the style (how you want the finished appliqué to look) of appliqué. There are many different options, but the most common ones are smooth edge, raw edge, reverse, decorative stitch or needle turn appliqué.
Smooth edge appliqué is when you cover the edge of the shape with a satin stitch (or similar) hiding the edges and giving a smooth finish.
Raw edge appliqué is when you stitch a shape on the background fabric without turning or finishing the edges.
Reverse appliqué is literally the reverse, you stitch the shape to the bottom and cut away the top section revealing the shape.
Decorative stitch appliqué, this can also fall under smooth edge appliqué. Either by hand or by machine, use a decorative stitch to edge the appliqué shape. This can add another dimension into your design and be fun!
Needle turn appliqué is done by hand only, and is when the edge of the shape is tuned under and stitch in place with an invisible stitch.
Fused Raw Appliqué is my go to for appliqué technique. I like it because it is quick, easy to machine and you can have a bit of fun with it. For example I might add in a decorative stitch.
Another favourite is reverse appliqué, I have actually produced wall hanging with a variety of materials using this method. It is a lot of fun, and perfectly suited my exploration work of lines. It also has a rich history of use which we may explore here one day. I also admire the traditional needle turn method and love the ability to be so precise with it. It's on my bucket list of "One day I will attempt it"!
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I love what I do and am excited to share my journey with you.
Happy sewing
Anita : -)
**If there any terms used that you don’t know what they mean, there is a handy reference via this link. If there’s one you think needs to be added, let me know.
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