Wednesday 30 June 2010

A is for Applique

Appliqué

Image is from www.freeapplique.com
The term ‘appliqué’ comes from the French verb ‘appliquer’ which literally translated means ‘to put things on’. In sewing terms it means applying one layer of fabric or other material onto another. Appliqué is popular in both quilting and clothing. There are a few different techniques that can be used, the main 2 involve folding the edges under and either attaching the 2 pieces by stitching a straight stitch around the edge a couple millimetres from the edge or by satin stitching over the edge all the way around. 

Appliqué is a great technique for bringing depth or texture to a project, or for covering up holes or stains on fabrics. It is best to start with simple shapes; you can always practice on scraps of material to get used to sewing around the shape before doing it for real.

Sites such as About.com and E-how have information about the different appliqué techniques and links to sites you can visit for further information. You can choose from lots of free appliqué patterns on http://www.freeapplique.com/. My personal favourites are the birds (as pictured above).

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Nice

Blogging tips