Traditional Indian TextileApplique And Patch Work

Appliqu and Patchwork An appliqu is a smaller ornament or device applied to another surface. The term is borrowed from French, means "applied" or "thing that has been applied." Appliqu was first discovered when clothes ripped and needed fixing so they used to sew over the top of the rip patches of different material. In the context of sewing, appliqu refers to a needlework technique in which pieces of fabric, embroidery, or other materials are sewn onto another piece of fabric to create designs, patterns or pictures.

It is particularly suitable for work which is to be seen from a distance, such as in banner-making. A famous example of appliqu is the Hastings Embroidery Appliqud cloth is an important art form in Benin, West Africa, particularly in the area around Abomey, where it has been a tradition since the 18th century and the kingdom of Danhom.

Appliqu means to "place on" fabric pieces that are sewn onto a larger piece of foundation fabric in order to create designs. This kind of craft is often done when the design has to be seen from a distance. Appliqu is French for "lay on." The earliest known example comes from Egypt. Appliqu is created by placing small fabric cutouts to create intricate designs, such as animals or flowers. The fabric is then stitched on with a sewing machine or by hand; applique can be completed on clothing or quilts.

uses Applique is used for decorating every day things making them brighter and to fix one material to another base material, it also stops edges from fraying. Cultures all over the world use applique as a decoration technique for clothing as well as home decor items. Applique, in its various forms, has often been used for religious items, such as altar cloths.

Among the traditional textiles of India, the art of appliqu work occupies a distinguished place. Appliqu is a decoration or trimming made of one material attached by sewing, gluing, etc. to another. In India, appliqu art is widely prevalent in the western states, especially in Gujarat and Rajasthan, and in the eastern coast of Orissa. It is believed that appliqu work made its way into western India either from Europe or Arabia in the Middle East through trade contacts.

Preparing Fabrics for AppliqueBefore attaching the pattern pieces to the backing fabric, the pieces of fabric forming the design must be cut out and prepared so that the raw edges are not exposed. Below are several methods that can be used to prepare the design pieces and the method of joining the pieces, hand or machine, to which they are best suited. Hand Basting Hand or Machine Applique :Using a cardboard template, trace the applique design to the right side of the fabric. If desired, help stabilize the design pieces by stay-stitching, either by hand or by machine, just outside the drawn line using a very small stitch. Trim approximately 1/8" away from the marked line. Very carefully, clip the fabric almost to the line on curves and on inside points. Turn the raw edge to the underside of the design piece on the marked line and carefully finger press. With the right side of the fabric facing, hand baste the raw edge in place close to the edge and press lightly. After attaching the design piece to the background, remove the hand basting thread.

Freezer Paper

Hand or Machine AppliqueUsing freezer paper (a white butcher's paper with plastic coating on one side), trace the applique design pieces on the paper side of the freezer paper. Note: This will be the wrong side of the design, so it will be necessary to reverse letters and other similar designs. Cut out freezer paper on the marked lines. Attach to the fabric by placing the plastic side of the paper to the wrong side of the fabric and pressing with a dry iron set on medium heat. Trim around the attached freezer paper designs leaving a 1/8" to 1/4" seam allowance. Carefully clip the seam allowances almost up to the freezer paper on inner points and curves. Press the seam allowances over the paper side of the freezer paper. After attaching the design piece to the background fabric, make a small slit in the background fabric behind the design piece and remove the freezer paper.

Wash-Away Stabilizer Hand or Machine Applique: Trace the design pieces on to a water dissolvable stabilizer such as Solvy. Note: final design will be reverse as with freezer paper method above. Place stabilizer with traced design on the right side of the design fabric. Sew on the marked line by hand or by machine using as small stitch. Trim around the attached stabilizer fabric designs leaving a 1/8" to 1/4" seam allowance. Carefully clip the seam allowances almost up to the sewn line on inner points and curves. Make a small slit in the stabilizer and turn the fabric design and stabilizer right side out. Use a point turner or other blunt instrument to help push all the points and curves into shape. Press lightly on the fabric side with a dry iron. After completing the applique washing in cool water will remove the stablilzer. Note: some quilters use old dryer sheets in place of the water soliuable stabilizer. In this case, the dryer sheet remains in the finished product. Be sure that the dryer sheet does not contain any residue which could stain the finished applique.

Fusible Web Machine Applique: Trace the design pieces on to a lightweight fusible web such as transweb or wonderunder. Note: final design will be reverse as with freezer paper method above. Cut the design pieces out leaving a generous margin around each piece. Following the manufacturer's directions, fuse one side of the web onto the wrong side of the design fabric. Now cut the design out on the marked lines. Remove the paper from the other side of the fusible web and fuse to the applique background being sure to follow the manufacturer's directions. Be careful as this method of preparing the applique design is permanent once the design has been fused to the background. Hand Applique The art of hand applique covers a wide spectrum from primitive folk art to the sophistication of Baltimore Album quilts. Different techniques can be used create the same effect with no one technique being the "right" one. Beginning quilters should experiment with several different techniques to find the one that he/she is most comfortable with.

Appliqu and electronic sewing machines Modern consumer embroidery machines quickly stitch appliqu designs by following a program. The programs have a minimum complexity of two thread colors, meaning the machine stops during stitching to allow the user to switch threads. First, the fabric that will be the background and the appliqu fabric are affixed into the machine's embroidery hoop. The program is run and the machine makes a loose basting stitch over both layers of fabric. Next, the machine stops for a thread change, or other pre-programmed break. The user then cuts away the excess appliqu fabric from around the basting stitch. Following this, the machine continues on program, automatically sewing the satin stitches and any decorative stitching over the appliqu for best results.

Appliqu and patchwork are very ancient techniques and sometimes referred to as one. The only difference between them is that patchwork or piecework is the process of seaming small pieces of fabric into a larger whole, while appliqu is the process of sewing smaller pieces of fabric onto a larger background fabric. It is a technique of forming a single pattern with different pieces of cloth. Pieces of fabric are applied on top of another for decorative or functional purposes.

Appliqu is an ancient technique of creating beautiful and decorative items with different pieces of cloth. Nomadic people of the desert have long pieced together their tents and even decorated them with elaborate appliqu. Festive patchwork textiles created for special occasions are found in many places throughout India. Pieced and appliqud household items are made by women for dowries. These objects include decorative bags, pillows and sitting mats. Appliqu played a part in religious textiles as well. It has long been used to make decorative clothing, because most clothing is used until it is worn out and then again reused to create beautiful patterns out of the worn fabric. This serves both economic and decorative purposes. Small pieces of fabric are cut and joined side by side to make a large piece of fabric or for repairing a damaged fabric. The craft seems to have been prevalent all over India.

Gujarat Applique Work Oftentimes carried out on red cotton cloth against a white background, the appliqu work of Gujarat is primarily used on festive occasions, when rituals are performed, or to trap animals. Locally referred to as the katab, the word is probably a distorted form of the English words cut-up. The decorative appliqus vary from a range of stylised birds and elephants, to several geometric patterns.

The Creation of Applique Art In the19th century, the Kathis, an agro-pastoral community of the Kathiawar region of Gujarat and their Muslim associates, the Molesalaams, or the landowning community are known to have produced intricate appliqu work. Some of the surviving specimens show a wide representation of stylised human and animal figures in cotton and silk cloths, bandhani (tie and dye), or patola cloth. In the neighbouring state of Rajasthan, the Oswal Banias have a similar tradition of stitching large appliqu canopies with a range of panels or squares in different colour combinations, for marriages. The Rajputs, Satwaras and various other cattle-breeding communities also produce similar appliqu art to enhance the beauty of their chandarvo (canopies), dharaniyo (quit covers), amongst other things.

Orissa Appliqu Work of Art In Orissa, appliqu work is an inseparable part of the temple tradition, and its main centre of production is in and around Pippli, a small town near Bhubaneswar. Traditionally, the appliqu work of Orissa is used as canopies during the annual Chariot Festival at Puri to protect the chariots of Lord Jagannath (in this context, the Lord of the Universe), Balabhadra and Subhadra (Lord Jagannaths brother and sister, respectively; together the three constitute the Hindu Holy Trinity of Puri).

In recent decades, the appliqus of Orissa in the form of beautiful animals, birds, flowers, leaves and other decorative motifs have been used as household lampshades, garden umbrellApplique is an ancient cultural art using fabric. The designs created can be for clothing, items of religious significance, banners or quilts. Artists all over the world use applique to create art work that celebrates their culture and history; others create applique designs as a hobby or to sell.