Test Your Knowledge of Appliqué

Appliqué – An Ornamental Needlework Technique

• Appliqué is a needlework technique in which pieces or patches of different fabrics are sewn onto a larger piece to create a picture or pattern, used for decoration, mainly on garments.
• The term appliqué is derived from French and Latin verbs meaning to join or attach. It was initially used to strengthen worn areas of clothing or patch holes that had formed.
• Archaeologists have discovered ancient examples of appliquéd leather in Egypt (980 BCE) and leather and felt appliqués have been found in 4th-century BCE tombs in Siberia and Mongolia.
• Appliquéd cloth is an essential art form in Benin, West Africa, particularly in the area around Abomey, where it has been a tradition since the 18th century.
• Folk traditions to embellish garments with leather appliqué are found in Scandinavia, Russia, and Eastern Europe. Leather appliqué is also found in Pakistan and Morocco.
• Felt appliqué is used to add embellishments to women's aprons in Eastern Europe and decorative uses of felt appliqué are also seen among the nomadic tribes of Central Asia.
• Reverse applique is used on the Mola textiles of South America.
• Appliqué is used extensively in quilting. Traditional American quilt blocks constructed with both patchwork and appliqué include "Dresden Plate" and "Sunbonnet Sue."
• Baltimore album quilts, Broderie perse, Hawaiian quilts, Amish quilts, Egyptian Khayamiya, and the ralli quilts of India and Pakistan also use appliqué.
• Appliqué is suitable for work that is to be seen from a distance, such as in banner-making.
• A lace-on-lace applique seam can be used to join edges of lace on couture garments.
• Modern consumer embroidery machines quickly stitch appliqué designs by following a program.