Art Textiles Techniques - Applique
Applique literally means 'to put on' and it is the textile technique whereby pieces of cut fabric are applied to another fabric as a means of decoration. Applique is a very popular technique at the moment because of the interest in 'all things vintage' and you will find the shops full of little decorative textile items that have been decorated using applique.
To Do
Have a look at the examples in the gallery to get an idea of what can be done with applique. Then look at the video instructions on how to do applique using bondaweb and try out the technique using a few shapes. Finally have a go at the random drawing applique - it is a good test of accuracy and machine skills and great practice at this versatile technique.
Reverse Applique
This is a wonderful technique where you build up layers of fabric, sew through them and cut out different numbers of layers in the piece to reveal different fabrics.
You will need to use a very sharp pair of scissors for this technique and you will need to be careful to make sure that you don't cut through layers that you want left intact and that you don't cut yourself in the process.
Artists
