Textile appliqué is one of the types of needlework, the technique of which is to create an image by fixing individual parts of fabric on a base or fabric background.
Application on fabric is used for making decorative panels, decorating children's clothes, decorating festive costumes, toys and souvenirs. When selecting appliqué drawings, it is necessary to take into account the correctness and recognizability of their silhouette, the features of the transfer of the image on the plane, as well as the harmony of the color scheme of the image.
Application on fabric "Native land" Application on fabric originated in ancient times. Decorative elements on the costumes of many peoples around the world were created precisely by sewing an ornament on a fabric of a contrasting color. With the help of textile applique in ancient times, needlewomen decorated not only clothes, but also shoes, as well as many household items and home decor.
With the help of textile applique, you can successfully decorate many items:
- Cover for sofa or bed
- Chair covers
- small rugs
- Wall panels
- and much more.
Types of textile application
Using the applique technique, a wide variety of images can be applied to fabrics. However, all drawings for application can be divided into three types:
- Subject application - consists of one or more separate images, any objects of animate or inanimate nature. It can be a house, a star, a flower, a leaf, a tree, a branch, a mushroom, a basket, a bow, a car and much more.
Patch bird - a sample of a subject textile application - plot application - involves composing an image from several elements in such a way that it clearly shows a set of actions or a sequence of events.
- Decorative application - this is a separate image of patterns or ornaments that can be used to decorate various items of clothing and everyday life.
Materials for application on fabric
To create a textile application, various types of fabric are used:
- Drap
- Cloth
- Crinoline
- Sackcloth
- Knitwear
and many other types of both plain and colored fabrics. The main thing is that they are dense enough, keep the shape of the cut part well and do not stretch.
From fibrous materials, soutache, thin or thick cord, twine are suitable. They also use thick threads or yarn folded several times, as well as threads plucked from the fabric taken for the base, or from a smooth fabric that matches the color of the base.
The pulled threads are also folded several times. In any case, the thickness of the bundle of folded threads depends on the size of the pattern and its nature. Drawings can be ornamental or thematic. Simple elements of Kirov and Vologda lace patterns look great.
The following types of materials can act as additional elements of a textile application:
- Leather- even the smallest pieces of various colors will do
- Fur- you can use small cuts
- Felt- different colors
- Suede leather- you can use pieces of suede from belts from old clothes
- Braid decorative
- Laces different colors
- sequins
- beads- large and small
- Beads
- Buttons- beautiful or unusual shape.
Thus, to create a textile appliqué, you can use all kinds of materials that can only be sewn on. And if your fantasy tells you something else, you will get an original work.
Depending on the selected image, the details for the application are prepared separately, but it is possible to fix the material from a ball, skein or pre-cut pieces of the desired length (after preliminary calculation of the material).
Application technique
The selected pattern is transferred to the fabric using carbon paper. In the process of arranging the pattern, you need to make sure that the direction of the threads of the base fabric and the details match.
The textile appliqué is most often sewn by hand onto the base fabric using a blind stitch. If the work is done on a sewing machine, then it is best to use a zigzag stitch. These types of seams are almost invisible on the fabric, especially if you choose the right thread color to match the material.
In accordance with the pattern transferred to the background, the cord or rope must be tacked to the background, and then on the reverse side, fasten with oblique or small stitches of the seam “needle forward”. Finished parts are also fixed from the wrong side.
There is another way to fix fibrous materials on a soft base in applications. It's called "attached". The technique is as follows. Depending on the type of material used, the ends are fixed so that they do not crumble.
Next prepare the needle and thread. It can be in a contrasting color or matched to match the material. The end of the material is applied to the desired place of the pattern and at a distance of 1-2 mm, the end is fixed with transverse stitches from the wrong side of the fabric.
Then the cord is taken to the side, stitched along the line of the pattern 8 - 10 mm with small stitches "needle forward", the material is applied again and with two or three transverse stitches, laying the fabric, fix the cord. In a similar way, "attached" threads folded several times are also fixed.
You can make a voluminous application from fabric. To do this, under each fragment of the image, you need to lay a synthetic winterizer or another type of soft filler to give the pattern the necessary relief. Volumetric applique is in many ways similar to the embroidery technique, which also involves obtaining a relief pattern.
"Poppies" - embroidery with ribbons, the vase is made in the technique of trapunto. It is also possible to fix the application from the fabric on the base by thermal means. To do this, a part is laid between the background and the image, similar to the main one in size, made of polyethylene. The image prepared in this way is ironed with a hot iron.
The basis for the fabric can be designed in various ways. The side edges are folded twice by 10 mm, overcast, hemmed with a simple hem or decorated with any decorative seam on top.
The top part is best fixed on a stick with a round or rectangular section. Alternatively, you can use a thick wire, the ends of which would protrude beyond the edges of the product by 2 - 2.5 cm.
The underside of the resulting work is decorated with a fringe of any width, pulling the transverse threads. You can also hem the bottom edge of the work, and then sew on tassels, pompoms or other decorations.
Application from scraps of fabric - even small children from 3 years old can do it, if you help at first. Simple children's creativity will appeal to the child. And it will benefit, this type of creativity develops perseverance and accuracy. You can start with a small picture by choosing a simple drawing. The application can then be placed in a frame, and for beauty it can be sheathed with contrasting threads or circled with special paint for fabric along the outline of the pattern. You can buy a painting cheaply and make a copy of it out of fabric.
What fabrics are suitable for appliqué
Start with a one-piece appliqué, picking up a piece of cotton fabric with a large image. For example, with a bird or a horse, a large flower or a heart. Cut this design out of fabric, stick it on the base.
Different fabrics have different structures and change their shape after washing, i.e. stretched differently. Therefore, before use, the fabric must be soaked in warm water and carefully dried by ironing it through a dry cloth with a hot iron. If the fabric is starched, then its edges will not crumble, which is very important when working. You can starch natural fabric with a liquid potato starch paste.
Then it must be ironed with a hot iron from the wrong side. Synthetic fabric should be sprinkled with a solution of gelatin and not ironed.
To work on mi from fabric, you need scissors, a needle, pins, a hoop, a thimble, threads and fabrics.
With small children, the application is best done on glue. From pre-starched fabric, cut out the details of your appliqué, liberally smear the wrong side with BF glue and stick on the base of your picture. For better drying, cover the application with a damp cotton cloth for 2 hours, place a warm iron on top.
Older children, after 5 years, can make applications using polyethylene for gluing. Applique details are also made from pre-starched cotton fabric. Do it like this: Place several layers of newspaper under the base of the picture. Lay out a thin plastic film on newspapers, and on top of the polyethylene blanks for application. Cover all this with a sheet of white paper and iron with a hot iron. The fabric will easily stick to the base, and the excess film will remain on the paper.
A ready-made, already dried appliqué can also be decorated by sewing on buttons or beads, bows or other decorative elements.
To obtain a relief appliqué, cotton wool or pieces of parolon are placed under the cut out details of the appliqué. Such applications look very beautiful, but they are difficult to clean.
Very interesting, bright and colorful applications are obtained using figurines obtained from a child's hand as its details.
Put the child's hand on a dark fabric, circle its outline with chalk and cut out the resulting figure. The hand can be used as a barrel. It remains to glue or sew a green crown.
The task can be complicated by applying not only the contour of the hand, but also the feet. The foot can be used as a tree trunk and the two arms as branches. Cut out the crown from green fabric.
Children really like palm and finger applications. The details of such applications are figurines obtained from children's palms.
The application from the palm of your baby will remain as a pleasant memory of a sweet, unforgettable childhood, which can be pasted into the nursery with photos.
In order to make such applications in the form of trees (or some others of your choice), you will need:
Burlap or canvas
Choice of: wooden frame, two wooden slats or cardboard sheet
Glue Moment or PVA
Scraps of various fabrics
Before you start working, choose how your work will be exhibited. To do this, you can stretch canvas fabric over a wooden frame, simply nail the top and bottom edges to the wooden slats, or pre-glue the fabric onto cardboard for rigidity.
Callin's idea was that the tree trunks should look like the outlines of her children's hands. Each child has his own tree.
This is how the tree trunk turned out from the brown striped fabric.
For leaves, it is best to take several types of plain fabric and several types of fabric with a pattern.
Those were the leaves the Calleen kids had.
Little Molly glues the leaves of a tree.
The crown of the tree is ready!
And now it remains to glue the trunk - and the tree is ready. This fabric picture can decorate your home too!
And here's another option
Application ideas are more difficult
You can make do-it-yourself fabric applications in the form of panels, bedspreads, tablecloths, curtains, pillowcases. Pieces of leather, suede, fur, buttons, beads, beads can be added to the fabric as decoration.
The fabric for a panel or bedspread should be dense enough, for a tablecloth or curtain - lighter.
The fabric for the background must be fixed to the board using push pins. Attach appliqué details to the base with pins.
After you make sure that the parts of your future product are correctly selected and match your plan, you need to sew or glue these parts to the base. It is better to sew with stitches. This method of attachment will serve as a decoration at the same time. Separate parts can be decorated with a decorative cord.
Application details can be glued with polyethylene and a hot iron. This can be done in the following way. Put several newspapers on the table, on them - the basis of the application, then - plastic wrap, on it - the details of the application. Top with a white sheet of paper and iron it all with a hot iron. The details of the appliqué will stick to the base, and the remains of excess polyethylene must be removed.
Applications with the use of fabric look good on curtains, bedspreads, tablecloths, kitchen mittens. You can decorate children's clothes with bright mi: dresses, T-shirts, sweaters or pants.
Working on the application using a variety of fabrics is a very exciting and interesting activity for children. Bright fabrics with colorful patterns on them captivate the child, causing a whole storm of different emotions - from tenderness to delight. And the process of work captivates the baby, captures, allowing him to get great feelings of joy and satisfaction.
To add variety to your home interior, you and your child can make fabric curtain decorations. To do this, you need to decide which flower will best suit your curtains and the environment as a whole. Next, cut out two identical flowers from cardboard, only one from cardboard and the other from fabric, glue or sew the parts together and fix them on the curtains.
< 
An applique is considered to be a decoration of an already finished fabric product by gluing or sewing on fabric figures, i.e. this technique performs a decorative function. The schemes proposed in this article will help you make applications in the form of a flower and an owl. There are different execution techniques, choosing one of them, the needlewoman will get a beautiful applique.
One of the most famous and common ways is to draw the details on cardboard, transfer them to the fabric, and then cut out the details with scissors with a margin for bending the seams. Further, it is desirable to attach the cut out parts to the product with pins.
When making seams, it is important to fold the edges correctly so that there is not too much fabric, and keep in mind that the stitches should run at the very edge of the part. If the parts are not attached to the product manually, but with the help of a sewing machine, then the cut parts must first be glued, then the edges should be processed with a zigzag.
There is a way to make an applique without the need to tuck and process the seams, for this you need to cut out two blanks of each part, fold them with their right sides inward, and then stitch them. Next, you need to make a cut to turn out the parts and then you can sew them to the product. In order for the pictures to turn out to be voluminous, it is worth using a dense fabric for the manufacture of parts.
Do-it-yourself fabric appliqué "Flower"
Even children can make an application from fabric, there is nothing difficult about it. For example, you can make an application in the shape of a flower, for this you need to think over the idea, purchase cardboard, scissors and threads with a needle. For convenience, you can prepare templates for children in advance. To do this, draw the outlines of future parts on a sheet of cardboard, and then cut them out. Then ready-made templates can be applied to the fabric and cut out the desired details.
In order to get a flower, you need to cut out five parts with a supply of fabric for hem and edge processing. Working with each detail, you must first bend the edges and iron them, then attach the part with the wrong side to the product, secure with pins and baste. After that, the part should be sewn to the product using an invisible seam. The same principle of working with other cut parts. The result of the work is shown in the photo.
Owl
An owl made of felt can be an excellent addition to the interior of a children's room. In order to make such an application, you will need felt of different colors, a thermal gun, as well as scissors and a needle and thread.
Thanks to the master class, it will become clear how to make an appliqué out of fabric. First you need to prepare the base, then cut out the trunk and branches of the tree from brown felt. Then, according to the template, you need to cut out all the details of the owl, not forgetting that a certain color corresponds to each detail.
Then all the parts should be connected with a thermal gun. First you need to glue the eyes to the body, then the nose, then the feathers and, finally, sew the wings. After this, the edges of the resulting product must be processed. You can also cut out leaves, flowers from felt, be sure to process the edges of the parts, and after that, first glue the tree, then the owl, then all the other details onto the base.
Other do-it-yourself fabric appliqué options
The applique can be done by hand, or it can be made with a sewing machine. The video tutorials presented in this article will demonstrate workshops on making appliqués from fabric by hand and using a sewing machine, explaining how to make stitches correctly.
Appliqué is a decoration process that is made by sewing or gluing an image onto fabric or paper. With the help of various motifs, you can not only decorate things, but also hide small defects. In fact, the application plays a decorative function, decorating a particular product. Some needlewomen try not to complicate their work and buy ready-made motifs in the store, but most craftswomen make patterns on their own, cutting them out of fabric. After all, in this way, you can bring your ideas to life.
Let's take an example of how to make an appliqué out of fabric.
rainbow tree
If you do not know what material is best to take for work, then we recommend felt. It does not crumble, however, it is not suitable for summer things. Now we will tell you how the appliqué is performed on fabric, the diagrams for the work “Rainbow Tree” are attached.
So, prepare the following materials:
- pieces of fabric of different colors;
- cardboard;
- pencil;
- scissors;
- needles with threads;
- web material.
Step 1. Any application begins with a blank cut out of cardboard.
Step 2. Attach the blanks to the fabric and cut them out, taking into account the seam allowance. Sweep the elements with a simple seam around the entire perimeter of the parts.
Step 3. Iron the details of the future composition along with the cardboard.
Step 4. As a result, you will get such well-smoothed blanks.
Step 5. Lay out the details in the right order on the thing where the motive will be created.
Step 6. Glue the details with a cobweb. This material allows you to glue the parts of the fabric together. It is sold in any haberdashery store.
Step 7. Cut out similar details of the appliqué from the gossamer, but smaller.
Step 8. Iron all the details together with the cobweb, and it will quickly fix the composition.
Step 9. Since the elements have become motionless, they can be safely stitched.
Step 10 The result is a very beautiful rainbow tree.
A dog is performed in a similar way.
Have a look at another application method.
Fabric applications. Schemes for work
We offer drawings for applications. Print them out and use them in your work.
Patchwork house
Conscientious needlewomen do not throw away scraps of fabric, but create real masterpieces from them. For such craftswomen, an ordinary hobby turns into a source of income. From scraps they make pictures that are framed. Using the example of a master class, we will tell you how to make a colorful picture that depicts a house.
The following materials are required for work:
- linen fabric;
- wooden hoops;
- patches of felt;
- thread with a needle;
- pins;
- scissors;
- glue.
Step 2. Draw a template for the future picture on cardboard. It is advisable to use geometric shapes.
Step 3 Attach the blanks to the prepared felt and cut out the details separately: a trapezoid - a roof, a large rectangle - a facade, two small rectangles - windows, two cone-shaped parts - a window in the attic.
Step 4. Pin the main workpiece in the center of the fabric and sew it with a simple seam.
Step 5. Do the same manipulation with other details. The order and location of the elements, see the proposed pictures. Choose colors according to your taste.
Now you need to make flowers and petals. They are performed as follows:
Step 1. Cut out small circles from different scraps of felt.
Step 2. Combine two colors with each other.
Step 3. Cut out petals from green felt.
Step 4. Arrange the details on the fabric as shown in the picture. But you can experiment and arrange at your discretion. In other words, create your composition.
Step 5. Sew all the elements with a small, neat stitch in the same way as you sewed on the house. The color of the threads must match the color of the fabric.
Step 6. Trim the edges of the fabric, leaving a small overlap to wrap inside the hoop and glue them.
Step 7. After the glue has dried, cut the fabric as close to the hoop as possible with scissors - “zigzag”.
Do-it-yourself fabric applications will be within the power of even small children. It’s worth starting with a small craft, choosing simple patterns for children. The result of the work can be decorated with contrasting threads or outlined with a special paint for fabric. Such creativity will not only bring joy to the child, but also develop his motor skills, artistic thinking.
Material selection and preparation
First of all, in order for the fabric appliqué to turn out really beautiful, you need to choose the right material. Therefore, before starting work, the fabric must be soaked in warm water, dried and ironed with a hot iron through the fabric. If it is additionally starched, then it will not crumble, which is necessary for work. Next, iron a piece of fabric with an iron from the inside out.
For work, you will need scissors, sewing accessories (corners, pins, hoops, thimble, threads).
If you are working with young children, the application is best done on glue. From the prepared fabric according to the template, cut out the appliqué detail, spread the wrong side with glue and stick it on the base. For better drying, you can put a fake under the press (a stack of books or a warm iron)
With older guys, you can make a fabric application on polyethylene. Details are also cut from starched fabric. Only now several layers of newspaper are additionally placed under the base. Thin polyethylene is laid out on newspapers. Above - a blank for crafts. Cover all layers together with a white sheet of paper and iron with a hot iron. The fabric will easily stick to the paper, the residue will remain on the polyethylene. The finished appliqué can be decorated with letters, beads or other decorative elements.
In order to create a voluminous application as in the photo, pieces of foam rubber or cotton wool are placed under the fabric blanks.
From the palms
Very interesting are the works, which are based on figures obtained from a child's hand. To do this, the child’s hand must be attached to a dark fabric, traced around the contour with chalk and cut out the resulting contour.
Let's take a closer look at this application. To complete it, you will need:
- Canvas or burlap;
- Scissors;
- Glue;
- Scraps of various fabrics.
Before you begin to work, you need to prepare the basis. To do this, you must either stretch the canvas fabric onto a wooden frame, or simply pre-glue the fabric onto cardboard.
The tree trunk will look like the outline of a child's hand.
For leaves, it is best to take several types of fabric. It is possible with a picture.
Carefully cut out the resulting leaves and stick as follows.
Crown is ready!
By template
Template applications are easier to manufacture.
For their implementation, you only need to cut out cardboard blanks and stick fabric on top. An owl will look beautiful in this technique.
For older children, you can choose more complex schemes. Most often, such crafts are made as a gift or decoration. Some details can be sewn to the base or glued. Fantasy will help bring the most interesting ideas to life, you only need to choose the right fabric.
When making a picture with an application, special attention should be paid to the material with which the elements will be fixed. How to make an applique on fabric? The following types of glue will best cope with this task: PVA, BV-22 and potato starch paste.
