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Wearable Art Part X-- Appliqu�
By Kathleen Brown, Of My Hands

Techniques:

There are many books on the market today, dealing with both the tried-and-true techniques of our grandmothers and the techniques made possible by the newest inventions of recent years.  Therefore, I will not detail all of the techniques here, but I do encourage you to check out your favorite book stores, fabric and quilt shops, the many catalogues on the market and in your mailbox, local quilt guild libraries, friends' collections, and classes offered in your communities.

Machine Appliqu�:

What works for me: Place a piece of typing weight paper (junk mail works great) underneath the background fabric, next to your machine's feed dogs.   When zigzagging, have the entire stitch width on the appliqu�. The paper is torn away once you have zigzagged your appliqu� into place.

Hand Appliqu�:

I like fusible interfacing appliqu�  technique. Cut your appliqu� shape out of the fabric you desire and out of a piece of fusible interfacing. With the right side of your appliqu� facing the non-fusible side of the interfacing, stitch these pieces together. Make a slit in the interfacing; turn the appliqu� right side out, through the slit. Fuse the appliqu� into place, making sure the interfacing is not showing. Now your appliqu� is ready to hand stitch into place, using either an invisible slip stitch or a fancy embroidery stitch.

Shadow Appliqu�:

Talk about the easiest way to appliqu�! Cut out your desired appliqu�, position it on the background fabric and cover it with a transparent piece of fabric. Organdy, voile, dotted Swiss, and other transparent fabrics will work. Now stitch, using a small running stitch, just on the outside of your appliqu� piece to hold it in position. You can also add stitching to the appliqu� piece itself if desired. This will add depth to your finished appliqu� piece.

I find that if I use bright colors for the appliqu�s, they show up better as the sheer fabric will act as a shadow, dulling the appliqu�s. This technique can create a wonderful dream-like image.

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