APPLIQUE WORK FOR YOUR WARDROBE
Fashion is the second name of innovation, designers and fashion followers always tries to bring new things and ideas in the fashion world but this is also a place where " the old is always gold".
The old fashion doesn't loose its grip and keeps coming back again and again in a fresh way.
Today I am talking about appliqué work, it is a technique of embroidery which was introduced in India years ago but as history repeats itself, fashion too, the appliqué work is back on the ramp, the stores everywhere.
Now- a-days you will find not only clothes with appliqué work but handbags and even footwear is also decorated with the appliqué work.
Appliqué is an ancient cultural art using fabric. The designs created can be for clothing, items of religious significance, banners or quilts
Appliqué 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.
This is a simple method which you can do yourself also; just follow the few simple and easy steps-
1. Draw Your Appliqué Design
The first you need is a design to appliqué. A simple design with straight sides is easiest for beginners, so consider starting with a block. Either draw your design on the plain paper, or trace the design onto the tracing paper. Keep in mind that the finished appliqué will be a mirror image of your tracing.
2. Trace onto the Iron-On Adhesive
Place the iron-on adhesive on top of your design, paper side up, and trace your design onto the adhesive. If your design is made up of more than one element, you will need to trace each section separately.
If there are sections next to each other, you need to decide which will go on top of the other. When tracing, extend the line of the bottom section about 1/4 inches where it touches the top one. This will allow you to layer the sections so there won't be any gaps in between them.
3. Rough Cut the Design
After your design pieces are traced, you need to separate them from the rest of the adhesive. Cut around your tracing lines, about 1/2 to 1 inch away from the lines.
4. Choose Your Fabrics
This is one of my favorite steps - choose the fabric for each section. To make selecting easier I separate my fabrics into color families. Cotton woven fabrics are the easiest to work with, although you may want to experiment with other fabrics as you gain experience. Beware of fabrics that fray because they often shred when laundered and thicker fabrics like corduroy or velvet may be too difficult for some machines to handle smoothly.
5. Fuse the Fabric to the Adhesive
Heat your iron according to the directions that came with the adhesive. When the iron is hot, place the preshrunk fabric right (front) side down on your ironing surface and press to remove any wrinkles. Be sure to put the side you want to use face down so you're looking at the back of the fabric.
6. Cut out the Sections
Cut out each section, following the tracing lines carefully.
7. Remove the Adhesive Backing
Carefully peel the paper backing from the iron-on adhesive. If the backing is difficult to separate from the adhesive, tear the edge of the paper a little to get things started, or use a fingernail to separate the paper from the fabric.
8. Iron the Appliqué to Your Item
Place the appliqué, adhesive side down, on the item you're going to apply it to and arrange the sections to match your pattern. If you have several pieces you may need to look at the pattern to remember how the sections fit together. When the appliqué looks the way you want it to, iron it down according to the directions that came with the adhesive.
9. Add Some Details
using the water soluble pen or pencil, draw in any details you wish to add to the appliqué.
10. Stabilize with Interfacing
Cut a piece of tear-away interfacing large enough to cover the entire appliqué with a border of about 1/2 - 1 inch. Place the interfacing on the wrong side of the item you're appliquéing, under the appliqué. Now this part is a little tricky - holding the interfacing tightly, flip the item over and pin the interfacing on from the front.
- Stitch Your Appliqué
Now comes the fun - stitching! Use a Satin stitch if your machine has it, otherwise use a Zig Zag stitch and decrease stitch length until the threads are sewn right next to each other. Line the appliqué up so the raw (unstitched) edge is in the middle of your presser foot and start stitching. Go slowly at first, until you gain some confidence. Slow down as you approach a curve or corner so you don't overshoot the edge.
- Trim the Threads
When you're all done stitching carefully trim the loose threads as close to the fabric as you can without cutting the fabric or stitching. I trim the font first because any tiny ends are usually pulled to the back when I grab those threads to trim them. Using a small, sharp scissors makes it easier to trim closely.
- Remove the Interfacing
Remove the interfacing by tearing along the stitching. Your needle will have perforated the interfacing so it should come away fairly easily. Use a fingernail along the stitching to get things started, but do not use your scissors or anything sharp as it might poke through the appliqué.
So, you can make or do appliqué work on your clothes and bags yourself by picking up any item which you haven't tried from a long time. Just take that out from your wardrobe and do it yourself.
By doing this you can keep your wardrobe updated in this recession period also. But, if you think you don't have time for all these things, just don't you can find dresses, tops, jackets and handbags with appliqué work very easily in each and every market and store.
So, my dear metroholicas, don't waste your time in thinking just go to market and add a touch of appliqué work in your wardrobe and always Be Fashionable……..!!!!1