Rotarian Fellowship of Quilters and Fiber Artists Issue Number Eight May, 2008
Hi all you happy stitchers! Appliqué is one of the oldest known forms of needlework for the decoration of cloth or leather and is the method of applying small pieces of material onto a background fabric with a needle and thread, creating a two-dimensional embroidery. Initially, used to cover or strengthen worn cloth, appliqué developed into the practice of applying definite shapes and colours in individual designs for aesthetic reasons. Applying patterned fabric to a plain background takes less time than embroidery, and plain areas of fabric applied to sumptuous brocade stand out in a bold design. It is an economic use of precious scraps of cloth, silks or velvets with either curved or rigid edges, and has proved to be a handsome and usually decorative form of needlework. The stitches can be worked unobtrusively or more boldly. Early appliqué work which still survives includes pieces of applied leather from Ankmim, dated between the third and seventh centuries B.C. Pieces remaining from the third and fourth centuries B.C include part of a saddle cover found in Altai, South Siberia. Made of felt, it has a clearly designed griffin with raised paws and spreading wings. Another piece, a large hanging made to adorn a burial chamber, is also in felt, with seated goddesses and horsemen. Appliqué was used on flags and banners in the Middle Ages, which were carried into battle. Originally, only lords and knights carried them, but later all their followers also wore heraldic symbols. Crusaders returned to France and Britain after the Holy Wars with sumptuous silks, velvets and brocades which encouraged appliqué work. In England in the 13th and 14th centuries, professional workshops became world-famous for magnificent embroideries with gold and silver threads and silk embroidery on linen applied to velvet backgrounds. 16th and 17th century appliqué was made for extensive use in the church and on bed valences. As brocades and rich velvets became less costly and more plentiful, this type of embroidery declined. Cheap cottons in the late 18th and early 19th centuries did, however, boost the use of appliqué for decorating quilts, both in Britain and the United States. Appliqué is an international embroidery form. Iranians used felted woolen cloth as a form of inlay. Hungarian tradition used brightly coloured leather. Tents and hangings in India were made from cotton appliqué in bold designs. North American Indians used it for blankets and dress and do to this day. The Cuna Indians of Panama used a ‘reverse appliqué’ called ‘San Blas’. A revival of decorative ecclesiastical embroidery has developed since the 2nd World War, and many articles are now made by machine. Happy stitching everyone. Regards,
Ailsa Note: The Rotarian Fellowship of Quilters and Fiber Artists is a group dedicated to promoting the fiber arts as an opportunity for fellowship. This fellowship operates in accordance with Rotary International Policy, but is not an agency of, or controlled by, Rotary International. |
