Applique Embroidery

Book excerpt: Applique is the fascinating and versatile technique of applying one fabric to another. This beautiful book covers the principles within the technique, from the design stage through to padding, edgings and decorative stitches. It explains how to use a great collection of materials and threads, along with a rich array of stitches and textures to give dimension and contrast, thereby creating a unique piece of art. Written by a widely respected teacher, the book draws on her extensive examples to illustrate and introduce embroidery techniques, such as gold work, crewel work and silk shading, that can be used in a piece of applique; explain stitches that can embellish the piece further, such as the traditional buttonhole and blanket stitch, as well as couching, fly, feather, herringbone and knotted stitches; encourage experimentation and play with ideas, for example layering fabrics onto different backgrounds, trying different types of padding to create height, perspective and 3D effects, and using different edging stitches with a variety of threads around the fabrics. It is lavishly illustrated with 450 colour photographs supporting the detailed text and step-by-step instructions. It is a book to be kept close and treasured.