Applique
Applique is the process of sewing pieces of fabric onto a background to form a design. In traditional quilt-making, all raw edges of fabric must be turned under so only finished edges are seen, sewn invisibly to the background fabric. As modern quilt-making methods evolved, raw edges are now acceptable and a style of their own! Using decorative stitches on a sewing machine to sew the edges in place enhances the appearance of the finished project. Incorporating materials like felt, ribbon, yarn, and other non-traditional resources, along with paint, sequins, and other embellishments have increased the exciting effects possible with applique! I have enjoyed exploring all these techniques in quilts featuring surface designs done in applique!
Needle-turn hand-applique from an album quilt.
The dancer in the middle of the quilt has raw edges appliqued in place using a buttonhole stitch on the sewing machine. The hearts forming the music notes at the top and the bottom were done using the “freezer paper applique” method.
This large quilted wall-hanging of the coat of arms of the Medical School of the University of Ottawa, Canada, was requested by my brother, Dr. Sudhir Sundaresan. Its construction involved both hand- and machine-applique, using felt for some of the shapes, and enhancing the appearance using embellishments like sparkling “jewels” and painting the knight’s helmet for a more 3D look. It was challenging but fun to see it come together!
The quilted wall-hanging, Chrome Rhino in Color, is done in the style of a coloring book page. Geometric segments and curvy shapes fill the body of the rhino, straight-stitched in place using raw-edge applique techniques. Free-motion quilting provides motifs of fields of grass under the rhino, leaves and vines above it and the sun radiating in one corner.
