Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Crazy Quilt and Applique are like Sisters!

The beauty of a crazy quilt can be quite breath taking and examining the details will reveal the amount of work that's gone into that quilt. There are some truly fantastic crazy quilts out there too as every artist is a unique individual. As I have said before about sewing, it can be quite therapeutic. It fills that downtime for those days when not in the mood to go visiting, or out. Just put on some music or the radio and work on your latest upcoming creation. So, how is sewing like a family?

A family as we know is a group of people that care for each other and don't have to necessarily be blood related, as adoptions and guardianships do take place also. In the world of sewing, we can find many 'relations' such as quilts, clothes, bags and totes, accessories, home decor, to name a few. These are all assembled together with fabric of all sorts and thread, either by machine or hand, en masse or by piece.

Crazy quilts, done traditionally, are sewn onto a foundation as are appliques and both are done for design and color. Appliques goes one step further and doubles as artistic embellishments. These can be added by purchasing a pre-made applique piece or from creating your own. They are available in a huge variety of designs too. We can find embroidered pieces, bejewelled with beads or sequins, in lacey designs, children and adult designs, or created with use of fabrics and in many colors.

Appliques can be ironed on or sewn down onto a piece whether it's clothing or, in my case, a crazy quilt, to add a decorative embellishment. A theme can be created with appliques to tell a story for children and/or adults with use of current or past, favorite trends. An embellishment adds decorative beauty along with creating a conversation with friends and family. What sort of theme do you think your family member would enjoy?

Inspiration for creating an applique can be found all around us. It can be based on themes from television, movies, music, holidays, emotions and over all likes and/or dislikes. One can draw their own designs, add an extra 1/4” edge, sew this raw edge under, by hand, then sew it onto your foundation. If purchased, you can sew it directly onto the foundation without worrying about raw edges. Another method is to use a satin stitch on your machine to edge your applique to hide the raw edges. Design ideas are limitless.

Extra Reading Resources

Make and Use Applique Templates

Buy an Applique

Machine Applique

The Applique Society

Learning in Motion


 

The world of a seamstress is full of art and color, love of the trade and hardly a dull moment. For the non-sewing persons, you do have the option to ASK for the services of the seamstress and yes, for a price, since it is labor and time that's required. Once you purchase the service, deliver your assigned task (i.e., sew an applique), then you just wait till your seamstress calls for pick up. Take a look in your local paper and telephone book to check for seamstress services and call for a quote. Contacting your local seamstress can provide an alternative to updating your clothes vs purchase of new ones and may prove cost saving.

I hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to leave your comments, share your own observations. Visit my galleries for inspiration. Send a Email if you would like to place a Order today.  

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