What Is an Embroidered Applique?

Applique Designs

• The range of commercially available applique designs is huge and varied, and covers almost every conceivable taste, occasion or age-group interest. Many ready-made applique designs are embroidered with a silky thread around the edges of the design shape. This gives the design a raised texture, which adds a tactile, as well as visual, interest. Other embroidery, for instance embroidered animal features or embroidered stamens on a flower shape, give applique designs extra definition and character.

Hand Embroidery

• Many sewing enthusiasts like to create their own applique shapes. Designs of any shape, from simple squares or triangles to more elaborate alphabet shapes, are possible. Hand embroidery is a way of stitching a patch to the base fabric and providing surface detail at the same time. For instance, an embroidery chain stitch is one way of hand-stitching an applique patch to a cushion or a pillow.

Machine Embroidery

• Sewing machines able to make embroidery stitches are capable of producing highly detailed, embroidered applique patches. The applique patch is first sewn to the garment using a zigzag stitch around the edges of the design, then embroidered with satin stitch to give the design a strong border. Further details, such as eyes and noses on animals, are machine embroidered, with the color of the thread being changed as necessary.

Alternative Applique Techniques

• Reverse applique is when the patch is applied to the inside of the garment instead of the outside. This style of applique adds dramatic highlights to a garment when done in a sharply contrasting color of fabric, and is particularly effective when used on T-shirts. The patch is first sewn to the wrong side of the garment, so that when the garment is viewed from the right side, only the applique outline is visible. The fabric of the garment is then trimmed away inside the stitching that holds the patch in place, revealing the applique fabric. Reverse appliqued designs are often combined with embroidery, where only a small section of the garment is trimmed away. The remaining section of the applique shape is then defined and decorated with embroidery stitches.