TEXTILES
CROSS STITCH
The first textiles were probably made from intertwined stems and grasses, until a way of twisting short fibres and animal hairs into continuous strands evolved about 10,000 BC.
Fragments of cloth dating from between 5,000 BC and 500 AD have been excavated from tombs and monuments in South America, Egypt and China, and these show crude examples of darning, half cross stitch and satin stitch. Many of the fragments are made of linen; the regular warp and weft of this fabric, one of the oldest of all woven materials, provided the basis for the development of counted thread stitches.
The earliest known Embroidery examples are from 3000 B.C They are hand work over the woven threads on clothing.
To make a cross stitch, bring the needle up at the bottom left corner of a square and down at the top right corner. To finish a thread, leave a thread tail of 4cm (2in) on the back of the fabric, and catch it under your stitches to secure it. finishing all the cross stitch in your design before you work the backstitch or add any French knots.
APPLIQUÉ
Appliqué is a decorative surface design technique that adds dimension and texture to the background fabric. The term derives from the French word appliquer (and the Latin applicare) that means to join or attach. While its early use was most likely to strengthen worn areas or serve as a patch over holes, appliqué developed into a creative art form used by many cultures over many centuries.
making the appliqué
- Choose a design and fabric
- Draw or trace your design on a piece of paper
- trace your pattern onto iron-on interfacing
- Iron the interfacing onto the “wrong” side of your fabric
- Use a pair of fabric scissors to cut your design out of the fabric
attaching the appliqué
1. Prepare the underlying fabric for the applique
2.Position the applique on the underlying fabric
3.Sew the applique to the underlying fabric
4.Tidy up the finished piece