They say "Clothes Make the Man". And in our desire for beautiful clothes, civilization has evolved many an art form solely for beautification of the cloth. The use of applique embroidery as a method of decorating fabrics began as early as 980 BC in Egypt with the making of a leather canopy. So, though it is an ancient art, it has adapted quite well with the modern times. We can easily see the appliqué embroidery in modern Parisian or Milan runways. It has not just sustained but also flourished over time.

For the uninitiated, appliqué literally means "that has been applied" in French. Appliqué as a technique has been used in a lot of skill sets like pottery, ceramics or needlework. So in context to embroidery, appliqué means applying pieces of fabric, embroidery or other material over another base fabric. The creative and adventurous have been known to use beads, sequins and other material to make their work stand out. Here we are strictly discussing embroidery appliqué.

Since a fabric is attached from the top, it tends to stand out and attract attention. Hence appliqué is quite suitable for work that has to attract attention from the distance. Intellectually speaking, embroidery itself is a form of appliqué where threads are attached on top of the surface. So embroidery appliqué is a multi-layer appliqué!

An interesting trivia: Captain Ralph Ward commissioned the Royal School of Needlework in 1965 to create the most famous example of appliqué embroidery: the Hastings Embroidery. 27 panels were thus created to commemorate great events in British history. It took 10 months to finish, and was made by hand using couched threads and cords, tweed from Scotland, fabrics from museums and feathers from the zoo

There was a time when people had to be creative themselves when it came to embroidery appliqué. Well, it’s not hard to see why! After all they had to design patterns twice. Now however, with the joys of internet, beautiful designs are just a click away. But added to that, there are online tutorials available in case you wish to develop it as a hobby.

As you can tell, embroidery appliqué takes quite a lot of time and patience. Not to mention creativity. And as trends come and go, appliqué has off late found a partner in quilting. In India, ralli quilts are gaining recognition worldwide. They are made in the north-western region of India and Pakistan and boast of a tradition of over 100 years! But most interestingly, each ralli quilt tells a story of strength and tradition; of natural creativity and love and knowledge of color.

This is one beautiful example of mother-daughter bonding over in quilting. And of finding that one passion and interest in life that makes the minutes go faster than the seconds!