Textile Crafts and Decorative Techniques
Surface decoration
Techniques divide into applied (appliqué, patchwork, embroidery, beading), removed (cutwork, eyelet), and additive (printing, dyeing, painting). Each has a purpose: decoration, reinforcement or repair.
Key techniques
- Appliqué: shapes stitched onto a base; raw or turned edges.
- Patchwork: piecing shapes; accuracy at seam intersections matters.
- Embroidery: hand stitches (chain, satin, blanket, running) or machine; tension and even spacing show quality.
- Tie-dye and batik: resist dyeing; batik uses wax, tie-dye uses binding.
- Block printing: repeating motif, register matters.
- Smocking, quilting, felting: texture and structure.
Design considerations
Scale should suit the garment area, repeat should be planned, and colourfastness of dyes must be tested. Traditional crafts carry cultural meaning and should be credited, not copied without understanding.
Traps
- Confusing appliqué (adding fabric) with reverse appliqué (cutting away to reveal).
- Mixing batik (wax resist) with tie-dye (tied resist).
- Ignoring grain when cutting appliqué shapes.
- Forgetting to pre-wash fabrics so dyes do not bleed later.
Rule of thumb
Test every decorative technique on a scrap first. Worked example: for a cushion cover, plan a repeating block print - carve the block, test register on scrap, mark a grid on the fabric, print evenly, then heat-set the colour.