Making Australian applique quilts? Learn more about the different Australian applique quilt designs, which can be purchased or crafted…
For creative women Australian appliqué quilts offer a perfect opportunity to indulge in the artistic creation a usable fabric product. Quilts can be designed and drawn up according to the fabric available and the design and aesthetic sense of the person crafting it. The most important aspect of designing a quilt is the pattern and the use of colour.
Australian appliqué quilts are quite popular because they offer a variety of natural elements. A quilt from Australia can centre on the exotic wildlife of the country. Australian quilts appliquéd motifs have been popular for years and women have indulged in this craft on a commercial and personal basis. Fans of Australian quilt appliqué workers and enthusiasts usually have their own patchwork fabric stash. It can be used as a family bonding hobby if the girls of the family get together to design a runner or bed quilt for their homes. The design process opens the way to unique ideas and suggestions and offers an endless opportunity to utilize different appliqué ideas and amalgamate interesting colour swatches to create a unique piece.
Required Skill Set for Australian Quilts
Quite a bit of skill goes into creating and then sewing the quilts and using different appliqué skills to create a finely finished project. There are many quilters and appliqué designers across Australia who do it for the fun or commercial aspect also. It is a full-time job involving the creation and design of unique quilts along with managing the business to sell off the final product.
Basic Traditional Quilt Construction
The traditional Aussie appliqué has evolved over time and traditional stitches have been used to incorporate modern and stylistic designs. One of the more common types of stitch is an interlocking stitch, which is simply a way to stitch in which one thread runs on top of another to create a unique mishmash design.
Appliqué basically involves the use of different fabrics pasted on top of a ground fabric and brought together with the stitch. It may be made of one or two layers and have some sort of padding in the centre. Or a quilt can simply be crafted by using two fabrics that are joined together with a beautiful design in the form of a stitch.
The different stitches include the joyst and the traditional paisley playt along with the large popcorn ball stitch. The Provence style is an age-old traditional stitch that looks dated. Sometimes muslin is used as a layer in between and can be dyed to look antique and aged. Contemporary stitches include ribbons and roses streams along with shooting stars.
Different Application of Australian Appliqué Quilt Techniques
Some different designs that have become very popular are used for the table runners. Some designs utilize toadstools and poppy flowers for a unique and bright mishmash.
Crafted in rectangular shape the edges are triangle in shape and the entire quilted runner is hand finished and has tassels on its two ends, which will hang off the table edge.
Other beautiful designs show cats sitting in the window and can be hung on the wall. A challenging design to try uses the different techniques of raw edge appliqué and the traditional shattered glass technique.
This makes the quilt look like a piece of a puzzle that has been fit together. The main element which could be a cat, poppy flowers or a toadstool or perhaps any other element that the quilter wants to add on can actually be built in with the use of reverse appliqué. The main element is then layered on the top during the final stages. This gives a dramatic finish to the entire appliqué work.
