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Historical and cultural development of appliqué
Appliqué is a traditional technique for decorating fabrics and is evidenced in history and across cultures of the world. To some ancient societies appliqué was considered a form of writing for recording information. Some believe that the idea of appliqué may have come from patching holes in worn garments or linens or perhaps for the purpose of imitating prized raised embroidery.
Activity 1
Visit the Museum of Art, New York 
web site and browse the collection of appliquéd textile items from around the world. Make note of the nature of the textile item and the designs employed.
Early examples of appliqué
One of the earliest examples of appliqué is found in the Boulak Museum in Cairo, Egypt. This ceremonial canopy for a funeral dates back to 980 BC. The canopy is made of gazelle hide and appliquéd with significant cultural symbols of serpents and blossoms in dyed shades of pink, blue green and golden yellow.
Visit the Abomey Museum, Africa web site to view other examples of traditional and cultural applications and uses of appliqué.
Appliqué in Europe
For centuries in European society wool crewel embroidery was often used to decorate household linens. From the 15th century appliqué began to replace crewelwork on bed curtains and other linens perhaps for extending the life of the textile item or as an imitation of the more laborious raised embroidery.
Appliqué in America
It was during the 18th century in America that appliqué became popular for the decoration of household textiles. Appliquéd quilts made from cut shapes of expensive Chintz fabric from India were known as Broderie perse quilts. The hand-coloured chintz cutouts were appliquéd or stitched with decorative stitches such as the blanket or buttonhole stitch onto a white or unbleached muslin or homespun background. The background of the quilt was then heavily quilted in elaborate designs.
In the early 1800s in America, appliqué was used to create story quilts and was a popular way to document important historical events, e.g. ‘The departing minister’s quilt’, ‘The minister’s wife quilt’ or ‘The wedding quilt’ were popular personal records of events in history. Each quilt block was appliquéd and then signed by a different person. Baltimore Album quilts are some of the most intricate and beautiful of the appliqué quilts. Many antique Appliqué Baltimore album quilts have survived and are found in museums and with private collections.
Click here to view more about Baltimore Album Quilt: Elegant Sampler Quilts
During the early 1800s the first American missionaries visited Hawaii. The technique of appliqué was adapted by the Hawaiian women and it is believed a paper cutting technique was developed here from a German influence.
To view more about the quilting history of Hawaii, visit America’s Quilting History site.
Appliqué in Central America and Asia
Appliquéd quilts flourished in the nineteenth century mainly due to fabric being used as trade goods. People in Central America and Asia developed some interesting and unusual forms of appliqué.
Click here to view more about appliqué in India.
The Kuna Indians of the San Blas Islands off the coast of Panama were known to use reverse appliqué techniques to make the distinctive designs called molas. Appliquéd shapes of people, fish, animals and plant life were used to decorate their traditional blouses. The colors are bright featuring red and black and are often embellished with embroidery.
The Hmong tribal people of the mountainous regions of Viet Nam, Laos, and Thailand work also in reverse appliqué embellished with embroidery. Pa ndau, or flower cloth appliqué is worked by young girls learning the craft to attract a husband and supply their trousseaus. Pa ndau is usually used for bed covers, belts, hats, and as embellishment on clothing. Pa ndau work can be found today at local craft markets.
Appliqué in Australia
Australia’s appliqué history extends from the early animal skin wraps worn by Aboriginal women in the Southern areas of Australia to the work completed by Irish settler women. Celtic appliqué developed from the complex line drawing designs found carved on ancient stones found throughout Ireland. Such decorations were used on Irish step dancing costumes. The appliqués are usually made with bias tape. Stained glass appliqué uses bias tape to emulate leading in stained glass windows.
Contemporary appliqué quilt designs have been very much influenced by traditional English and American designs. Today contemporary textile artists are creating modern appliqué designs enriched with new themes and techniques. A popular trend amongst artists is to create decorative appliquéd panels with freehand machine embroidery as embellishment.
Activity
- Visit the Powerhouse Museum web site to view a range of appliqué quilts.
- Visit the Australian National Quilt register web site and select essays about quilts then the articles on Greek Australian women and Irish Patchwork to learn more about appliqué quilts in Australia.
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