EMBROIDERIES OF INDIA / APPLIQUE WORK / USES

- Applique is suitable for small or large scale work but not every material is appropriate for every applique project. If you are planning applique for something that will require frequent washing such as table mats you must choose fabrics that wash well, e.g. linen. If you are planning something purely decorative such as a wall hanging there is a wider choice of fabrics to select.

- Nowadays its usage is more in household, decorative and festival products. The applique items are mainly used during rituals/jatras of the deities, especially for the rathas of the deities during Rath Jatra. Applique work is also used in making pillows, seats and ritual dresses for the deities.

- The base cloth includes water proof material for umbrellas, velvet for tents, cotton, and threads. Mythical figures, flora and fauna like peacock, ducks, parrot, trees, elephant, creepers, flowers like jasmine, lotus, are taken for appliqué work.

- The Craft involves embroidering and stitching. For attaching the pieces of cloth articians use straight stitch, satin stitch, blind stitch, or buttonhole stitch. Sometimes they also make mirror work and many decorative stitches.