Patchwork: a patchwork for beginners

Hand-made special, original things have always been intertwined with human life. Textile mosaic is a type of needlework, where the material for work is pieces of fabric of various sizes and colors, which, when stitched together, produce a complete product. As a result of patchwork, a fabric with individual patterns and color schemes appears. Sewing technique makes it possible to create three-dimensional spatial structures. The level of development of patchwork mosaics allows it to be attributed to the genus of decorative and applied art.

The history of patchwork

Excavations and written historical sources indicate that people from ancient times used fabrics. He could extract and process natural fibers, creating textile materials. When working with such raw materials, after receiving the finished product, trim always remains. There was a need to use them, so patchwork, in a certain form, appeared among many peoples of the world.

The fabric is distinguished by its fragility. The emergence of textile mosaic has a conditional definition. However, England is the birthplace of this technique. It is recognized that patchwork here resulted in a separate class of decorative art, the development of which began from the beginning of the 18th century. From here comes the terminology - patchwork. Literally means the following: work - work, patch - patch.

The appearance of the patchwork is due to the law passed in 1721, which the British leadership supported the local wool producers by prohibiting the import and sale of chintz products. As a result, prices for this product have risen in the country. Due to the shortage of bright colors, skilled housewives began to sew chintz rags on woolen cloths.

Milestones and necessary tools

To perform any work requires a special tool kit. Patchwork is no exception, it requires its own tools. Funds that can not be avoided during operation are presented in the table.

Having the right tool is important, but material selection also plays a big role. In the textile mosaic, you can use any fabrics. The easiest way to work with cotton.Chintz fabric is an example of an inexpensive canvas with bright colors.

Chintz has the property of shrinkage. Wash, dry - desirable measures when working with the material.

Drape or denim material can get a good result. Combination with other types of flaps creates original patterns of finished products. But working with such raw materials as chenille, silk is difficult. But the result justifies their use.

Before starting sewing from flaps, you need to come up with a sketch of the final product. Choosing the right project, you can begin to pattern. But you will need templates. To create them, you can use the samples taken from sources on the Internet, books and magazines on this topic. Based on our own measurements, making a sample is also not difficult. Having made a sketch and picking up the required materials, you can proceed to join the individual flaps.

Varieties

The art of decorative sewing is diverse. It has its own techniques and is divided into types. Using the patchwork, you can create wardrobe items, various variations of hand luggage, and interior items. Consider the main types of textile mosaics and their application in life.

Traditional patchwork

The most common sewing technique in the world. Having originated in England, she migrated to other countries. Characteristic features of the style are a combination of precise geometric shapes with a monosyllabic pattern. The standard fabric consists of two layers: the lining and the front side, which is sewn from flaps. This image is suitable for creating objects of different sizes, for example, mittens, a pillowcase on a pillow, a rug for a hallway.

Traditional patchwork is a single fabric consisting of squares. They are arranged in strict order, have two colors. Other flap forms are also used - triangles, stripes, diamonds of different colors. Parts can be assembled in any form.Due to the comparative simplicity of manufacturing the final product, this style is central to the development of decorative art.

Crazy or crazy

A kind of mosaic, where the technology for the production of fabric from flaps with the use of curved stripes, irregular shapes, arbitrary applications is preserved. Originality is the essence of style. It uses unique colors, shreds of various shapes, special surfaces of the object (texture).

The style is different in that the patchwork is done instantly, without any extra thought. And also, in the manufacture of products (panels, pillowcase, plaid, pillow), the technology of masking the seams is used here. They are hidden with:

• Costume jewelry (beads, rhinestones, organic glass);
• Tape;
• Auxiliary parts (fittings);
• Braid.

Crazy style allows you to combine different materials to create seams. Although the size of the patches does not matter, but the final product must have a certain shape, so you should adhere to the general rules in the manufacture of the canvas.

Knitted

A patchwork version whose feature is patch patch technology. Different fragments are tied together. The fabrication process is laborious. It means not only knitted seams, but every piece should be made with your own hands.

In needlework, different methods of knitting are used. They differ in the tools used in the work (hook, knitting needles). There are combined options where the motives of both guns are combined.

The knitting method takes less time. This method is used when creating clothes, bags, bedspreads, decorating them with drawings. The hook has an advantage. When using it, more elegant products are obtained. Yarn holds its shape well. Any geometric shapes can be used to create the canvas, even make voluminous drawings. Tablecloths, pillows, wraps made in this way differ favorably in their appearance.

Japanese

One of the most complicated techniques, the emergence of which is associated with a pre-existing law prohibiting the lower class from wearing expensive, colorful clothes. Therefore, the craftsmen turned the old piece of fabric into trousers or a cloak with their own hands, making the products not only practical, but also adorned the cheap black canvas so that it combines restraint and minimal luxury.

Preference in this style is given to silk. Stitches are actively used, they are the main highlight, thanks to the use of a seam “forward needle” or classic “sashiko”. The use of such stitches allows you to emphasize patterns and contours in a special way.

Of particular interest is the ornament, which is a printed print or embroidered hand-made pattern. Another feature that distinguishes the Japanese patchwork is the use of applications. Reception makes the pictures more vibrant.

Japanese experts do not use sewing equipment in the process.

Quilting

Needlework originated in America. It is considered folk art. It originates from the first settlers. Quilting can also be called as an American patchwork, but in a broader sense. A quilted quilt is a direct translation of the word "quilt". Quilting, in turn, is the process by which a product is created.

Stitching at least three layers of fabric is the main feature of this technique. Unlike the traditional patchwork, an intermediate layer is used here - filler (synthetic winterizer). Sew products manually and on a sewing machine. On the front surface, a volumetric quilted pattern is performed, which creates a three-dimensional effect.

The technology of quilting allows you to create different things: a cloak on a sofa, a bedspread, a picture, clothes, a pillow, a rug, an ottoman, other interior items (it all depends on the imagination of the master). Easy-to-execute style is only in appearance, it requires a meticulous approach to work, so when creating the first products, you should choose a simple geometric pattern.

Kinusaiga - seamless patchwork

Saving and thrift caused art. Its appearance was influenced by the high cost of silk, from which they sewed a kimono. Clothing was inherited, and when worn out, it was reused for the manufacture of other things, called Komono. Not a single shred was thrown out; all the residues from processing went to the manufacture of paintings.

The step-by-step technology consists in the following: the sketch was first made, then it was transferred to the future canvas (wooden frame). After that I had to cut indentations and cover the contours with silk. This technique allowed us to create three-dimensional images, to receive full-fledged paintings.

There is no need to sew anything in art; therefore, it is called "patchwork without a needle." Applique is the basis of style. It is used to decorate household items, it can be used to create souvenirs, any thing (book, picture, casket, toy) decorated with decor looks favorable.

Patchwork applique

In this technique, it is recommended to use natural material. Style means creating images where a piece of fabric is glued and sewn to the canvas. Patchwork should not be glued on applications that subsequently fall into the wash.

Creating an application is easy. The main presence of an idea, the scheme of which will be embodied on the canvas. The basis of the product should be dense fabrics. As a material for sketches take cardboard. Fabrics of different colors are applied to the cutouts from the cardboard and fastened with needles, after which a pattern is made. The resulting elements can be sewn or glued to the base. In conclusion, it remains to apply decor in the form of rhinestones, polystyrene foam, beads. Such a simple execution of actions allows you to create an elegant product. This is the master class in the manufacture of patchwork applications.

Variety of techniques

Lovers, masters, professional artists are engaged in patchwork.Their activity supports, to some extent revives, creates new textile mosaic techniques. Using dissimilar technologies from traditional to crazy, using different colors of materials, whether black and white or color, working with any fabrics (woolen, jeans, knitted, silk), and also using their imagination, create masterpieces.

There are many techniques for creating patchwork mosaics. Let's consider some of them:

• Fast squares. One of the first skills in this art. A square is cut from previously prepared strips of available raw materials. Initially, two-color material was used in traditional technology, but now everything has changed. Sewing the squares is simple, and the resulting blankets, sheets, pillows will make your favorite bed cozy, create comfort in the bedroom.
• Watercolor. Everything here is also built on squares. The effect of the image created by watercolor paints is achieved by combining dark and light colors with a flap.
• Striped stripes. The advent of technology was facilitated by the use of a sewing machine. The smaller the strip, the better the ornament comes out. You can arrange strips of fabric as you like, here the design flight of thought is unlimited.
• Log cabin. The main feature is the spiral arrangement of strips around the square located in the center of the canvas. The standard colors of the square are yellow or red.
• Magic triangles. In textile mosaics, triangular shapes are very popular. By combining them, you can get different shapes from a rhombus to a multi-pointed star.
• Patchwork corners. The technique allows you to create volumetric potholders, toys, decorate clothes, make edging for bedspreads. To create a solid web, the flaps are not stitched. The edges of the stripes, squares are wrapped in a triangle, and after that they make a seam with which they are fixed on the base.
• Chess. The technique speaks for itself. Small squares are connected in a checkerboard pattern.By expanding the patchwork blanket created by chess, you can get rhombuses.
• Russian square. It is distinguished by the complexity of assembling a multi-tiered ornament. Apply a combination of squares, stripes and isosceles triangles.
• Lyapochikha. A kind of art. The base must be trimmed with very small pieces of fabric. The base material is presented in any form, it can be filled with fillers. To give the product volume, choose knitwear. "Lyapak", "blooper" - are the name of this technique.
• Chenille. The canvas contains from five to eight layers. The bottom or base should be the most dense, you can use old jeans. Intermediate layers (3-5). The front is a neat strip. The technique allows you to create new material from old fabrics.

Many do not know where to put old jeans, and in the patchwork mosaic there is a whole technique for their use. Denim patchwork, although it is considered difficult, but does not require sewing lining. It combines black and blue colors and shades.

Patchwork Ideas

Patchwork mosaic allows you to refine almost any home decoration, is used in the creation of decorative things, serves as an application. Even in history, there were cases when it was used at an official level in the army, where pompons were used on the headgear of soldiers.

Consider what can be done using the patchwork:

• decorate the wallpaper with pictures created by kinusayga;
• hang hand-made curtains;
• cover the furniture row with a tablecloth, napkin;
• make the bed with original linen;
• put a knitted mat on the floor;
• lay tiles in the style of patchwork.

Conclusion

Patchwork is truly an art. In the course of its development, technologies with characteristic features appeared in different countries. The number of techniques is also growing steadily. Textile mosaic is found everywhere, it allows you to give a new life to old things.