Chapter 1 - Fabric Surface Embellishment Techniques and Importance

Question 1

What is Embellishment?

Answer 1

Embellishment or ornamentation or decoration is anything that enhances the appearance of garments or fashion accessories and add more value in terms of money that are normally added or attached to fabrics without actually having any functional purpose. In sewing and crafts an embellishment is the action of adding anything decorative items through the use of the visual arts.

Question 2

What is Fabric Surface Embellishment?

Answer 2

Fabric embellishments are the ornamentation that normally added to fabrics to make them more beautiful and gorgeous, because of the nature of decorative patterns, which they create. Different kinds of surface design techniques are used for embellishing the fabric.

Question 3

What are the different types of embellishment techniques?

Answer 3

1. Surface Embellishment

Surface embellishment is an important component of free form; it is a great way of bringing your personality, style and skills to your work and putting your own stamp on your project. In fashion designing there are 1000’s of ways to embellish fabrics, garments and any other items.

2. Textile embellishment techniques:

Textile embellishment can take many forms, with pattern work following the suggestion of nature, the geometrical abstract, fonts and lettering. It can be perceived as a subtlety, the changing of color, line and texture, or it can be much bolder, using large-scale shapes and patterns. Whatever the technique or suggestion for composition, the end result is always nearly the same, to make something more than it was, to add decoration to enhance its attraction to the individual.

3. Embellishment in decorative arts:

Embellishment techniques are not only applied on the surface of fabric and textiles, it is also applying any kind of decorative items. Ceramics, glass, metal, wood in fact all the major and minor decorative arts, used embellishment, as a legitimate tool in which to decoratively enhance their results.

Question 4

Mention the types of fabric embellishment techniques in sewing and crafts.

Answer 4

1. Embroidery
2. Quilting
3. Appliqué
4. Patchwork
5. Trimming (Fringe trim, Sewing trim)
6. Lacework (either pre-made or home-made)
7. Piping (made from either self-fabric, contrast fabric, or a simply a cord.)
8. Beads
9. Batik
10. Smocking
11. Printing
    Some other embellishment items that are used on garments for enrich beauty. For example:
    * Buttons
    * Zippers
    * Buckles
    * Grommets
    * Sequins

Question 5

Explain the types of fabric embellishment techniques in sewing and crafts:

1. Embroidery

Answer 5

1. Embroidery:
   Fabric embellishment with stitches in yarn or thread, using a needle, is one of the oldest forms of art. While the library of embroidery includes hundreds of varieties of stitches, they can be categorized broadly into four main techniques – raised work or stump-work where raised effects are created by stitching over pads of wool and cotton; couched work – creating a pattern with cords by sewing them onto the base fabric; fl at running and filling stitches of which there are hundreds; and counted thread embroidery, e.g. needlepoint and cross stitch, where the stitches are placed over a counted number of threads of the base fabric. Schiffli embroidery is an example of machine embroidery made on the ‘Schiffli’ machine that works sideways with a thousand needles. This machine embroiders with a top, decorative and a back, binding yarn, and is used for making laces and sheer curtain fabrics. Many embroidery stitches can now be produced in digitized embroidery machines which, for large scale production, have multiple heads to produce a number of identical designs simultaneously using an embroidery software program.

Question 6

Explain the types of fabric embellishment techniques in sewing and crafts:

2. Quilting

Answer 6

2. Quilting:
   Quilting is the technique of embellishing fabrics stitching together, by hand or machine, multiple layers of fabric with a filling of cotton, foam or polyester batting in between the layers. Quilting is widely used for making bedspreads, quilts, comforters etc. Single-needle, hand-guided quilting machines are used for making outline quilting, where the stitching lines follow the outlines of the print design, vermicelli, which uses free motion all-over stitching patterns, and trapunto or Italian quilting, a form of ‘couching’ where a cord inserted and stitched between the fabric layers creates a raised pattern. In mass-scale automated production, multiple-needle machine quilting is used to make simple geometric patterns. In stitch-less quilting, multiple layers of fabric are fused together thermally or by an adhesive, creating the appearance of being stitched.

Question 7

Explain the types of fabric embellishment techniques in sewing and crafts:

3. Applique

Answer 7

3. Applique:
   In applique, small pieces of fabric or other material are couched or stitched onto a base fabric. In reverse appliqué, the base fabric is on top of the stitched fabric and the top fabric is cut out to reveal the appliqued fabric underneath.

Question 8

Explain the types of fabric embellishment techniques in sewing and crafts:

4. Patchwork

Answer 8

Patchwork, used mostly for making bed quilts and cushions, is the technique of creating a fabric layer by joining small pieces of fabric (traditionally scraps of old clothes or textiles) in geometric or abstract patterns. Being a hand-worked technique, it is mostly produced on a small scale.

Question 9

5. Trimmings

Answer 9

5. Trimming:
   Two types of trimmings are most popularly applied on fabric or garments for decoration. Such as:
   * Fringe trim: Fringe is an ornamental textile trim, applied to an edge of an item, such as drapery, dress ends, a flag, epaulettes, or decorative tassel, etc.
   * Sewing trim: sewing Trim or trimming in clothing and home decorating is applied to ornament or Embellishing fabrics such as gimp, ribbon, ruffles, button, bias tape, etc.

Question 10

Lacework

Answer 10

6. Lacework:
   Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. Lace is another Embellishing items on fabric. It is the very common and ancient craft to Embellishing fabrics.

Question 11

Piping

Answer 11

7. Piping:
   Piping is a type of trim or embellishment, which is used to Embellishing fabrics for making different style line. Usually the fabric strip is cut on the bias, and often it is folded over a cord. It may be made from either self-fabric (the same fabric as the object to be ornamented) or contrasting fabric, or of leather.

Question 12

Beads

Answer 12

8. Beads:
   Beads are other types of embellishment. Beadwork is made by needle and thread to stitch beads to Embellishing fabrics, suede, or leather.

Question 13

Batik

Answer 13

9. Batik:
   Batik is a cloth that is traditionally made using a manual wax-resist dyeing technique. For Embellishing fabrics batik is the very popular embellishment technique.

Question 14

Smocking

Answer 14

10. Smocking work:
    Smocking is an embroidery technique, used to gather fabric so that it can stretch. Before elastic, smocking was commonly used in cuffs, bodices, and necklines in garments, where buttons were undesirable.

Question 15

Define Fabric Manipulation and mention its types

Answer 15

Fabric Manipulation:
There are different types of fabric manipulation techniques. They include: Embellishment through addition, Beads and beading, embellishment through subtraction and construction techniques.
Embroidery and Fabric Manipulation:
 Gathering
 Shirring
 Pleating
 Tucking
 Smocking
 Quilting
Embellishment through Addition:
 Applique/ Applied works
 Couching
 Stitching/ Hand stitching
 Beads and Beading
Embellishment through Subtraction:
 Decoupe/ Reverse technique
 Cutwork
 Drawn thread
 Pulled work
Beads and Beading:
 Tambour work
 Hand beading
 French beading
Construction Techniques:
 Patchwork
 Applied patchwork
 Long cabin patchwork
 Crazy patchwork

Question 16

What is the importance of fabric embellishment?

Answer 16

Embellishment is essential for both male and females fabrics if enhance the beauty. There must be some limits of embellishment for male fabrics and even for female fabrics. The age of the end consumer plays a vital role in the fabric embellishment. It also depends upon the likes and dislikes of individual which vary from individual to individual.

Question 17

What is the importance of garment embellishment?

Answer 17

Significance and importance of embellishment of garment:
1. Embellishment is important as decorative detail or feature added to something to make it more attractive.
2. Add value to the fabric.
3. To make a product better than what it is already.
4. To add beauty and increase profit in fabric.
5. Make fabric good according to the taste and demand of consumer.
6. Make fabric elegant and attractive with different techniques.
7. Inner satisfaction is important for self confident; if embellishment gives inner satisfaction then yes it is important.

Question 18

What is Aari Work?

Answer 18

Aari is a type of embroidery that utilizes a hooked needle to create intricate and delicate designs, often incorporating Zari Zardoni embroidery, which is a technique that uses metallic threads to add shimmer and shine to the finished piece Aari work involves a hook, plied from the top but fed by silk thread from below with the material spread out on a frame. This movement creates loops, and repeats of these lead to a line of chain stitches. Aari’s work is practiced in Rajasthan, Lucknow, and Kashmir. Its embroidery contains chain stitch loops, using beads and sequins. It’s used in Sarees and focuses on the pallu or the body of the saree

Question 19

What is Dabka Work?

Answer 19

The hand embroidery art being so intricate, Dabka employs three to five people to design one product. Moreover, the metal coiled wires or threads are sewed by passing the needle from the middle of the design to give it a 3D look, and make it more appealing

Question 20

Are dabka and zardosi same?

Answer 20

Dabka typically uses a thicker needle and thicker thread, whereas Zardozi uses a finer needle and thinner thread. This difference in the materials used results in a different look and feel to the end product. The threading technique is also distinctive.

Question 21

What is Bead Work in embroidery?

Answer 21

Bead embroidery is a type of beadwork that uses a needle and thread to stitch beads to a surface of fabric, suede, or leather.