Today Julie, a textile science teacher (amongst other fabulous things) showed us the beautiful (and tedious!) art of fiber etching. The above photo is a great example of Julie's work.
DIY Fabric Etching
The fabric is a silk, rayon, and velvet blend that she etched using stencils from Canadian stencil artist Sharon Sims. This particular table runner was etched with Fiber Etch Fabric Remover, available from Dharma Trading Co. in San Rafael.
From what Julie told us (and we poorly attempted at), you apply a light adhesive to your stencil and then firmly place it onto the fabric. Then you carefully apply the Fiber Etch using a thin paint brush. Once dried (twenty minutes or so) you iron the fabric until the etched portion is a light brown. Then hand wash and voila! You've got a great DIY project that'd be a cool addition to any home. Definitely takes practice, but judging by Julie's creation, it's totally worth it.
-Sally
Comments (5)
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I believe the etching compound only dissolves plant fibers (in this case, the rayon). So you have to use a blend of synthetic (or animal, like silk, wool, etc.) fibers and plant if you want the opaque/translucent contrast. If you just used cotton, it would eat it all the way through.
view BlueYonder's profile
I wouldn't find a place for this in my daily life... BUT I think for people who find personal tokens extremely emotional, adding something like this to a VERY special piece of clothing (I'm thinking wedding dress, sweet 16, funerals, idk lol) would really make them express their emotions publicly and loudly, which they would just LOVE.
view Djluckyonline's profile
You are correct BlueYonder. You do need to use a blend... you also have to do this in an EXTREMELY well ventilated area and have a HEPA certified gas mask while ironing. The fumes are unbelievably toxic and you have to practice a couple of times to get a good clean line. This is also commonly referred to as "burnout" technique. The solution is also VERY caustic and should be handled using very thick rubber solvent gloves (they sell them at Dharma). I'm all for a "DIY" project but you should be a little more detailed in how toxic the projects are when you post them AT!
view Dutch_Girl's profile
I agree that the compound only dissolves plant fibers. The website listed for purchasing the product states that. That's probably why AT linked directly to it. But my experience with the Fiber Etch Fabric Remover was far from toxic, and I'm very sensitive to chemicals. On Dharma's website for the product (read here: http://www.dharmatrading.com/html/eng/1647-AA.shtml) it says "There are lots of ways to use it and instructions and suggestions come in the box. It can be irritating to the skin and eyes so you have to be careful using it."
view sallyTV's profile
Oooh, yeah, if something will dissolve "plant fibers," chances are quite good that it will dissolve most other organic compounds. Definitely worth handling with extreme care.
Sounds neat, though, if you have the right project in mind! I can just imagine some lovely cotton/rayon blend curtains with a baroque wallpaper pattern burnt into it...
view artsandletters's profile