Bonded fibre film -Angelina

I had intended to blog about the workshop I did today with Neroli Henderson at ATASDA, and I will, but unfortunately, I am away from home for a few days and forgot to bring my card reader with me.  Silly me.  So you will have to wait for that one.  Needless to say it was great and a great group of people.
So, with no more ado, I will instead show you the first of the bonded fibres experiments.  In my categorisation of fibre films, these are the heat method.

As you might have noted, there is one further group after this.  The final type of fibre film at present is making films by manipulating fibre and fabric.  I have updated the Tutorials page so that all the fibre film tutorials up to this one are listed.

So, back to bonded fibre films.  The reason I call this the heat method is that, unlike the glue method, these films require heat to bond.  As fibre artists, we are blessed with a range of heat bonding methods.  Fusible webs, bonding powder, plastics and angelina are a few that come to mind.  My soldering iron applique method fits into this category as well.  This is the method I used to make the rocks in my first challenge piece for tangled textiles
The first one I am going to look at is angelina.

The first and most important thing (other than an iron, of course), is silicone coated paper, release paper, or baking paper as we call it in Oz.  All of these bonding agents could make a mess of your iron, so you need to protect it and your ironing surface as you work.
I usually roll off a large piece and pre fold it in half, so that I can fold it over the top of my layers before I iron

Above, I have spread a very thin layer of angelina on the baking paper (I did have a picture, but you could not see the angelina), then I have laid some threads and fancy yarn scraps over the top of the angelina.  I then laid another fine network of angelina over the top of this - to trap the yarns between.

Here, You can see the top layer of baking paper folded over the fibre layers.

After ironing, the angelina fuses together, trapping the yarns into a fine net.  When ironing these angelina films, I give the film only two or three quick sweeps with the iron.  If you keep the iron on the film too long, it will dull the shine of the angelina fibres.

So that is the basic method:

• a layer of angelina
• a layer of bits
• a layer of angelina
• baking paper
• iron briefly

The film can be stitched through quite easily, and it doesn't take much angelina to make a film.  My personal preference is less is better.  you can always add more if required, but besides thick films not looking as good, they are also harder to stitch.

Here are some pictures of a few samples:

This is the first film with a wide variety of threads and yarns.

This lovely sample trapped some skeleton leaves I found in the garden.

This one uses bits of foil from lolly (candy) wrappers.

This one uses snippets of light lutradur or rainbow spun.  All very shiny!

These are snippets of gold shot organza and crushed velvet.  Great texture.

This, is strips of coloured plastic bags.  The bags also melt and pucker.

And this last sample, the piece de resistance, is silk tops.  Using this method, it is possible to make extremely thin pieces of silk paper which will not fall apart and can be stitched down easily.  There is the added bonus of the sheen of the angelina setting the silk colours off.


Making these films can be addictive, you can use almost anything small and flat and they make lovely additions to art quilts and fibre art pieces.  I like to use them like a mat between a background and a small art piece.  They frame small work beautifully, but they can also be torn or cut up for inclusion in your work.


A little bit of shiny stuff goes a long way and can help to give interest to the focus of your piece. 

Entrapped Fibre Films - Samples

Here are a few samples from my last tutorials on  creating fabrics and foundations by entrapping them using sheers and using water soluble stabiliser.

This sample used a number of yarns entrapped between two layers of tulle and free machine stitched with silver thread.

This sample is made in the same way as the sample above, but used ripped up pieces of paper, and also a few scribbly flowers in the free machining.

This sample had tulle on top, but had a layer of black velvet underneath and entrapped silk  tops.  You can see the velvet fibres comming through where the stitches are.

This sample had a layerof bronze shot satin underneath, and water soluble on top, with a few yarns entrapped, the free machining was with a bronze metallic thread.  Yummy!

This last sample had a huge variety of scraps entrapped between water soluble, top and bottom.  Free machining was with a lime coloured embroidery thread in a geometric meandering.

These samples show only a few of the wide variety of items which can be used to make fabric films in this manner, from paper, to scraps, to sheers, to luxury fabrics, yarns and fibres.  These pieces are destined to become notebook covers and I will show that in a later blog.

The next technique I will be looking at when I get my studio organised again, will be bonded fibre films.

Happy stitching

Creating silk paper and other fibre films Intro part 2

There are a wide range of types of silk fibre available to use in silk paper making.
It is important to know the properties of the type of fibre you are getting, because the type of fibre has some bearing on the method you will use to create the paper.

There are nine types of silk fibre which can be purchased;

1. Tussah silk tops
2. Mulberry silk tops
3. collected fibres
4. Silk hankies
5. Cocoons
6. Silk rods
7. Cocoon strippings
8. throwster's waste
9. Sericin fibre

The first five are not usually used on their own to create silk paper by the traditional or water method, because they have little natural glue left on the fibres.  The last four have varying amounts of this glue, called sericin and are the foundation for making paper by the first method.

Here are some pictures and description of these fibres to help you

Tussah silk tops are made by silkworms that are not fed on mulberry leaves.  They are slightly cheaper than mulberry tops and have slightly less sheen.  This might be an advantage if you want a more matte appearance to your paper. Because these fibres have been processed, there is little sericin left on the fibres and they will not bond together tightly on their own.

Mulberry tops, are obviously made from cocoons where the worms have fed on mulberry leaves.  They have an high sheen and are slightly dearer than tussah tops.  Because these fibres have been processed, there is little sericin left on the fibres and they will not bond together tightly on their own.

Collected fibres are silk fibres that you can collect from silk fabrics and from silk threads when sewing.  These fibre have no sericin, but are very useful as inclusions in all methods of silk paper production.

Silk hankies, are basically cocoons which have been stretched out into a flat piece of intermeshed silk fibres. They can be used as a base for silk paper in this stretched out form, but can also be stitched into fibre work as is  or needle felted to a piece to add a fine layer of colour. They are made from degummed coccoons (which is why they can be stretched out in this way), so contain only a little sericin

Cocoons are just that.  The cocoons of the silk worm. Usually they are degummed.  There are two types of cocoon.  The first is the cocoon where the worm has been allowed to emerge from the cocoon.  The worm destroys some of the silk to create a hole to do this.  for our purposes, this method is satisfactory.  As well, it is more humane and eco friendly, because the worms are allowed to emerge and reproduce.
The other method, used in manufacturing, where the cocoons are reeled, or wound as single threads, involves smothering and killing the worms so they do not break the threads as they emerge. I don't think I could purchase these cocoons.
Cocoons are often used just as they are for dimensional work by fibre artists.  They can be processed into hankies and fibres, however, the availability of these other more useful forms makes this process a bit tedious and they are such a beautiful shape and texture as they are.

Silk rods are a very useful, sericin rich fibre.  They can be used in all methods to make silk paper, but can also be used on their own to make dimensional work in fibre art.  They are the fibres which stick to the rods of the machinery during processing and are cut off frequently as the silk is processed.

Cocoon strippings, are just that, the strippings from the silk cocoon before it is processed.  when the silk worm begins it's cocoon spinning, these bits of fibre are the first bits made, to attach itself to a support.  They are not as fine and long as the actual fibres within the cocoon, but are full of sericin, which makes them very useful as a binder in silk paper.

Throwster's waste, is also a by-product of  silk processing, being merely the silk fibres which are cut off the machine when tangles occur.  It can be gummy or degummed, depending on where you get it from.  It is best to check before buying, depending on the method you are using, but you can experiment with it to see if it will bind, and if not, use it in another method or as an inclusion.

Sericin fibre, is fibrous waste which is very rich in sericin, so is very useful for making paper using the traditional water method, but can also be used in more dimensional fibre work due to it's strength and stiffness. 

I hope this extended introduction has given you the information you need to make some silk paper.
The next post will start on the actual making, finally!

Below is a list of the references I have used so far in this series.
If I find any more good ones I will add them to the following posts.  I will also try and give you an idea of which references have which techniques.  (I will use the numbers below, then I'll know who hasn't read these intros, LOL)

References:

1. Rollerson, Dale. (2011) Silk Paper Making. Thread Studio leaflet.  www.threadstudio.com
2. Lawrence, Sarah. (2008)  Silk Paper.  North Light Books.
3. Hedley, Gwen (2010) Drawn to Stitch.  Interweave.
4. Grey, Maggie and Hall, Isobel (2010) Mixed Media new Studio Techniques.  D4Daisy books.
5. Holmes, Val (2006) Creative recycling in embroidery. Batsford.
6. Beck, Jean Raffer. Quilting Arts. 25. pg. 62-68  Textural Surfaces for Stitch.
7. Hughes, Angie (2007) Quilting Arts. 29.  pg. 50-57.  Textural Book Wraps.
8. Clasper, Carol. (2007) Silk Paper Making Tutorial.  Downloaded from; http://carolclasper.blogspot.com/2007/09/silk-paper-making-tutorial.html
9. e-How. How to make silk paper.  Downloaded from http://www.ehow.com/how_2321852_make-silk-paper.html
10. Spiral Dyed Downunder (2010)  Silk Paper Instructions. http://spiraldyeddownunder.blogspot.com/2010/07/silk-paper-instructions.html 
11. Meinke,  Debra Olbrantz. Silk Paper Making Instructions. http://www.meinketoy.com/silk_paper_inst.htm
12. Trenway silks  The Inside out of Silk Fusion. http://www.treenwaysilks.com/inout_fusion.html
13. Ten Two Studios. (2005)  Making Silk Paper. http://gomakesomething.com/ht/papermaking/silk-paper/ 
14.  e-ssortment   Learn the origins of silk, and how to make silk paper. 
16. McCaffery,  Bonnie. Fantasy fabric. Vidcast 02. http://bonniemccaffery.com/VC002.wmv
17. Miller, Vicki. (2011) Organza, collage and entrapping. http://victoriaedm1.blogspot.com/2011/05/i-have-been-hard-at-work-on-renovations.html
18. Welsh, Vicki. (2010) Technique of the month – Using bits and pieces. http://threecreativestudios.com/freeprojects/tom/bitsnpieces_TOM.pdf

Of course this list is not exhaustive, it's just what I have got on hand.

Creating silk paper and other fibre films - Introduction Part 1

Since I have had a drawer full of silk fibres for a while now, I decided it was time to experiment with them.  Also I am working on a piece which requires several natural textures, so experimentation is likely to help me with this.  Silk paper is very useful and can be stitched, cut, coloured, molded and manipulated in many many ways for use in fibre art.

I have always loved the feel of silk.  Of course, now there are many synthetic fabrics which mimic silk, and I love them too.  My niece, also loved shiny fabric as a child and had to have a piece with her.  She called it her “Tikki”.

In my researching this blog, it has grown quite large, so will probably take up several blogs by the time I am finished with it.

I have divided up the methods into five main types and have applied these methods to all fibres, not just silk.
We would call the fabric felt if it is made from wool,

and silk paper if from silk,

or something else entirely if made from other natural fibres, synthetics or even fusible fibres.

As I have shown in the diagram above, there are five methods I will speak about for making fabric or paper out of fibres etc.  Some of these I have alluded to before and I will try and include these links as I go along.

I have also broken up the many variations and embellishments to these fabrics into wet and dry variations:

Wet variations

• Colouring sprays (Starburst spray and Distress ink shown)

• Tea and other natural colours (Tumeric powder, tea leaves and tea shown)

• Metal or other flakes (metallic flakes, glitter and bronze pulver shown)

Natural additions, leaves, petals etc (Small dried flowers, and leaves shown)

 Angelina or other metallic fibres (Angelina shown)

 Scrap fabrics

 Yarns and threads

 Molding and casting can also be done at the wet stage, but I will cover this in detail in a later post.

Dry Variations, I will also cover in a later post

• Colouring sprays
• Tea and other natural colours
• Weaving
• Embossing
• Stitching
• Other embellishments

I will include a few variations with each method.
I will also give a list of my many references in a later post in this series.
So, to make silk paper interesting, you need to collect up lots of bits and pieces, scraps and flat found objects for inclusion.
I will cover the types of silk fibres available in the next post.