Lesson 5: Putting Paint to Fabric
Special Project - Negative Stenciling or Devore
This process is also known as devore. It is generally used on velvet but will also work on rayon, cotton or linen. It will also work on "polycore" fabrics - those that are polyester woven with either linen, cotton, or rayon. A blend of viscose with a small percentage of silk is also excellent. There are also fabrics made especially for devore that are made of synthetic fibers woven into a cellulose base. Probably the most familiar use of this technique is on rayon velvet and velour. These fabrics give a most dramatic result since the pile is burnt out, leaving a distinct pattern in relief.
Always test a fabric that you want to try this technique on. With some, the etching/stenciling will dissolve the entire fabric - in which case you will want to sew a backing fabric to it, using polyester thread or silk thread. The etching medium will not dissolve polyester, or silk. It will remove any cellulose-based fabric - and that means rayon velvet, cotton, linen and polyester blends.
The idea is to burn out part of the fabric leaving on the sheer woven base. This will even work on a cotton blend T-shirt - a good way to practice until you have your technique down.
For this, you need a product called Fiber-Etch. This is a solution that etches out the cellulose on fabric when heat is applied to it. You can find it at a few places on line, including Dhamra Trading Company and Farthingales.
If you prefer playing with chemicals you can make your own using the instructions provided by ProChemical.
What stencil you choose to use depends on your project. Many scarves and items of clothing use a repeat pattern - in which case a border stencil would be ideal. But there is no reason why you couldn't do a single bold flower. Don't choose a stencil that relies heavily on shading for the effect. It may also be simplest to use a single overlay, unless you want to transfer the entire design to the back of the fabric with a fabric marker and then fill it in freehand.
Pad the table on which you will work with a terry cloth towel. Pin the fabric onto it so that it is firmly in place. You can then place the stencil on it and trace around the edges, or use fabric adhesive to make sure the stencil is firmly positioned where you want it to appear on the fabric. With napped fabrics - velvet and velour - work on the wrong side of the fabric. With others, you can use the front.
Now, apply the Fiber-Etch into the stencil or traced openings. Take the end of a thin paintbrush to make sure it is worked into the edges so that they will be sharp and clear. You can use a foam brush or one with bristles to cover the rest of the fabric, making sure it penetrates the cloth. This is especially true of velvets - you want the nap saturated.
When you have finished brushing on the etching material, wait until it has dried thoroughly. You can use a hair blower to speed this up. Now, place a clean terry towel on a flat surface and set your iron to the correct setting. With velvet, use the silk setting. With other blends and cotton or linen, use wool. Place a press cloth over the material and then run the iron over the etched area until the fabric turns medium brown. Don't let it get black - by then you will have burnt everything. You only want to burn the areas already etched with acid. This can take anywhere from 3-4 minutes for thin materials up to 10 for heavy ones.
Now take your fingers and start rubbing off the burnt fabric. You may want to use a mask for this, or to work outside. You can also get a lot of the fiber off with a small vacuum cleaner. When you have a lot of it off, try gently hand washing the fabric to remove the rest. Rinse well in warm water. If you find that you didn't use enough etching material, and that some areas that should be sheer still have patches of fiber clinging to them you can go back and repaint the areas where the nap still remains.
To get a good look at a garment made using devore check this Titanic gown from farthingales.
