Mary O'Neil, founder of Hot Potatoes Rubber StampsB., uses rubber stamps and a hot iron to emboss velvet fabric that can be used to make pillows, scarves and attractive home accessories. Materials:
Cross-dyed rayon-acetate velvet
Hot Potatoes rubber stamps
Iron (an inexpensive iron with holes only around the edges works best)
Spray-mist bottle
- Very lightly mist water onto the wrong side of the velvet.
- Place the stamp with the rubber image facing up (toward you) on your work surface (figure A).
- Position the velvet over the stamp, wrong side up (figure B).
- Place the hot iron on the velvet over the entire stamp image for about 20 seconds. Avoid placing steam holes from the iron on the design, as this makes an unintended impression on the velvet. Repeat over the velvet fabric (figure C).
Tips: - Cut out pattern pieces from the velvet fabric before embossing. You can see where you want to position the images within the garment or accessory, and you don't waste time on unnecessary embossing that would be discarded.
- Try adding gold metallic pigment to the rubber stamp. Place the velvet right side down on the stamp, mist with water, and place the hot iron on the velvet for 20 seconds. The gold pigment image will be embossed on the velvet. The pigments cannot be dry-cleaned or laundered (figure D).
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