Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Burnt Letters

I never got around to starting a second set of letters. Partially because I find it hard to jump right in when the first set is finished and also because July and August are very busy months for me. It wasn't because I lacked for ideas, but rather that I couldn't settle on one.

However, the other day I followed up a link in the sidebar here to Fiona's blog where she had used an incense stick to do some burning marks on paper. Funnily enough, I was thinking of doing some more burn mark work with my soldering iron. I use it in a similar way to a wood burning tool.

So, I decided to do the second set using the soldering iron. This time I chose to use calico - actually the back of some calico I used years ago when I was first learning pattern drafting. So, recycling!

The calico takes a bit longer to create a strong mark than silk and needs more heat. For silk or for cutting synthetics, I use my Margaret Beal soldering iron with a curved tip. But for the thick cotton, I use a fine tip soldering iron made by Drapers.
As you see, it isn't as fine as the M.B. one, but I find it gets hotter and so works better on the calico.

So, I am working on catching up. Here are the first 4 letters. These are lower case letters from a Celtic Design book




I am considering presentation options.

2 comments:

  1. I made a wooden sign and burned the letters--first time I've done that. I never thought about burning on fabric. Don't know if I have the nerve, but your letters are so beautiful I may have to try.

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  2. These are just fabulous Sandy - love the letters, and the effect and the tools!

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