How-To: Easy Fabric Embellishment for Wearable Art or Accessories

Posted on April 24, 2008
Filed Under fabric embellishment, tutorials | 1 Comment

Embellished Fabric

Sometimes we are intimidated by what looks like a complex project, and our otherwise beautiful garment, handbag, or accessory is missing that wow factor that makes it extra special. However, many embellishment techniques are really quite simple. Some may take a bit longer than others, but they aren’t as complex as they may seem.

There are many, many ways to embellish your project, and one of my favorites, and one of the easiest, is the crinkling technique pictured above. The reason I like this technique so much is that it adds dimension and texture to your fabric, and I just find texture so appealing, both visually and to my sense of touch as well. Embellishing your crinkled piece doesn’t even require a fancy sewing machine. In fact, I used only a triple straight stitch and a simple turkey tracks decorative stitch for the piece I’m showing you here. Quite often, I’ll use just the triple straight stitch. Occasionally, I’ll sew on some beads.

Crinkling your fabric is a very simple process, but it won’t provide instant gratification. You will need some drying time for this technique, so plan ahead. Keep in mind that you will lose some size when you do this, so you need to start with a fairly large piece. I typically begin with about a yard of fabric, and I expect that to be about half the original size when I’m finished. To complete the piece, you’ll also need fusible interfacing, rubber bands or string, and contrasting decorative thread (I like Madeira and Sulky rayon threads). I prefer large-print fabrics for this technique, but this is entirely your choice.

First, take your fabric to the sink and get it completely, soaking wet with water. Now, you’re going to start crinkling, while at the same time squeezing the water out. There really aren’t any rules here, and how you squeeze the water out depends on what sort of crinkles you want. You can wad everything up and squeeze it, but I prefer to wring it out much like you’d wring the water out of a washcloth. Usually I just very loosely accordion-fold the fabric (almost like I’m folding a paper fan), grasp both ends of the piece, and start twisting it into a rope. I don’t let go of the ends, and just keep twisting and wringing tighter and tighter until the rope twists up on itself into a ball. This will go more quickly if you can get a volunteer to hold one end while you twist the other. All this twisting will squeeze out most of the water. When I reach the “knotted ball” stage, I bind it tightly with rubber bands or string and leave it to dry somewhere. (Next time I do this technique, I’ll post photos.)

It may take several days for the center of the ball to dry, so be patient. You can leave it in a sunny window to speed up the process. I’ve been known to leave it in a hot car for a couple of days. When you think it may be dry, carefully unwind it to check for dampness in the middle. If it’s still damp, you can go ahead and carefully untwist everything, but don’t flatten it out as this may ruin your wet wrinkles. Now you’re done with the hardest part!

When your fabric is dry, apply a fusible interfacing to the wrong side, being careful not to iron out your crinkles. Take your interfaced piece to the machine, and stitch and embellish the surface in whatever fashion you choose. Remember, there aren’t any rules! Use your finished piece in a garment, handbag, quilt, or any other way you’d like.

Detail of embellished fabric

Comments

One Response to “How-To: Easy Fabric Embellishment for Wearable Art or Accessories”

How-To: Easy Fabric Embellishment for Wearable Art or Accessories | Handbags Blog on April 24th, 2008 3:57 pm

[...] Read the rest here: How-To: Easy Fabric Embellishment for Wearable Art or Accessories [...]

Leave a Reply