Metal shim is fine sheet metal that is soft and thin enough to use with free machine stitching. It is important to use the right material - no thicker than 0.002 in. Having said that, you can also use the inside of foil tubes (tomato pureé tubes, for instance). See note at the end of the article for more on materials.
For the basic method, you will need:
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Make sure that you place the fabric on top of the thick Vilene. This will prevent the metal from breaking the thread. Cut out shapes from the metal, not too small and fiddly. Set up the machine for free machining and proceed using free running stitch. Lay one of the shapes on the fabric and begin to stitch into the metal, around the edges. When the shape is secured to the fabric, try stitching into the centre of the metal. Note the marks that the needle makes and the way the thread colours the metal. Now work around the edge so that the stitching blends the metal in with the fabric. See pic above.
Now arm yourself with an elderly, out-of-ink, ball point pen or an embossing tool and try drawing into the metal to produce raised lines on the metal. Lay the metal on a soft surface such as a magazine and use the pen to draw lines into it. Press hard but not so hard that you puncture the metal (see above pic). If you are using a design source, lay it over the metal and draw over the main lines. Remove the paper and draw over the lines again. You could cut out the shapes, like the leaves above, and apply them by stitching over the edge. The right side will be the reverse of the metal - the side with the raised line.
| So what else can you do with metal? |
The stitched metal gives very exciting effects but it does need to be used with care or it will take over the entire piece. Large areas of shiny metal are to be avoided at all costs. Keep the following points in mind when using it.
There are various ways to do this, the obvious one being stitching. Heavy machine embroidery covers the metal allowing glimpses between the stitches and different threads can totally change the appearance of the work. The difference between a solid coloured, heavy thread, a variegated rayon and a metallic can be immense so it is a good idea to make up a sampler which can be used for reference. Another way to reduce the shine could be to paint the metal with acrylic paint, dabbing on with a sponge for an interesting texture. See the four entries in the box on the left for more ideas. Metallic wax such as Treasure Gold can be used, too. Although still shiny it gives a softer gleam which can be useful. Use Pebeo Gel and apply it with the fingers or a sponge. A translucent wash of colour is produced which quietens and enhances the metal. (Pebeo gel is a product used by glass painters and is available from craft shops.) |
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1. Heat it in a flame such as a gas jet. Hold it carefully with tongs and be prepared for the tongs to get hot. Hold them in an oven glove. The reward is that the metal will be enriched with lovely colours. | |
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2. Use Patination Fluid (Art Van Go sell this - see Traders' Mall). Wear gloves and dab it on with a sponge or paint with a brush. This mocks the effect of verdigris and gives a green or blue bloom on the metal. | |
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3. Strips of metal can be put through a paper crinkler. These can then be plaited. Or try cutting shapes, such as triangles, and putting those through the crinkler. | |
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4. Paint with black acrylic paint and wipe off as soon as you can. (This works really well with deeply embossed metal.) | |
It is possible to add both colour and texture to the metal by the use of a transfer medium called Lazertran. This is purchased in the form of special paper which you take to a copy shop. Using a colour photocopier have your image transferred onto the Lazertran. Beware of copyright infringements - use your own work. Always use a colour copier even if the image is black and white.
The transfer medium can then be floated off in water (just like a children’s transfer) and carefully placed onto the metal. Allow to dry overnight to ensure that there is no water to bubble up under the film. Then use a heat tool or oven (about 10 minutes on medium heat, do not use a microwave) to enamel onto the metal. The plastic will vanish and just leave the colour. This can add considerable interest to the metal but care must be taken, as before, to ‘knock back’ the shine and the same methods can be used to deal with this.
One way of knocking-back the shine is used on the icon pic above, which has areas textured by means of stampers' embossing powder (dab first with stampers' transparent ink) and wax.
Another option is to make use of the ‘trapped water’ described above to cause the metal to bubble and give a textured effect. Just heat as before, soon after placing the transfer on to the metal. This can be most effective when placed over an embossed metal piece as the pic above shows.
Materials Metal shim is available from Oliver Twists in the UK and The Thread Studio in Australia. If you are unable to get shim that is fine enough to stitch into, you can still try all the above (except the stitching) by punching holes in the metal and stitching it to the background by hand. Alternatively, you could cover the metal piece to be applied with sheer fabric and stitch around the edge of the sheer fabric.
In the September 2001 issue of Workshop on the Web, Maggie looks at the uses of wire mesh in metal and stitch.
| Used as instructed, there should be no problem with the metal and your sewing machine. However, Workshop on the Web cannot be held responsible for any damage. |