Fiber Etch

Download Instructions PDF 1
Download Instructions PDF 2

One Fiber Etch® use is for creating Devoré (a centuries’ old French technique which means “devour”) or “burnout” effects in fabric blends and is used by top designers for fabulous looks.

Here’s how it works. Fiber Etch® removes only plant fibers: cotton, linen, rayon, ramie and hemp – any fiber that comes from a plant. (Rayon is a synthesized wood product, which enables it to be grouped in the plant category, as is Tencel and the newest cellulose derived fabric fibers.) Protein fibers (coming from animals: silk, wool) are not affected by Fiber Etch® and neither are synthetics. These fibers are left behind in fabric blends when Fiber Etch® removes the plant fibers, creating beautifully sheer areas.

Fiber Etch may be applied from the bottle, stamped with foam decorator stamps, painted on with a brush, stenciled, or silkscreened on the fabric. When dry, fabric is tumbled dried or ironed to activate, and then rinsed to remove the plant fibers.

Fabric-wise, the fabric must be without a surface finish or sizing (if there is a finish applied, Fiber Etch® cannot get through finish to do the business of etching). Good combinations for experimentation are rayon/wool blends, rayon/poly blends, silk/rayon and silk/cotton blends.