Burnout fabric can be found in many of today's t-shirts and scarves. The thin fabric is comfortable against the skin and decals are often layered on top of both men's and women's designs. Burnout is otherwise known as devore or "broderie chimique." It was used in France to create the look of embroidery, without sewing. The devore design is created by chemically destroying a fabric with sodium bisulphate. Most fabrics that are used to create the burnout look are specially chosen to hold up to some fabric destruction. After shopping at a craft store, you can create a devore t-shirt. This tutorial will tell you how to make a burnout tee.
Steps
- Buy a mixed fiber tee shirt. If you cannot find one at a craft store, you can buy them from t-shirt suppliers or some logo stores. The active ingredient that creates the burnout dissolves linen, cotton and other plant fibers, making a design. The same ingredient does not strongly affect polyester, silk and wool, leaving a layer of the shirt intact. Possible choices include Silco and cotton/polyester blends.
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Buy a devorant. You can find devorant at traditional craft supply stores. It can also be ordered over the Internet. Fiber Etch and DuPont Devorant are common brands of devorant.
- You can also mix your own devorant using sodium bisulfate, water, glycerine and printing paste. However, because you are working with acid (sodium bisulfate) it is not recommended that you do this the first time you make a burnout t-shirt.
- Locate a very well ventilated area, near a water source. Wear rubber gloves before starting any work. Sodium bisulfate is corrosive and it can be a respiratory irritant.
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Mix the devorant paste thoroughly. It should be 17 parts paste to 3 parts reactant. (85 percent paste to 15 percent reactant.)
- Some devorant products come as gels and do not need to be mixed. Read the package instructions to confirm if you should mix the product.
- Turn the shirt inside out. Pin a piece of synthetic fabric between the layers of the tee shirt. Pin the t-shirt to a frame or tape it down on a table. Using a fabric pen that will fade, draw a design on the shirt.
- Switch the side of the tee and draw a design on that side, if you want the burnout effect to be applied to both sides of the t-shirt.
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Apply the mixed devorant paste with a brush across the designs you have drawn. Turn the tee over and apply the paste to the opposite side.
- You can also apply the paste with silk screen techniques, from an applicator bottle, or with stamps.
- Allow the devorant paste to dry completely, or use a hair drying to hurry the process along. It will take longer to dry if you decide to burnout both sides of the tee.
- Warm up your iron and set up your ironing board while the paste dries. Set the iron to a cotton setting and turn off steam.
- Put a piece of scrap cloth between the t-shirt and the iron. Iron the sides of the t-shirt where the devorant was applied, 1 at a time, until the applied areas turn yellow.
- Soak the fabric in warm, soapy water to remove the remaining devorant paste. Rinse. You should make sure all devorant is washed out before wearing.
Tips
- You can keep the devorant in an airtight container for up to 8 days. When it becomes more fluid, in cannot be used for burnout projects.
Warnings
- Always wear rubber gloves when working with devorant, ironing or washing the burnout tee.
Things You'll Need
- Rubber gloves
- Devorant paste
- Mixed-fiber fabric
- Paint brush
- Iron
- Ironing board
- Soapy water