Use of Dissolvable Fabrics
In this Chapter I explored the use of dissolvable fabrics, or paper, to make lace-type textile samples. I had a few different types of dissolvable materials and bought a couple more, shown below in image 7.1.
Image 7.1 – Different types of dissolvable backgrounds.
I cut pieces of the various dissolvable backgrounds, stretched them in a hoop and stitched a sample about 1.5 inches square using the same pattern of stitching in each. I then cut the samples out and dissolved the base fabric. The results were then dried and attached in my sketchbook, see image 7.2 below.
Image 7.2
Sample 1: Light weight soluble film from Art Van Go. This is a very flimsy surface, a bit like cling film. It was easy to stitch into and moved freely over the stitch plate, but started to rip in places where I stitched heavily. It can be drawn on with biro, but because it’s flimsy it moves when drawing on it and I suspect a wetter ink may dissolve it. It dissolved well and left no residue.
Sample 2: Heavy weight soluble film from Art Van Go. This is a stiffer transparent material, about the same weight at as the 10p carrier bags you can buy in supermarkets. When stitching it snagged on the stitch plate a bit as it is slightly rubbery. Similarly, it sometimes felt as though it was sticking to the needle and, for these reasons, it wasn’t as pleasant to stitch as the lighter film. It took the stitching well, with no ripping. Can draw on it easily. It dissolved easily leaving no residue.
Sample 3: Vilene Solufleece. This was a product that I have had for a few years, and was bought from a sale of a deceased artist’s materials so I suspect it is quite old. It looks, and feels, like a lightweight interfacing and is quite flimsy. Maybe I didn’t have it tight enough in the hoop, because it puckered during stitching, as can be seen from the shape of the final piece. Possibly doubling the fabric up may resolve this so that the hoop grabs the layers better. As this was old fabric I wonder whether it had deteriorated a little which made it less effective to use. Can draw on it but not as easily as other samples as it is slightly fluffy, and is not transparent so can’t trace a pattern easily. It dissolved easily leaving no residue.
Sample 4: Dissolvable cold water fabric from Art Van Go. This was a similar weight and feel to the Vilene but it was more pleasant to stitch. It moved well over the stitch plate, held its shape and didn’t rip at all. Can draw on it but isn’t transparent so can’t see a pattern beneath it clearly if you wanted to follow one. It dissolved easily leaving no residue.
Sample 5: Aquatics Romeo soluble film. This is a stiffer transparent material, very like that used in sample 2 (maybe the same thing that Art Van Go package themselves?). As before, it snagged on the stitch plate a bit as it is slightly rubbery. Can draw on it easily. It dissolved less easily than Sample 2 and left a residue. It would have taken quite a lot more agitation to remove the residue which may have damaged the shape/stitches, but would be good if I wanted to make a 3D shape.
Sample 6: Aquatics soluble paper. Quite a stiff paper, similar in weight to 80gsm copier paper. It took the stitching well with no puckering or ripping. Can draw on it easily but is not transparent so, again, not great for tracing a pattern. This was the worst for dissolving; it left a heavy residue which was visible in the stitching, but would be good if I wanted to make a 3D shape.
Samples of soluble lace using different stitch methods
Image 7.3
Image 7.4
Image 7.3 shows a variety of samples made using different stitch types on my favoured surface, the soluble fleece, as shown in the key in image 7.4. This was a key suggested by Sian. This experiment was useful to show me how different types of stitch work with the soluble fleece.
Image 7.5:
Sample 1 – with trapped pieces, held together well. Sample 2: very dense stitching, created firm piece that kept its shape, but looks like fabric rather than lace.
Image 7.6:
Sample 3 – cord trapped and stitched into hoops. Held together well. Sample 4 – pre-set decorative machine stitch. The shape of the stitch worked well but would have benefitted from being slightly more joined up.
Image 7.7:
Sample 5 – loose and held together surprisingly well, partly because I left some residue in place when dissolving. Sample 6 – lines of zigzag stitch created a rope type effect.
Image 7.8
Sample 7 – dense edge with looser centre – held together well and creates a natural frame allowing for a very loose lacy section. Sample 8 – lots of trapped treads overstitched loosely…a bit of a mess!
Image 7.9
Sample 9 – dense stitching in circles. created a 3d effect, and could be made more so with further stitching. Sample 10 – metallic thread in dense stitching –contracted a lot when washed and created a matted effect.
I then used some of these techniques to create some lace samples based on my sea and sky drawings from Chapter 1 as shown below.
Image 7.10 – Drawing 
Image 7.11 – metallic thread on solufleece. Stitched in a hoop.Free embroidery with feed dog dropped. The metallic thread worked well to recreate the colours, though they don’t show particularly well in the photograph. The gaps in the stitching represent the white areas in the drawing. It held together well on washing.
Image 7.12 – drawing
Image 7.13 – Aquabond with trapped pieces under light film. Whip stitch with normal machine thread. Sulko thread on top. Free embroidery with feed dog dropped. Held together well on washing. More white stitching required to better represent the drawing and areas of heavier blue stitching patches loosened up when washed and lost some of the depth of colour.
Image 7.14 – reverse of sample 7.13 – lovely effect!
Image 7.15 – drawing
Image 7.16 – Solufleece. Pieces of scrim and linen trapped under stitch. Free embroidery with feed dog dropped. Various weights of thread. Held together well on washing.
Image 7.17 – drawing
Image 7.18 – sample before dissolving – whip stitch created speckled effect.
Sample 7.19 – Aquabond andf light film. Netting trapped. Free embroidery, dropped feed dog. The Whip Stitch effect was lost when the fleece was dissolved. Held together well despite loose stitching due to netting.
Image 7.20 – altered photo 
Image 7.21. I forgot to take a photograph prior to dissolving, but it looked much better than this! Aquabond and light film with scraps of silk and netting trapped. Free embroidery with feed dog dropped. Prior to dissolving, the trapped pieces were in wave shapes, like the drawing. Unfortunately, it didn’t hold together well as there were too many sections that weren’t connected by stitches.
I think that I had very mixed results with these samples, but learnt a lot from the process. The stitching needs to be loose enough to get the lace effect, otherwise one may as well be stitching onto fabric, but not so loose that it looses shape on dissolving the fleece. Stitch effects such as whip stitch are lost once the fleece is dissolved because there is nothing to hold the loops in the thread.
janechippstitch 