December, 1998
By Angela F. Lazear

With December approaching I thought that I'd give you an idea of some post-holiday uses for any left over embossing powder you may have after long nights spent making those special holiday cards for loved ones. During a recent production of Look Homeward Angel, I wanted some applique embroidery to embellish some ladies' walking-skirts circa 1914. This was a high school production with a limited budget, so expensive appliques and time-consuming machine or hand embroidery were out. Embossing powder is raised and looks similar to applique on paper, so I decided to try it on fabric to see if I could get a nice, clean, raised design. I tested my theory with a large ivy stamp, on some sample swatches I had lying around and sure enough, the design was clearly visible as ivy and elevated enough that from a distance it would easily pass for hand-embroidered applique. I used watered-down fabric glue instead of clear ink, but used the powder pretty much exactly as instructed for paper. I cured the powder with an iron on the highest setting, having found the heat from my blow-dryer to be insufficient to set it on the fabric. The finished result produced a beautiful, heavy "ivy" design that easily passed for applique. I must note here that the process is irreversible, so much care must be taken during the stamping process if it is attempted on a finished garment. The most prudent course might be to stamp the fabric prior to sewing the garment together, if construction is an option.

In the process of making my "ivy" I smeared a bit of glue and inadvertently discovered another use for the powder. I needed several work aprons for a marble-working shop. To look authentic, they needed to be covered in "dust." I transferred the smears of glue to the aprons, applied some cement-colored embossing powder, and then bonded it to the aprons with an iron. They were immediately covered with a realistic and permanent matte "marble" dust, complete with handprints! Since there was no design constraint, it was like finger-painting, especially the random hand smears... so if any of you have embossing powder around, give it a try with some fabric and see what you can come up with! If your local craft store doesn't sell it, you can obtain a wonderful selection by mail order from Embossing Arts Co., P.O. Box 439 (31961 Rolland Drive), Tangent, OR 97389; (541) 928-9898 or Fax (541)928-9977; website: www.EmbossingArts.com)