A few years ago, domestic needlewomen had another opportunity to realize their creative plans. The fact is that a material called craft foam, or, as it is called in the CIS, foamiran or foam, became widely available. What is this substance, what types of it are found and how to work with foamiran? Let's look at all these issues in more detail.
What is foamiran
This word refers to a decorative foam material for needlework made from a polymer of ethylene vinyl acetate. Due to the rough surface, this material is also called plastic suede, leather and other terms.
It got its special name “foamiran” in Polish, Ukrainian, Russian and other Slavic languages because of the manufacturing country - Iran (foam Iran), which is the largest supplier of this material in the world.
In addition to Iranian, you can encounter Chinese, Korean and Turkish foamiran.
Depending on the country of manufacture, the color gamut of the material differs, as well as its density, uniformity of painting and length.
Foam features
Before you figure out how to work with foamiran, you should find out what are the features of this material for creativity.
The main advantage of the foam is its lightness (you can even say: airiness), as well as the ability to change shape when heated, and cooling - to keep it.
Domestic needlewomen use this property to make beautiful and incredibly realistic flowers and hair ornaments, brooches. Indeed, unlike plastic, foam is very light, supple and soft. It also surpasses tissue and skin in its properties - it holds firmly to a given shape, is not afraid of moisture and does not fade, and its cost is very low. In addition, this material is easy to paint and embossed.
It is worth noting that in the United States and China, other areas of application of foami are more common - costumes for cosplay and carnivals are made from it.
In addition, in the industry puzzles, designers and children's creativity kits are made from this material.
Types of foamiran
Foam can be different. In the CIS, it is most often found in the form of thin sheets of A-4 format or rolls. As a rule, the thickness of the material in this form is 1-1.5 mm. Sheet and roll foamiran is perfect for creating decorations and flowers.
Less popular among domestic needlewomen are sets of various Foam figures, numbers or letters.
In other countries, in addition to thin material, thick sheet craft foam (from 1 cm) on which patterns can be cut as if on a tree is very common. Due to this property, foamiran is the most common material for creating costumes for cosplay of fantasy heroes and anime.
As for the appearance of the subtle foam, that is, several of its varieties.
- The usual foamiran uniformly painted in one color.
- A foam with a print, most often a floral or geometric pattern. Sometimes a picture is shown on the surface of the material.
- Glitter foamiran is very popular, the surface of which is covered with plain or multi-colored sequins. Most often it is used for the manufacture of crowns and bows for rims.
- Marshmallow foam is also common, which differs from the usual one in that it thins when heated and becomes slightly transparent.
- Silk foamiran, so named because of its silky surface, also enjoys special love.
Tools for working with foamiran
Before you learn how to work with foamiran, it is worth considering what specific tools should be used for this.
- First of all, these are scissors, because it is with their help that it will be possible to cut out details of a future product. In addition to the usual tailors and small sewing, curly scissors can be used when working with foam. However, it is worth remembering that they must be of good quality and sharp - otherwise they can chew the material and not cut it.
- To heat foamiran (to give it plasticity), most often used is a conventional iron, curling irons and hair straighteners or a lighter.
- To give the details the desired shape, special tools are often used - stacks. They have sharp, round and curly tips. Novice craftswomen use toothpicks or needles instead of stacks.
- For the coloring of foamine, specialized dyes exist. However, in domestic spaces, the most popular dye remains oil pastels or children's wax crayons.
- To fasten the foam parts, either the “Moment” glue or the glue gun will be the most optimal. PVA, "Dragon" and other needle-made adhesives in this case are ineffective, because they freeze for a long time.
- And the last very important tool for working with craft foam is molds (molds to give the material volume and the desired texture). A beginner needlewoman does not need them. But for those who are seriously interested in foamiran - you can not do without them.
- For cutting parts from craft foam, you can also use curly hole punchers, plotters, machines for cutting and embossing.
How to work with foamiran
Before starting work, you should prepare all the tools, as well as the workplace, which should not be anything superfluous. As an example of how to work with foamiran, we give an example of making a small rose.
- You will need a regular pink and green foam with a thickness of 1-1.5 mm. A “pattern” of the future flower is applied to it and is circled with a toothpick (if there is no sharp stack).
- Next, the part is neatly cut and cut into several petals.
- We turn on the iron and, in turn, apply each petal according to the following principle: heat, curl, glue; take a new petal, heat, curl, glue - and so on until you get a rose of the desired size.
- To make the flower look complete, you need to make a sepal of green foamiran for it. It is processed in the same way as the petals, and is put on a wire that will play the role of the stem. The wire and sepals are fixed with glue, and voila - the rose is ready.
How to work with molds for foamiran
The above example is suitable for those who are just mastering the foamiran. Over time, it is worth starting to improve your skills - master the molds. They can be purchased at the store, ordered on the Internet or made by yourself.
You must have at least two molds in your arsenal: one for the leaves, the other for making the petals.
Molds should be used after coloring foamiran, heating the material on the iron and pressing it to the tool. It is necessary to press the part to the mold until it cools and hardens, usually it takes a few seconds. After this, the edges can be trimmed, although some masters do this before working with mold.
It is always important to make a part for deformation larger than necessary, since it will decrease when heated.
Molds are single (apply relief on one side) and double (give shape on both sides). When working with single, it is important to put another piece of foamiran on top of the part, which will prevent the appearance of fingerprints on the finished product. In double molds there is no such need.
How to work with non-standard types of foam
In recent years, 2 new types of craft foam have appeared on the domestic market. One of them is marshmallow foamiran. How to work with him? Let's figure it out.
Before work, this material should be specially treated. To do this, the cut-out part is tinted with pastel and (laying between two sheets of paper) ironed in steam mode.
When the part has cooled down - it is removed (after processing the material becomes very thin, almost transparent) and applied to a hot iron. Next, they are treated with mold.
After this procedure, the processed part is flexed and slightly stretched in the hands. If necessary, the edges are warmed up a little with a lighter.
Having examined the methodology for processing marshmallow foam, let's find out how to cope with his brother called silk foamiran.
How to work with him? Much easier than with marshmallows, as it is less moody. Pre-iron it - there is no need, because it is so thin and plastic and does not bubble on the iron, like a marshmallow.
When working with silk foam, the cut-out part must be heated on the iron and deformed with mold. The further form is given by hands. If necessary, use a lighter.
Having considered the features of foamiran, as well as its types, we can conclude that this material is an indispensable thing in the arsenal of each needlewoman. And if you take into account that domestic craftswomen do not fully use the opportunities that this material possesses, we can conclude that he has a great future in the vastness of our homeland.