FAQs about Foiling
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Facts about Foiling
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How to Apply Foil
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The special effects of foiling looks very similar to gold leafing applications but are easier and less costly to use than Gold Leafing material. Foiling is often more durable when washing is required.
Gold Leafing comes in sheets but is such a fine material that falls apart easily when applying to a surface.
Foil is a high gloss mylar that pulls away from the clear backing. Sometimes it is referred to as foil paper and other times it is referred to as foil sheets. Both terms refer to the same foil (high gloss mylar) used for special effects.
What
Surfaces can Foil be applied to?Foil can be applied to paper, sweater knits, fabrics, lace, leather, trims, glass, vinyl, plastic, ceramics, wood, walls and more. If you can apply glue to a surface, you can foil it! Understanding which adhesive to use is key to the look and effects you will achieve.
NOTE: Foil sticks to wet or dry glue! Each glues/adhesives recommended
below has an active tacky quality that grabs the foil when rubbed or ironed.
1.
Apply adhesive/glue to the surface (fabric, glass,
leather, wood, ect.) and depending on the adhesive used:

TIP:
Be sure to wash your brush, sponge, stamps, and stencils in water immediately
after use.
Collect and reuse your foil paper until all the color is gone. Partially used sheets can be used in a variety of ways. Foiling can be used to help create surface designs by building layers of foil color over the original fabric.

While
you can purchase multicolored foil papers, the choices are limited.
Experiment with partially used sheets to create your own layers and
patterns of colors. Foiling is a fun way to make an original piece of fabric that can be used to make quilts, fiber art wall hangings, altered books, cards, placed in a frame as a display of art or add pizzazz to home decor.
Not all foils are washable. Be sure to read the directions on the foil product and the adhesive/glue you have selected.
If the foil directions state it is washable:
Foil paper comes in many sizes, depending upon the manufacturer.
Variety
packs offer multiple colors and are wonderful for small projects
or first time foilers. They provide a nice sample of color ranges for
experimentation and some will include different adhesives. If you plan to foil a large project or multiple projects, buying larger pieces will be more economical. To avoid waste, cut a piece slightly bigger than the area you need to cover and set the rest aside.
When using a smaller foil paper than the area to be covered, either put two sheets side by side, or use one sheet of foil, rub, pick it up, moved it and re-rub. Keep moving it until the entire area to be foiled is covered.
Depending upon the design, a foil paper can be re-used until all the color is gone. Check after each use to determine if any color is still attached before throwing away. (See special effects for how to use up the last bits of foil on well-used sheets.)
There are many ways to use foilingand can be used by both traditional and art quilters with varying effects. Sometimes the fabric needed for a project just isn't available or is not quite right.
Traditional quilters can use foil to highlight specific areas of their quilts. Examples of this type of foiling are:
Art Quilters can use foil in many ways to make their art quilts sparkle without using conventional methods.
There are many adhesive choices in the market and most can be used for many applications. Finished effect will often be the determining factor for adhesive choice. Read the adhesive directions and experiment with end results to determine the suitability of the adhesive for your surface choice (fabric, glass, wood, plastic, mesh, metal, leather, ceramics)
Liquid adhesives with applicator tips can be used right out of bottle to draw a lines for a particular pattern or design. Liquid adhesives can also be used to cover a large area, but will require other tools, such as brushes and a small container, to apply the glue to the surface of the fabric area.
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Bella Nonna foil glue comes in a small container with a removable lid, and requires a brush to paint it onto the fabric surface. The brush must be washed off in water or it will dry stiff. Their foil glue is water soluble. Once it dries, it is permanent and machine washable. |
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Jones Tones foil glue comes in a multiple sizes, even a gallon container. Most have an applicator tip. It is water soluble for easy water cleanup, with no sealing required. It dries clear and becomes tacky dry in a one hour time frame. It is machine washable. In addition to fabric, it an be used for leather, paper, glass, ceramics, and wood. It be used as is, or thinned down to a 10:1 ratio (That is 10 parts adhesive to one part water), before it starts losing its sticking properties. |
Double-sided fusible products are good for covering larger areas. Most fusibles have a paper backing and are easy to use. You can draw on the paper side and cut into shapes. To adhere to the right side of the fabric, remove the paper, put in place, and use a hot iron. Be careful when selecting a fusible, as many will change the hand of the fabric.

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How to To Use Steam-A-Seam2® & Steam-A-Seam2® Lite with foil.


Jones Tones box example where the foil
was applied using doubled sided tape found in the Value Kit
to achieve very straight lines
How to use Jones Tones double-sided tape, which comes with the Foil Paper Value Pack
Instructions for applying foil to fabric with liquid adhesives:3D Effects
3-D effects
Examples Created with Three Techniques to Achieve Flat-Shimmery Effects
Some foil papers may instruct you to use a craft
iron or the tip of medium-hot iron to fuse foil to fabric. Caution:
If iron is too hot it can melt the foil. You may want to use a piece of
lightweight cotton fabric or a Teflon
sheet placed over the foil as a pressing sheet if using a hot iron.
Wait until foil has cooled completely before removing. |
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Steam A Seam 2
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![]() Steam-A-Seam2 & LITE Steam-A-Seam 2 Widths Available: (12")(18")(24") Fusible & Pressure sensitive coating on BOTH sides |
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![]() Steam-A-Seam2 .50 in. x 20 yds. |
![]() Steam-A-Seam2 Lite .25 in. x 40 yds. |
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Foiling is a unique and very gratifying embellishment technique to add the jazz to any project. It is simple to do and with a little experimenting special effects can be achieved that will add that extra sparkle wanted for any fiber, art or home decor project.
| . More Embellishments
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![]() Jones Tones Foil Glue 4 sizes 2oz. 4oz. 8oz. Gallon direct application NO ironing required |
![]() Steam-A-Seam2 .25 & .5 wide Excellent for Fabric 2 sided reposition sticky. Then iron |
![]() Steam-A-Seam2 Lite .25 & .5 wide Excellent for Fabric 2 sided reposition sticky. Then iron | Best
Value![]() 450 Foil Paper Value Kit 12 Sheets & Glue |
Best Value![]() 475 Foil Paper Economy Pack 16 sheets |
![]() 401 Primary Rainbow Foil |
![]() 402 Iridescent Swirl Foil |
![]() 403 Holiday Set |
![]() 404 Gold Rainbow Foil |
![]() 405 Silver Halo Foil |
| 451 Gold 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
452 Silver 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
453 Copper 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
454 Red 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
455 Purple 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
456 Green 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
457 Blue 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
490 Gold Hologram 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
491 Gold Laser Glass 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
492 Silver Hologram 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
494 Silver Laser Drops 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
495 Pearl Swirl 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
496 Swirl 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
497 Iridescent Green 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft Economy Foil Roll |
498 Rainbow 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
499 Blue Rainbow 12" x 12" Sheet OR 12" x 50 Ft. Economy Foil Roll |
Bella Nonna Foils & Adhesives |
![]() Metalic Foil Kit |
![]() Copper Foil Kit |
![]() Gold Foil Kit |
![]() Silver Foil Kit |
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Mixed Media Books,
Patterns, DVDs & More Index |
Fabric Inks |
Foils & Glue |
All-Purpose
Inks by Tsukineko | |
Fabric Paints, Paintstiks & Pigments | |
Crafter's Pick | |
9 sets (9 colors each) |
MicroCut Glitter & Glue |
(sun painting/printing) Pebeo
Setacolor Opaque Pebeo
Setacolor Shimmeringexcellent for light and dark fabrics add shimmer to reflect light |
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Primary Elements Coloring System Kits Pure pigments with mica for shimmer | |
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for foiling & glitter by Tonertex | |
167 Individual Jars and 6, 12, & 24 jar Kits Watercolor cakes that are incredibly shimmery | Fabric & Illustration Pens |
Jacquard Tee Juice MarkersBroad & Fine Tip | |
24 Individual Bottles Watercolor with that extra twinkle in a ready to use liquid |
Copic
Pens Dual Tip Markersrefill pens and replacement nibs |
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fabric paint in aerosol can for air brush & silk screen look | Fabrico
Dual Tip Marker Pens Tsukineko2 tip styles: brush and chisel |
Shiva
Paintstiks Sets, individual colors, rubbing plates, instructional books, DVD, patterns, stencil brushes & grip mat | Fabric Mate 2 colors PER pen for shading |
Stamps, Stamp Pads & Cleaners | Fabric
Mate Chisel Tip Marker Pen, YasutomoBroad stroke fill-in & Calligraphy |
Art
Girlz Doll, Word & Inchies Stamps | Extra-fine, Fine & Medium Tips |
Permawrite
II, Yasutomo BLACKFine TIP: Five sizes for fine precision lines | |
Tools & Accessories for Paint, Stencil & Craft Projects | |
use with unmounted rubber stamps | Doodling
Stencil & Templates5 sizes (45+ stencils to choose from) |
DVD, CD, Videos for Embellishment & Surface Design | |
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& Surface Design DVD, CD, Videos: Beading, Thread Painting, Surface Design, Collage, Mixed Media, Foiling, Stamping, & More while working with paints, pens, dyes, inks, foils, glitters, shaving cream, and more | |
Fabric Dyes | Black, White, & UV |
Jacquard
iDye & iDye Poly | Empty
Bottles with Fine Tip or Spray Mister caps |
Art Quilts & Mixed Media Books & Magazines | |
| Beads, Paint, Glitter, Pens, Foil, Stamping, Threads & More | 5 sizes to chose from |
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