How Did You Make That???"; The Wonders of Kraft*Tex

For the past several months I've been making a bunch of different kinds of accessories featuring intricate cut-out designs backed with iridescent film.
I started with a vision of what I wanted to make; an insect or fairy wing effect (which also turns out to be reminiscent of stained glass), and specifically set out to find materials that would work.

I had certain requirements for my structural material.  It had to be flexible but not floppy, durable, paintable, glueable, non-toxic and cut well on my Zing electronic cutting machine.
I experimented with several materials; EVA craft foam, different fabrics, leather, faux leather, plastic crafting sheets, various kinds of paper and cardstock.

The papers cut beautifully, but weren't terribly durable.
The fabrics, leather, faux leather and foam were too soft, stretchy and/or fibrous to cut intricate detail well.  The plastic sheets looked flimsy and cheap.

I needed something that cut like paper but held up like leather. I started looking into synthetic papers (of which there are a number), and ultimately came across this stuff: Kraft*Tex.

What is Kraft*Tex?  Turns out you may have been wearing it most of your life without realizing it.  Kraft*Tex is what those leathery tags on the backs of your Levi's jeans are made of.
It's been used in the garment industry for decades, and only recently been marketed as a crafting material. 

In it's raw form it looks like a sturdy cardstock, with one paper-smooth side and one subtly textured side. But if you scrunch it up, or wash it, it gets creased and crinkled, which gives it a very convincing leather appearance.  It starts out rather stiff, but over time and use, it softens into more of a fabric-like feel.  It can be sewn, folded, molded into 3-dimenional shapes...probably a bunch of other stuff, too!

It is very durable, washable, flexible, paintable, glueable, non-toxic and, once I hammered out the settings and mounting techniques, it cuts like a dream on the Zing.

But still - what IS it?  A paper?  A plastic?  A fabric?  I couldn't find the answer to this question on the web, so I emailed the manufacturer, C&T publishing, and asked them.  They replied promptly, informing me that it's a paper pulp impregnated with a kind of latex.

(Note: for those of you with latex allergies, don't worry - my accessories don't have any Kraft*Tex directly in contact with the skin).

Folks are starting to play with this amazing material - mostly making things like wallets, bags and book covers - things often made of natural leather.

But Kraft*Tex has many advantages over natural leather.  A. No animals are harmed. B. It's cheaper than leather. C. It's more consistent than real leather (which tends to have flaws and uneven thicknesses and come in irregularly sized and shaped pieces, which results in a lot of waste scraps. D. It's actually more durable than real leather of the same thickness.

Here's a video with some great info:

How Did You Make That??? "Dryad" Exceptional Adornment

This "Dryad" piece glows with the earthy colors of the forest - lush greens and fiery oranges. Graceful leaf shapes create a striking silhouette that evokes magical woodlands and forest nymphs.
The iridescence is also transparent, creating a unique stained-glass effect, and it flashes and reflects the light in a spectacular and magical way as you move.

So how did I make it?

Faerie Magic, of course!

Well, okay, perhaps that's not completely true - my magic is made with mundane materials and techniques I've developed through experimentation. 

Here's a Walk-Through of how I crafted this "Dryad" adornment.

Sketches and test prints

I keep a sketchpad nearby and scribble my rough ideas when they come to me.  These sketches are then either scanned into my computer, or simply used as a guide to create the final designs in Adobe Illustrator.

Designing shapes in Illustrator.

The design is in black and white - the white parts will end up being cut away, leaving the intricate black shapes.  I have to be mindful of how to construct the designs so that they cut well on my electronic cutting machine.  It's a balance of visual harmony and structural integrity.  In the case of this piece, which will be made out of several individual pieces connected with rivets, I designed each piece separately, carefully shaping them so they will fit together correctly.  At this point, I'll print out the design and roughly cut it out with scissors and hold it up to my neck to see if the sizing works, and adjust the design until I'm satisfied.

Setting up the cutting sheet in Make-The-Cut

 Once I'm happy with the design, the pieces are imported into the Make-The-Cut software that works with my Zing cutting machine.  The pieces are arranged on the virtual cutting mat, which corresponds to the actual cutting mat that is inserted into the machine.  A piece of Kraft*Tex (a marvelous material that I will write more about soon), is cut and pressed firmly to the mat, which has a tacky temporary adhesive on it.  The machine then cuts the shapes from the Kraft*Tex.

Gluing pieces to iridescent film

Once the pieces are cut, I choose some iridescent film colors.  In this case, I layered 2 colors of film, and alternated the order of the colors; the oak leaf shapes have orange/green on top and a more blue-green underneath, so the orangey tones are more visible, with the blue-greens adding subtle undertones.  The other leaves have the blue-green film on top, with the orange/green underneath, so their main color tone is more green, with the oranges as the undertones.  This ended up working out beautifully to create 2 alternating colors that harmonized perfectly together.

The Kraft*Tex pieces are sprayed on the backside with a spray adhesive and pressed face-up onto the top layer of film.  The second film color is then layered below this and ironed for a few seconds to melt the 2 film layers together.  The heat also shrinks and the film a bit, creating some organic dimension and texture, and sometimes shifts the colors a bit in serendipitous ways.  Too much heat/ironing can burn holes in the film, so this is a tricky step.

After ironing the 2 layers of film

Next, the excess film is trimmed off by carefully running an Exact-O knife around the edges of each piece on the back side.

Trimming excess film

The front of each piece is then brushed with a clear gloss acrylic medium, which seals the surface and laminates the Kraft*Tex layer to the film layer.

Applying acrylic medium

I do 2 coats of this, brushing the first coat in one direction, so the liquid pools up against one side of each cut-out area, let it dry, then apply a second coat in the other direction.

Acrylic medium pooling around edges of cut-outs

Once the varnish on the front is fully dry, I apply a thick coat of Diamond Glaze to the back side of each piece.

Applying Diamond Glaze to back side

This non-toxic liquid is self-leveling and hardens to a clear, durable, yet flexible resin-like surface.  This gives each piece a bit more substance and weight, seals and protects the film layer and creates a smooth feel against the skin.

Diamond Glazed backsides

 Once the glaze has cured, a coat of clear satin polyurethane is sprayed onto the front side of the pieces. This adds a water-resistant protective seal coat, and dulls the glossy varnish down a bit, which gives the Kraft*Tex a more "leathery" look that I think looks better than the shiny gloss finish.  

Spraying on polyurethane sealer

I use the massive Uline catalogs the company keeps sending (despite contacting them twice to tell them I don't want paper catalogs) as a quick and easy spraying surface.  Simply flip open to a clean spread, set the pieces down, spray and carefully relocate to the drying area, then close the catalog.  The sprayed pages stick together, so when most of the pages are stuck, I throw it into the recycling bin and grab the next one on the stack.  

Satin finish has dried and gems applied

 Next, embellishments such as Czech glass crystals or glue-on rivets are applied with Gem-Tac, a heavy-duty adhesive made to attach jewels to clothing.  It dries clear and flexible and strong.  

Assembling the pieces with rivets

Once the pieces are finished, they are arranged in proper order, being careful to get the overlapping parts correct, and brass rivets are hammered through the hinges.  A pair of long ribbons are attached with crimped findings and the piece is finished!

The finished product!

These simple materials have now been transformed into an Exceptional Adornment!  Lightweight and flexible, with movable rivet hinges and long ribbon ties so you can adjust the shape, fit and hang; you can wear this piece as a necklace or a choker, with a few bobby pins you can fashion a headpiece, or use some hidden safety pins through the ribbons to adorn your decolletage...make a hatband or attach to a belt - the possibilities are as endless as your imagination!  

See what I have available in my Etsy Shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/cristinamcallister?ref=hdr_shop_menu

Fantasy Fashion for Fabulous Faeries!

I started all of this with a simple question: "If I were a fashion designer in the Faerie Realm, what would I design for my clients?"
Obviously, the designs would have to be elegant and fantastical, with graceful organic shapes, magical iridescent colors, maybe some crystal gems or pixie dust to add sparkle. Inspired by Nature, infused with elegant style, uniquely expressive and eye-catching.

 

My initial vision was of a pair of shimmering bracers, with fairy-wing shapes and iridescent colors.  I liked this idea...bracers are unfortunately an underutilized accessory! They are super cool-looking, and unlike a lot of clothing options, they look great on both men and women.  Why should only fictional characters get to wear awesome bracers???

 

Thus "DreamCuffs" were born; handmade, unique wearable art that’s armed and dangerously fabulous!

Wear them on bare arms, or over sleeves or gloves. Add some eye-catching style to your wardrobe, accessorize your favorite costumes or build a whole new outfit around them! There’s something empowering about strapping on a pair of bracers…like you can deflect any obstacles that come your way and let your Most Fantastical Self shine!

 

 

 

Since then, I've been letting my imagination run wild with new designs and colors and embellishments.  Some are more feminine, some are more masculine, many could go either way, and they are designed with a flexible fit that works for most adults. Many of them feature UV accents that glow under blacklight.  I've also got more sci-fi-themed designs, as well as more abstract geometrical styles (which I'll feature in a future post). 

 

 

 

Whether you’re a Dreamer or a Dancer, a Performer or a Party Monster, a Burner, a LARPer, a Raver or Cosplayer, a Crafter or Costumer or Fearless Fashionista, adding a pair of DreamCuffs to your wardrobe will take your style to the next level.

And they're not just for costume events...wear them out clubbing! Wear them at faires, festivals, parties, on dates, etc. Wear them as you would any other accessory or beloved piece of jewelry.  Wear them whenever you want to feel fabulous and fantastical!

 

 

 

Since I am a part of the Burning Man community, and many Burners enjoy playing with fire, I have also designed DreamCuffs to be safe to wear while fire-spinning. They are made with a leather base layer and have been fire-tested by striking them with lit poi and running flames over them for several seconds and they did not ignite or char. I can't guarantee that they won't catch if you wear them while fire-spinning, and you should always have a fire safely to assist you (of course!), but they performed well in our fire tests. 

 

One of the unique features of my DreamCuffs are the iridescent colors.  After a lot of experimentation and exploration of various materials, I found some iridescent films that come in a variety of colors.  And each color is actually several colors - as the light plays over them, the shades shift, revealing a magical spectrum of shimmering hues.  Adding a layer of painted color under the film creates different effects as well.  Metallic paints give the most vivid results, paler or more opaque colors create a pearlescent or opalline effect. Blending 2 or more colors creates a subtle gradient or pattern that is visible from certain angles, adding even more dynamic color play.  Every pair I make surprises me with some unexpected but gorgeous color combinations that naturally coordinate with a variety of colors, so they are flexible as far as what to wear them with.

The photos don't capture the true, live effect.  You have to see them in motion, in different kinds of light, to appreciate the lush depth and brilliant shifting shades.

 

 

 

 Check out my Etsy Shop to see what I currently have available.  I can also create custom color DreamCuffs just for you!  Choose a design and color combination and we'll work together to make you something gorgeous to compliment your outfit or express your favorite style.

https://www.etsy.com/shop/cristinamcallister?ref=hdr_shop_menu

@ The OC Burner Bazaar

 

 

 

Scenes From The Studio

I've been working out my DreamCuffs production flow, preparing for a few upcoming events.  Here are some snaps from my world.

DreamCuff detail layers cut from KraftTex, the Wonder Material!

My sticky cutting mat after peeling off a cut KraftTex layer.

These tiny bits are all over the house.  All. Over. The. House.

My Iridescent Film Color Charts, which I made to get an idea of how the different films interact with various colors painted under them.

My painting area, which has developed quite a lovely patina!

Check out the finished products at my Etsy Shop!

NEW April DreamCuffs!

CLICK to visit my Etsy Shop