I have never steam blocked acrylic but I just finished a shawl and I would like to create memory in the points of lace at the bottom.
I am planning to pin it out like usual but shall I wash it first? Should it be rather wet or just damp? WHat iron setting do I use? How far away should I hold the iron from the surface? Will it work to iron it with a big, thick towel over top or will that kill it?
Thanks!
Most people try not to kill acrylic so I’m not sure. Is that what you want?
Do you want to kill it? I’ve read of it being done on purpose.
Well, I haven’t gotten around to finishing anything yet, so I haven’t blocked at all, but I found a video on Youtube that says to hold the iron about 1/2 an inch to 2/3 of an inch above/away from the work, with the steam setting on, and to steam the area for a few seconds before going onto another part of the fabric.
Here is a link to that video, in case you’d like to watch it:
Unless you want to kill it, in which case you’d just simply place a piece of scrap fabric on top of the work and iron it out like anything you’d normally iron. This will give the work a completely hard, stiff and shiny look, which people sometimes go for.
I was thinking of, rather than killing, just getting it to lay flat and having the points of the shawl stay pointy. I will look at the video link. Thanks!