Angelina Film better than Mylar for machine Embroidery

Angelina Film:

The most exciting thing about Angelina Film is the 18 fantastic colors it comes in.  It is similar to Mylar, and can be used in Mylar suitable designs, but also can be used in any of your designs to give an exciting new effect.  Back to the colors, which include shades that look like copper and gold metals, pink and green carnival glass, irridescent purples – each one will give a different effect to your design.  The film comes in rolls of 4” x 3 feet each. 

Technique 1 – Mylar suitable designs:

 The idea behind Mylar-suitable designs is to have a design with open stitches that will allow the film to show through them bringing out the sparkly effect between the stitches, giving that lovely metallic effect from all angles.  Since Mylar only comes in one color that is colorfast (white/clear) it only adds a sparkly touch to the threads you are using.  When you use Angelina Film, you add a second element of a background sparkle color.

1.     Prepare your Angelina Film.  You can use the Angelina straight off the roll, like mylar, for a glassy finish.  But even better, you can up the refractive quality of the film ten-fold by using this quick and easy method (I call it my High-Tech Texture Trick").  Cut the film to the size of the hoop area, and then take the Angelina Film in your hand and crumple it into a ball, now straighten it out.  Put it on your pressing sheet “book”, cover with the top of the pressing sheet and lightly tap down with the iron to press the crinkles into place.

2.      Place the fabric you will be embroidering in the hoop together with the right stabilizer for the type of fabric you are using.  Put your piece of film down and hold it in position with some small pieces of magic tape.

3.      Stitch the design.  When the embroidery is completed, remove the hoop out of the machine. Carefully pull or cut away the excess Angelina film. Trim any jump stitches.  If there are any small pieces of the film left behind, these pieces can be removed with tweezers.