Book Review – Hot Textiles

Book Review - Hot Textiles

Textile Art Book Reviews

At Mr X Stitch we love to review textile art and embroidery books for you. There are so many great books to discover, packed with needlework inspiration and textile techniques, so we dive into each book to find out what’s good, what’s bad and let you know why you should pick it up.

Hot Textiles:  Inspiration and Techniques with Heat Tools by Kim Thittichai is published by Batsford.

Introduction

For those completely unaware of this concept,  hot textiles is basically when heat and fabrics come together.  This works best with a range of plastics and does not have to break the bank, as you will discover.

Hot Textiles:  Inspiration and Techniques with Heat Tools by Kim Thittichai is all about the plastics and the melty textures…… we can really be a child again with this playful book.  Said to be an inspirational guide, will this excite us?

Kim Thittichai is an experienced textile artist, teaching often and always experimenting.  She does workshops on the book’s ideas, thus she has real life experience to give, knowing what will work for her readers!

Who Is The Book Aimed At?

Hot Textiles is for the artist, either in Textiles or Mixed Media, who wishes to incorporate a different technique within their work.  For example, if you are a painter, do you feel like giving your pieces a 3D look?  Maybe some texture?

As to the age and ability, we think that the ideas are really suitable for most, however as most techniques involved require some form of heat too, i.e. an iron or heat gun, young kids had better steer clear unless under supervision!

Content

In order to make the subject matter clear, Kim has separated the knowledge into two areas: Tools and Techniques, and The Practice. 

Hot Textiles contents
There is plenty of new learning to be found within these contents!

What tools to use?  In Part One, Kim covers how we can use even familiar items to create heat distressed surfaces.  Look at the image below and notice what has been used; this is not all about going to get expensive materials, its about using what we have on offer, looking for possibilities and asking ourselves….will this melt?

Book Review - Hot Textiles
Any old excuse not to iron the clothes eh?! Here’s something a bit more fun to use yours for…

What Is Is There Anything Wrong With This Book?Good About This Book?

We love how this technique could be played out a million different ways.  By using materials which will react to heat, it is easy to get carried away, one experiment goes into another and very soon you will have raided all your cupboards exclaiming ‘will this melt?’!  Think crisp packets to bread wrappers, we could try it all…..

Book Review - Hot Textiles
Using plastic packaging….do you need an excuse to eat those chocolates?!
Book Review - Hot Textiles

The ideas are practically endless, be careful not to burn your hands if you have a go making beads!

Really what we are getting at here, is that the special element of this book is that its cheerful and exciting, you never know what is going to turn out well, so have a go and see what happens!

The book design is strong and certain pages hold very little text and allow the images to vocalise their meaning:

Book Review - Hot Textiles
In some cases there is very little need for text, this ads to the books impact.
Book Review - Hot Textiles
The close up images really boast the textures the tools can create, making it all very tempting.

Is There Anything Wrong With This Book?

Short answer: no. The only issue is that this might not be a form of textile creativity that you’re ready for yet.

Conclusion

This is a great book and there is really nothing wrong with it; it just depends on your interest.  The techniques can be incorporated into so many projects and areas of sewing, for example a heat distressed surface could be added to a quilting project. It all just depends on how traditional you want to stay and if you enjoy the journey of making in this way.

If you are new to textiles this book might seem like something really “out there” but the techniques are simple enough to try, so don’t be intimidated!

What are you waiting for?!  Go grab your copy through our link below:

Hot Textiles:  Inspiration and Techniques with Heat Tools by Kim Thittichai is published by Batsford Books.

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