Iranian foamiran: 10 questions and answers about Thomas

About foamiran

In Russia, the material is known as foamiran, but synonyms are also common: fom (foam), revelour, plastic suede, porous rubber. The name came from the Iranian company Foamiran, the world leader in the production of sponge materials (from the English foam - foam).

Inventive Iranians have established the production of material from petroleum products. If you look at it, foamiran means foam rubber, produced in the form of thin layers.

Foamiran Source fabalabse.com

The Iranian company, having launched the production of foamiran, began with twelve pastel shades. The needlewomen got acquainted with the new product and highly appreciated its capabilities.

Foamiran is a polymer product made on the basis of ethylene vinyl acetate (ester), produced in the form of soft sheets with a porous structure.

Structure of plastic suede Source roomester.ru

Decorative foamiran can be purchased both in the form of individual sheets and sets with a different number of colors. Sets of 8-10 sheets of similar shades (for example, yellow), or sets of 30-40 sheets of a wide color palette are common. The size of the material in the sets is A4 (23x30 cm) or A5 (23x15 cm), the average thickness varies between 1-2 mm.

Assorted set Source charivna-mit.com.ua

Soft porous rubber feels velvety to the touch, reminiscent of thin suede or loose velvet paper. Since organic substances are used in production, foam has virtually no odor. After unpacking it may smell a little “chemical”, but the smell, however, quickly disappears.

In different shades Source zabota024.msp.midural.ru

Examples of works made from foamiran (photo)

Application

Plastic suede is used in various areas of needlework. Floral compositions made from foamiran for the interior are widespread. Flowers made using a special technology are difficult to distinguish from natural analogues; they look just like fresh roses or daisies. Floral works made from foamiran do an excellent job as interior decor; you can make flowers that will fit exactly into your living room.

Bouquet for the living room Source lachat.ru

Based on realistic miniature (and not so miniature) buds and leaves, craftswomen make an unlimited variety of jewelry: hairpins, brooches, rings, headbands and other jewelry.

Wreath on the head Source i.pinimg.com

The properties of the material allow it to be used in scrapbooking (design of photo albums and diaries), for decorating postcards and gift packaging. Compositions of flowers made from foamiran will decorate the wedding ceremony.

Christmas tree decorations made from foam Source i.ytimg.com

Plastic suede will help develop the child's creative abilities; It makes original crafts and applications. Experienced craftsmen create figurines of realistic animals and birds, and funny toys. Three-dimensional paintings with imitation of natural materials (wood, leather) look exclusive.

Positive butterfly Source www.dombusin.com

What can be made from foamiran

This creativity is gaining popularity among those who like to make unique things with their own hands. Simple technology and simple tools make it possible to create unique products from foamiran. It is very original to decorate a wedding ceremony in one style:

the bride's bouquet;
festive table;
groom's boutonniere;
dishes;
wine glasses;
arch for newlyweds;
candles.

Experienced craftsmen can decorate the interior with foamiran for a special event. The flowers will look as if they were alive and will last throughout the evening. Novice craftswomen can make from foam:

design of bags, shoes;
curtain tiebacks;
compositions for interior;
mirror decoration;
New Year's decor;
hair accessories;
women's jewelry.
bouquets of flowers;
wall panel;
decorating gift boxes, albums.

Hairpins made of foamiran

Any girl can make original hair decorations for every day and for special occasions. To make foamiran hair clips with your own hands, you need to purchase a metal base to which the decor will be attached. It could be a small bobby pin, a hairpin or a wide automatic clip. First, you will need a design idea - a separate flower, a bow, or a whole composition, depending on the purpose of the accessory. According to the technology it is necessary:

make individual decorative elements;
assemble into a composition;
glue it to the hairpin.

Foamiran headbands

The wreaths on the girls’ heads look unusual, very similar to real flowers. They can become the basis for attaching the bride’s veil, or be a decoration for the hairstyle. DIY headbands with foamiran flowers will put a girl in a festive mood and will arouse the delight and envy of her friends. To make them you need:

take a headband of a suitable size;
wrap it with thin tape and secure it;
make flowers and leaves from plastic rubber;
assemble all the elements on the rim using glue.

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DIY foamiran flowers

For an experienced craftswoman, it will not be difficult to make any flower you like - you need to carefully examine its structure and the type of petals. You can arrange the composition in a vase for interior decoration or make a gift bouquet from foamiran. How to make flowers, what will you need for work? First you need:

decide what will be in the bouquet;
choose a material for flowers of a suitable tone;
purchase a base - a foam ball;
buy ribbons, beads, decorative elements.

To make a flower, you need to cut out blanks of petals, form the volume and contour of each, using the temperature of your fingers or an iron. Assemble the parts into a bud using glue. How to make a bouquet? To assemble it you need:

form the required number of flowers and leaves;
assemble the base with a handle;
decorate them with ribbons of different widths;
stick flowers on the surface of the ball;
decorate with beads and decor.

Foamiran jewelry

You can look stylish and unique if you make jewelry from foamiran with your own hands. You can look at ideas on websites or come up with them yourself. You can decorate crafts in an original way with floral motifs, butterflies, hearts, and leaves. These will look great:

brooches;
necklaces;
bracelets;
rings;
tiaras;
beads;
hryvnia;
decorations for the bag;
bandages;
boutonnieres;
cameos.

Foamiran toys

It is very easy to make flat crafts similar to appliqués. A novice master or even a child can handle such work. To do this, you need to have a pattern to cut and glue the product according to it. DIY foamiran toys can be voluminous, for example, a doll or a favorite cartoon character. How to do such things? To complete this you will need:

blank patterns;
assembly diagrams;
materials for forming the base of the body and arms;
plastic rubber;
fabrics for clothing;
paints for painting faces.

Properties

The composition, texture and variety of colors predetermined the properties of the product, which turned out to be useful in home creativity. The material is loved by creative people due to the following unique qualities:

Easy to use. To make beautiful flowers from foamiran, you don’t need complex equipment or special skills. Even a beginner, with some perseverance, can work with it.

Available to everyone Source beadstree.ru

Plastic. The most useful quality. When heated, foamiran becomes pliable, easily stretches and deforms, and after cooling it retains its new shape. For molding, the heat of an iron, a candle, or just your hands is enough. The desired look is given to the workpiece manually or using simple techniques (for example, by pulling the workpiece onto a rounded shape).

Hairpins Source www.passionforum.ru

Environmentally friendly. Plastic suede does not emit substances into the air that are hazardous to the health of people and animals. Children can also work with it - it meets all the requirements of safety standards, which is confirmed by an external ISO certificate.

large flowers from foamiran Source sima-land.com

Artificial material is easily cut and pierced with a figured hole punch, leaving no sharp edges; It is impossible to get hurt on it, which is ideal for children's creativity.

Lily Source roomester.ru

The material is quite durable and easy to maintain. Rubber (which, in fact, is what foam is) is not afraid of water, so dirt from products and crafts can be wiped and washed off with clean water or with the addition of soap.

Astra Source amazon.com

Important! Plastic suede, being rubber in composition, melts and burns like any rubber. This must be remembered when heating parts over an open candle fire. In children's creativity, this technique is used only under the strict supervision of adults.

See also: Companies specializing in the production of finishing materials

Amazing properties of foamiran

Foamiran has many wonderful properties, thanks to which this material has become loved and popular among needlewomen:

Safety. The first and most important quality that experts call is the absolute safety of the soft polymer. Foma does not contain any toxic substances, it does not cause allergies and therefore can be used for children's creativity. Products made from foamiran do not have any harmful effects on the human body, as evidenced by product quality certificates provided by manufacturers.
Easy to process. The velvety, pleasant-to-touch foam can be cut perfectly with simple and figured scissors, without creating sharp edges. Clearly defined marks remain on the surface of the foma after pressing with a sharp object, which makes it possible to create reliefs and designs.
Memory. Foam rubber “remembers” actions. With the slightest heating using an iron or hair dryer, the material easily takes on a new shape and retains it forever after cooling. This property is used to create intricate colors and various compositions.

When working with foamiran, you should remember that this material ignites quickly, and take appropriate safety measures.

Water-repellent properties. Despite its porous structure, foamiran does not absorb water at all. This is a very valuable quality, thanks to which crafts can be washed with water.
Variety of colors. The number of tones and halftones in which foma manufacturers paint their products is amazing. In addition, the material lends itself perfectly to additional coloring. Acrylic, oil paints and pastels are well suited for this. The surface can be decorated with colored sand, sparkles, buttons, and rhinestones.
Possibility of gluing. Foam rubber can be glued. This is very convenient and greatly facilitates the creative process. Strong-hold adhesives are suitable for gluing: “Moment”, glue for foam rubber. PVA, liquid nails or office glue are ineffective for working with foam.

Soft foamiran can take almost any shape and will retain it perfectly. For example, if you put a fur coat on a dress with a brooch made of this material, the decoration will not even be accepted. And in order to straighten a bent leaf if necessary, the warmth of your hands is quite enough.

Using glue and paint

When working with revelour, you cannot do without adhesives and dyes. The following methods are used for gluing parts:

It is most convenient to use a hot silicone glue gun. This is the best option for those who work with the material regularly.

Working tools Source roomester.ru

If you don’t have a glue gun, you can replace it with PVA glue in a package with a dispenser. PVA is white in color, but after drying it becomes transparent. Suitable for gluing small decorations to crafts. It’s good if there are two dispensers: for application over a large area and for spot work.
Foam is also easily glued with any quick-fix polyurethane adhesive a la “Moment” or “Crystal”. This composition is universal: transparent, waterproof and provides high adhesive strength.

In the interior palette Source travel-dom.ru
Foamiran can be painted, since the porous structure ensures good absorption of dyes. The following compositions are best suited for work:

Experienced craftswomen prefer to apply shades with pastels (crayons or rimless pencils). Many people prefer oil pastels over dry pastels.

Dry pastel Source www.artpinok.ru

Cosmetics have proven themselves well: multi-colored cosmetic pencils, eye shadow, and sometimes lipstick.
If you have the skill and time, you can use oil paints for toning and more detailed drawing. The effect is excellent, but you will have to wait several days for the work to dry.

Tinting Source i.pinimg.com
It is possible, although not recommended, to paint foamiran parts with watercolors or acrylic paints. Water-based paints do not interact well with the rubber surface of parts. Watercolor paints weakly and unevenly, as it flows into droplets. Acrylic paint dries with an inelastic film, and after a while it cracks and crumbles.

Large flowers in the interior Source oazis.hu

How to choose the thickness of the foam

It is difficult for a beginner to understand the variety of varieties and sizes of revolver offered by the market. To make spectacular and unusual flowers from foamiran, a brooch or a toy, it is important to choose the right variety that is best suited for a particular craft.

Greeting card Source lachat.ru

First of all, you need to decide on the thickness. It is an important criterion for a successful result. The following thicknesses are suitable for different crafts:

Fomm thickness 3 mm or more. The thickest sheets make excellent appliqués, puzzles and decorations; they are the easiest for children to work with.

Asters Source roomester.ru

Fomm 2 mm thick. An ideal choice if you want to make a toy and a life-size flower and keep children busy with creativity. The dense material is durable and elastic, suitable for appliques, toys, and garlands.
Thickness 1-1.5 mm. They work with thin sheets if you need to make a bouquet of flowers for the living room, a brooch, or elegant decor for a hair hoop. The delicate and plastic material produces fairly thin parts.

Ranunculus Source www.passionforum.ru

Experienced craftsmen who specialize in creating realistic interior flowers from foamiran prefer the thinnest sheets, 0.6-0.8 mm. This thickness allows the part to be stretched to translucency.
For complex parts (pistils, stamens, berries), it is better to use marshmallow foam, or purchase them ready-made.

Material of any thickness is produced in Iran and China. Turkish and Korean manufacturers produce thin varieties (from about 6 to 1 mm).

Indistinguishable from the real one Source italstroy.ru

Plush effect

1) Using a metal file.

For this method, a sheet with a thickness of 1 mm or more is suitable; it is not advisable to take anything thinner - there is a high probability of tears. Accordingly, it is possible to choose a type of any production.

Use a nail file to carefully leave grooves on the top layer. To do this, it is enough, with slight pressure, to move the tool along the raw material in one direction.

It is important not to overuse force to avoid ruptures.

The dust remaining as a result can be used in the future, but it is not needed to give the desired texture to the material.

Read this: DIY 3D cards: unique ideas for the whole family

As a result of processing, the sheet should become terry, as in the photo.

2) Using sandpaper - it is best to use P-80, it will help achieve the goal and will not spoil the raw materials. For this method, thick sheets of foam (from 1 mm) are taken and sanded along all four sides, alternately. This process is presented in more detail in the video below.

3) Using a vegetable grater.

Upon completion of all manipulations, the resulting material can be used to make crafts.

How to choose the type of foam

On sheets of any production, small holes may occasionally appear, but they are not considered a defect. When cutting, several parts of complex shapes are cut out from one sheet; You can always choose a layout in which the hole remains in the edge.

Worse, if the sheet is painted unevenly or its thickness varies from edge to edge, such defects often make high-quality work impossible. Generally similar, the material from different manufacturers differs in some parameters.

Bouquet in an envelope Source wedding.uz

Iranian foamiran

The material is traditionally considered the highest quality on the market. It can be purchased in individual sheets measuring 60x70 cm, A4 (21x31 cm) or in rolls. The advantages of Iranian products are:

Fine-porous structure, with a high level of elongation and impeccable shape retention.

Bouquet for the bedroom Source lachat.ru

Wide color palette: more than 30 shades, from rich to pastel.

The Iranian product is pleasantly predictable: under the influence of heat, the parts are somewhat reduced in size, which must be taken into account when cutting.

Flowers from Iranian foamiran Source i.pinimg.com

Video description

About existing types of foamiran in the following video:

Chinese

Its main advantage is the price, half that of the product from an Iranian factory. It has a thicker, rougher structure, resembles matter and stretches less well.

When ordering a product online, you can receive both excellent foam and not the quality you expected. The risks also concern physical properties: when heated, the part will not shrink, but increase in size, or even bubble.

The Chinese product is supplied in rolls of 1x2 m, sheets of 0.5x0.5 m or A4 format.

The advantages of the Chinese product are good tensile strength (better than Iranian) and an inspiring palette of shades.

Orchid Source i0.wp.com

What you will need

To work with foamiran, you need auxiliary tools and materials that will help make the flowers realistic. These include:

The revelour itself is in the required colors.
Hot melt adhesive for joining parts. It is advisable that the gun have a narrow nose, otherwise a drop of glue could burn the petal.

large flowers from foamiran Source i.pinimg.com

Scissors. For large elements, ordinary ones are suitable; for especially small ones, it’s worth stocking up on manicure ones.
Iron. An indispensable item for homework. The material heats up on it and becomes pliable to work with.
Materials for coloring and tinting. Pastel, oil paints.

Tulips Source roomester.ru
If you want to understand how to make flowers from foamiran, you need to get acquainted with some specialized tools and materials. In order for the flowers to look realistic, the following were invented for adherents of floral design:

Tools for creating relief. To make the flower look natural, you will need special molds-casts from living plants that form the surface texture - molds and weiners. These are casts of leaves and petals of real plants made of plastic or silicone. Forms can be universal or for a specific type of flower.

Mold for foamiran Source i.ytimg.com

Bulki. Needed for the formation of deep petals (for example, for a peony), they come in many sizes.
Tape. Tape with an adhesive backing, designed for processing stems.

A set of Japanese instruments Source i.pinimg.com

Floral wire. Differs in caliber, color and length. Stamens are made from the thinnest wire, and stems, leaves, and inflorescences are made from more popular wire.
Flock powder. Creates the effect of a velvety surface, needed in order to make fluffy leaves and stamens indistinguishable from real ones.

Floral ribbon Source livemaster.ru

Types of foamiran

Foamiran is a dream for jewelry lovers. Even under a hat, a faux hair clip will not lose its shape. The material is unpretentious in work. To give a shape to a piece of a cut plate, it is often enough to simply crush it in your hands. But you need to remember that such jewelry can lose shape under the influence of a regular hair dryer.

Hairpins made from foamiran will make you stand out from the crowd. In addition, you can always choose jewelry to match the dress.

By manufacturer

Each plastic polymer manufacturer adds something different to its product line. There are manufacturers who specialize in a certain thickness of sheets and make them super-strong, while others experiment with the color scheme and consistency of the rubber.

Such plates are, of course, more expensive. But they also look more impressive

On the Russian market you can find Chinese, Korean, Iranian and Turkish products. Typically, the color range of foma varies from 20 to 24 colors.

Manufacturer	Sheet characteristics	Peculiarities
Iran, "Foam Eva"	Size: 60×60. Thickness: up to 1 mm.	Iranian fom is one of the most expensive. The cost of one sheet can reach 80 rubles. Sufficiently elastic, does not tear even with strong tension.
Türkiye	Size: 40×60, can be sold in rolls. Thickness: from 1 to 3 mm.	The material has a uniform thickness, a uniform structure, and is soft. Feels smoother and more pliable to the touch.
Korea	Size: 40×60. Thickness: 1 and 0.6 mm.	Fom from Korea - the quality is not inferior to Iranian. Has a wide range of colors and additives. Holds its shape well and stretches easily. A standard sheet costs about 60 rubles.
China	Size: 40×60. Thickness: 1–3 mm.	It smells unpleasant and may break during operation. However, it tolerates surface tinting well with both paint and pencils.

By sheet thickness

On sale you can find foamiran with a thickness of 0.5 to 4 millimeters. To make flowers, a forma up to 1 mm wide is most often used. This material more elegantly conveys the natural beauty and lightness of flower buds.

Do you believe that this flower will not wither?

Thicker sheets are used to make dolls, headbands, barrettes and magnets, where it is simply cut into layers and combined.

Important! For flower arrangements, choose foamiran that stretches well. So, when working on the product it will be necessary to stretch it.

Manufacturing principles

There are many master classes and video tutorials on the Internet on making flowers from foamiran. There you can also select diagrams and templates for patterns of future decor, which need to be printed and cut out of cardboard.

Roses from foamiran Source avatars.mds.yandex.net

For one small rose, you need to prepare several strips of foam 30-40 cm long and 4-5 cm wide (for a sheet size of 60x80 cm). For large flowers made of foamiran (roses or peonies), more material will be needed. Then the work goes through the following stages:

Preparing the petals. It takes the most time, about 60-70%. Therefore, it is better for a beginner to choose a flower in which most of the details are typical; This will help speed up the preparation of the required quantity.

Cutting out typical parts Source blogspot.com

Sometimes it is advised to make a bud rose first. You can use blanks for it without cutting them into separate petals.
The templates are transferred to the material and cut out. The petals are made realistic using pastels and a sponge.

Blanks Source roomester.ru

The petals are shaped using a moderately heated iron. Each part is individually applied to the surface of the iron, after heating it is carefully stretched and given the desired (convex) shape with your fingers.
Product assembly. The petals are attached to the middle. It is made from foil by twisting it into a cone and inserting a wire at the bottom. The petals, starting with the smallest ones, are glued to the foil so that it is not visible.

Ready rose Source roomester.ru

A green foam backing is glued to the bottom of the flower. This detail is also given a realistic look with pastels.
Floor flowers made from foamiran will require careful work on the stems, leaves and center (if there is one). A large flower needs a strong base; Often a metal-plastic pipe is used for the stem.

Full size flowers Source static.wixstatic.com

How to make a craft from foamiran: video master class

Working with this soft material is simple and very pleasant. The required parts are simply cut out according to the template and then slightly stretched in any direction you need. The finished petals and leaves are fixed in the composition using a glue gun.

In order for the fom to stretch easily, it should be slightly warmed with a warm iron or hair dryer.

Important! For work, not a hot, but a warm iron is used. A hot platform may melt delicate material.

Molds are also used after heating the foamiran. They are pressed against the heated workpiece and left until the material cools down.

After contact with the mold, the material takes on the required texture

Working with marshmallow leaves requires care and patience. Excessive force and you will tear the workpiece. But if you are ready for diligent and painstaking work, believe me, you will forget about everything in the world, because a real miracle will be born under your fingers.

Video: a small step-by-step master class on foamiran from a professional for your inspiration

Briefly about the main thing

In the field of handicrafts, materials and techniques constantly appear that open up new opportunities for the production of unique hand-made gizmos. Foamiran has become a popular material for needlework due to its ability to change shape when heated, and after cooling, maintain the change.

Plastic suede has found wide application. It is used to make interior flower arrangements, wedding decor, jewelry, and dolls; used to decorate cards and photo albums.

Russian needlewomen know material from Iran, China, Korea and Turkey. It varies in quality, thickness and color, and is sold in the form of rolls and sheets.

To work with foamiran, you need to stock up on scissors, glue, an iron and materials for painting and tinting. Foam floristry masters use additional devices, molds and weiners.

Schemes and patterns of patterns are available in large quantities on the Internet. Beginning fans of this art should choose a simple, small-sized model to master the technique.

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Making foamiran with your own hands at home for beginners

If you plan to start working with this material, it would be a good idea to purchase a glue gun - it will make the process of assembling products quick and convenient. Although fom can be glued with ordinary household adhesives (such as super glue), fom is a very light material, and the parts will stick well in any case.

In the production of flowers, molds are often used to give texture to leaves and petals, as well as bulbs to create three-dimensional shapes.

Foams can be painted with gouache or acrylic paints, pens and felt-tip pens, as well as art pastels.

The shape is easy to cut, and if you plan to use it for scrapbooking, you can use special hole punches for cutting out small elements.

Now you can find foamiran from Iran, China, Korea, and Turkey on sale. The question arises - which foamiran is better to buy and why. Let's figure out what are the features of each of these fom feeds.

Foamiran from Iran.

Perhaps the most popular among needlewomen.
It is known for its variety of shades; it is also distinguished by its fine porosity, lightness and pleasant texture of the sheets, which is perhaps why it is compared to suede. Iranian foamiran can be of different thicknesses, but the greatest demand is for foam up to 1 mm thick. This is an ideal material for flowers. Chinese foamiran.
You can often hear the statement that the quality of this fom is worse than that of the Iranian one, but this is not entirely true. Chinese foamiran from different manufacturers differs in density, texture and ductility. There is a very thin Chinese foamiran that needs to be heated with great care, there is a thicker and more plastic one. The Chinese phom primarily differs from the Iranian one in its color palette - it is not so diverse, but the colors are brighter and richer, that is, the Chinese phom can help out if Iranian manufacturers do not have the required color. This form is best used for decorative crafts, dolls and making elements for scrapbooking.

The so-called marshmallow (or cold) foamiran is also produced in China.
This is an interesting and specific material, it is light, airy, can melt when heated, but stretches very well without heat treatment. Working with it requires some skill, but once you get the hang of it, it produces simply magnificent flowers. Turkish foamiran.
According to reviews of many needlewomen, it is practically no different from Iranian.
Korean foamiran.
New on the market, but has already earned the love of craftswomen with its pleasant velvety texture, good stretchability and strength, and besides, Korean manufacturers have a wide palette of shades.

In a word, each of the described types of foamiran has its own pros and cons, and you need to choose foam depending on specific tasks.

It is also worth mentioning decorative types of foamiran - terry (plush) foamiran, which is widely used for making toys, glitter - with a shiny surface, as well as foamiran with prints, embossing and various textures. New types of foamiran appear constantly, you just need to keep up with the new products.

Unfortunately, you cannot make foamiran yourself, as it is a high-tech material. But there are several ways to make thinner foamiran with your own hands at home, as well as how to independently give a sheet of regular foam a velor texture. You can learn about these secrets from the video lessons given at the end of the article.