Do you know that feeling: you want to make something special, that is not too much work but is great looking to show to everyone? Can you guess what I’m going to suggest? Need an extra tip? It looks a bit like diamond painting but gives much quicker results and you can use to shine … Yes, I’m going to help you with some bling ideas for clothes and other items.
How do you feel about pimping your wardrobe with rhinestones? Maybe you have a piece of clothing that looks pretty ordinary and that is why you no longer wear it. Perhaps your jeans, sneakers or pumps would look much nicer if rhinestones were applied to them.
In this blog post I will show you different bling ideas for clothes and a couple of ways to get started quickly to”bedazzle” (nice word, not?) shoes and clothing.
CREATIVE BLING IDEAS WITH RHINESTONES: WHAT DO YOU NEED?
You probably already have a lot of creative ideas in mind, don’t you? To help you get started I have put together a hotfix craft ideas package that you can make yourself. This includes a hotfix applicator, rhinestones, a few patterns, erasable textile marker and transfer tape. A hotfix applicator is used to attach rhinestones to various materials. This do-it-yourself hotfix tool can create beautiful patterns, shapes and even lettering for your items, including clothing, purses, cell phones, belts, dolls, scrapbooks, shoes and accessories. With this set you can easily and quickly get started to bedazzle clothes or make something nice for yourself. Why not make a personalized gift for friends or family. You can also download patterns on the site, such as this skull pattern or angel wings.
Rhinestones, or also called hotfix stones, are made of lead crystal glass that has been machined and polished for a high-quality finish. There is a layer of heat-sensitive glue on the back of the stones. This glue needs about 5 to 20 seconds to heat up and attach itself to a surface. However, to fully cure, you should count on 24 hours.
To achieve successful strong adhesion, the material must be able to absorb the adhesive when it is melted. Materials such as paper, card, wool, cotton, linen, viscose, tulle, denim, lycra, cotton jersey, silk, synthetic fabrics (polyester, etc.) and artificial fur are all suitable for applying hotfix stones. Less absorbent materials such as glass, plastic, smooth leather and fabrics with a wax coating are not suitable for absorbing the hotfix glue and therefore not for applying rhinestones.
A simple test to find out if a material is absorbent, is the water drop test. If you pour a little water over the surface and the water runs off the surface and is not absorbed into the material, it is not suitable for use with rhinestones. If the material in question contains a large amount of fabric softener, it may be necessary to wash before applying hotfix stones with a hotfix applicator or through other heat sources, such as an iron or heat press.
How cool is it to be able to make your own bling shirts. If you don’t feel confident enough applying it to your best dress at first, than practice first on an old jeans or something like that.
QUICK START GUIDE TO WORK WITH A HOTFIX APPLICATOR
- If it is the first time you use a hotfix applicator to work out your creative ideas with rhinestones, it is a good idea to first test it out on a piece of cardboard or residual material.
- It’s best to work on a solid surface, such as a table or work surface. Ironing boards are not suitable because they offer insufficient support.
- If you apply hotfix stones on fabric, make sure that the fabric is smooth. This means, it’s propably best to first iron your fabric.
- Draw a pattern on your chosen item with the erasable textile marker
- Important : when applying the rhinestones to thin and delicate fabric, place a piece of cardboard or baking paper between the layers of fabric to prevent the glue from seeping through and bonding all layers of fabric together.
- Before you switch on the device, choose the correct size of applicator tip for the rhinestone size that you are going to work with. You can find the sizes in the side of such a tip. The sizes are etched into it. You must have good eyes … or a magnifying glass can also help, of course. If you are not sure what the required size is, place the tip over the rhinestone. The right applicator tip, picks up the rhinestone. The tip of the applicator fits on the end of the hotfix applicator. Carefully screw in the applicator tip of the correct size.
- Pre-heat the Hotfix applicator for 2-3 minutes
- Place the stones on the fabric with the flat side down on the fabric
- Press the applicator on the stones and wait 5-8 seconds
- Place the applicator on the support stand to prevent things from being burned on the table
- Wait at least 5 minutes to change your hotfix tip
- Wait at least 24 hours to wash
CREATIVE bling IDEAS WITH RHINESTONES, A CUT OUT DRAWING, ERASABLE TEXTILE MARKER AND HOTFIX APPLICATOR
Compose yourself a package with various sizes of cut out stars in cardboard. Place the star on your shirt, sneaker or mobile phone case, and draw the shape of the star with the erasable textile marker. Afterwards you can use the hotfix applicator to apply the chosen stones to the lines that you have just drawn. The lines of the erasable marker disappear automatically. In the video below I applied my creative ideas to some of my sneakers.
CREATIVE IDEAS WITH RHINESTONES, TEMPLATES AND TRANSFER TAPE
Below I give you a step-by-step guide for elaborating ideas with a dotted pattern. You can print the explanation below and put it next to you or just watch the videos in which I go through the different steps.
STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO WORK WITH TEMPLATES
Cut a piece of transfer foil about 3 cm larger in all 4 directions than the image will be (do not remove the background paper before cutting)
After the paper has been cut to the appropriate size, the back of the transfer paper (= the white back panel) may be removed. Keep this in a safe place and do not throw it away!
Attach this translucent transfer paper (with its sticky side up) to the corners with small pieces of tape on the work surface. This only serves that the whole can not shift during the laying of the stones. Also do not stick too tight, because then you may experience problems removing the transfer. Just lock the corners gently.
Place the hotfix rhinestones using tweezers or even easier with the supplied pickup pencil on the tape exactly where you want them. If the stone is not immediately put on the right spot, you can remove it and resubmit it as often as necessary to obtain the desired result.
The rhinestones are laid with their beautiful side down on the transfer foil
Arrange the glitter stones on the pattern.
When you are done, carefully remove the tape from the corners of the transfer tape and place the paper back (glossy side) back on the transfer tape. Make sure the stones do not move.
If you turn over your new transfer now, with the right side up, you see the end result. If this is what you are looking for, you are done with this transfer. If not, you can make changes at this time.
Once the transfer has been made, it can be applied to any fabric with an iron. Remove the back of the transfer, place the transfer on the garment exactly where you want it. (you will not get a second chance once heat has been applied, so take your time and place well). At this stage you can still reposition the transfer.
Afterwards we apply heat, to make the stones stick to the fabric and then you can not move them anymore.
After the adhesive has been applied, it can be washed in the machine, but is not recommended for dry cleaning because some of the chemicals used can denature the adhesive, causing it to discolor and become brittle or dissolve. Turn the fabric inside out and wash at no more than 30 ° C. Hang to dry.
I applied this rhinestone pattern to the back pocket of my jeans. This time I worked with Crystal colored rhinestones.
As you can see, it doesn’t have to be that difficult to get started. I hope i have I inspired you. And if I did please give me a like or if you have any question, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
