These how-to tips are to help you create & apply your own rhinestone designs. These are the latest do-it-yourself tips I recommend. (Previous, out-dated info has been removed.) A condensed version of the design and application instructions is available in the BlingWiz Rhinestone Designer. For multiple designs, I have a template method which will be made available on BlingWiz.com soon.
Design:
1) Trim printout to about 1" close to design dots using straight line cuts. 2) Tape design printout paper down on a flat surface. 3) Cover paper with clear tape or clear sticky lamination. 4) Cover design with thick tape or heat transfer film and peel back from one side. 5) Add rhinestones to closest side where peeled back. 6) Fold transfer film, or tape, over rhinestones at intervals, especially for larger designs, to prevent misalignment and save time. 7) Nudge adjust rhinestones through top of transfer tape with your finger nail. 8) Optionally, place a non-stick wax/plastic backing to store for future use.
Hot-fix Application:
*Always use a new, different, clean white paper with hot iron. If you use a color dyed, printed, or previously used paper, the color or unwanted particles may permanently damage the garment or the iron.
Flat Fabric (t-shirt/scarf/beanie):
1) Pre-wash fabric, remove any lint. 2) Remove protective backing, if any. 3) Place transfer. Wear shirt to place where you want it. If shirt is stretchy, design may stretch when worn, so, remove shirt carefully, inside out. Use additional heavyweight tape or safety pins if needed. 4) Reverse garment inside out, (if not already so), or flip scarf/etc. upside down, and place on ironing board. 5) Tape sides of garment on ironing board if fabric needs to be secure and flat. Cover tape with paper to prevent melting. 6) Place ironing board flat on a bed or sofa, with leg stands closed. 7) Place a paper between fabric layers, inside shirt 8) Set iron to around 325F for fine fabrics or 350F for cotton blend. 9) Test that it's hot enough, then, apply 25-35 lbs of pressure, using both arms, for 4 sec. Practice this step with cold iron first! Iron's steam holes are "cold" spots. (Do not use steam.) 10) Lift and shift iron slightly then press again for 4 sec. If entire rhinestones do not fall underneath iron then wait 30 sec. and use flat back side of iron for a good 7 sec on the ones you missed. Ok to overlap some rhinestones you already heated. 11) Allow to cool for 30 sec or fan with air for a few seconds. 12) Reverse shirt (the right way) and slowly lift transfer film/tape. If you notice some loose crystals then put back transfer and reapply heat, with iron's flat tip, for 7 sec. 13) Place a piece of paper inside shirt behind crystals. 14) Apply heat on top of crystals as before. Use a paper between crystals and hot iron. Remove paper. Allow to cool. 15) Use tip of iron to fix loose crystals. 16) Crystals are now permanent and dry cleanable!
Hat /Cap:
Read cap fabric label to set iron to appropriate heat setting.
If design can be applied in flat sections, and still maintain the original intended look:
1) Cut design into sections.
2) Place a section on cap, cover with a piece of paper, and apply heat for 7-10 sec.
3) Peel tape hot after 5 seconds
If tape pieces melt and stick they can be picked off with a tightly folded cloth corner, hobby knife, or finger nail. Alcohol or nail polish remover may help. Also, a piece of sticky tape quickly peeled off works well.
If it is not possible to apply your design on a curved cap in sections, here is one way to do it without investing in a professional cap press:
Crumple a newspaper page into a ball. Wrap pages around it to the size of a softball. Use an old linen pillow cover. With one hand holding the newspaper ball inside the hat, use a clean linen pillow cover, and iron using even pressure and outward strokes. Do not over apply heat! Test for just enough melted glue application. Then, remove tape and apply iron in the previous fashion. Use hot tip on iron to re-melt glue and make minor alignments --with minimal force-- takes about 7-10 sec at cotton setting.
Glue Application:
Flat
back rhinestones can be applied with water-based, non-toxic, embellishing
glue. Place a thin stroke of glue on a small piece of plastic, like
a sandwich bag. Use a toothpick with a sticky tip (rubber glue,
adhesive spray, glue stick, tape, hair spray/gel, etc.) to pick
up a rhinestone. With one hand holding the plastic w/ glue, under
a finger, place stone in glue and make circular motions to build
up glue around the edges- this will hold the stone in place once
dry. With a little blowing, glue will dry in seconds on paper and
other smooth flat surfaces. May need to apply more glue for fabric application.
Sweet Tip!: Gem-Tac can be used as a hot-fix glue once dry. When crystals are ironed on, glue will be clear and noticeably shiny on darker fabrics. Test glue amount required for your specific use to minimize this. If crystal comes loose heat can be reapplied; Or, add a bit of glue, let dry, and apply with heat. Ready-made hot-fix crystals from manufacture have a stronger bond, do not have a shinny "ring" of glue, and are dry cleanable.
more tips will be added!
The information and instructions herein is presented in good faith, but no warranty is given, nor results guaranteed.
