Tools for Applying Rhinestones
Rhinestones can make an ordinary piece of clothing fancy. Added to a T-shirt, for example, they take the garment to the next level of dressy. Rhinestones can be added to ribbons, denim, hats, caps and handbags. Rhinestones come in sizes ranging from 0.8 mm to 4.5mm. They can be found in multiple shapes, including baguette, pear, square, triangle, marquis, diamond leaf, flower, star and butterfly. The colors are just as varied as the shapes, duplicating the hues of all the natural gemstones with a few more added to the mix. Beginning with a small project will give you the opportunity to learn to efficiently use tools for attaching rhinestones.
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Templates
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When planning a design or pattern you want to apply to a piece of clothing, it's a good idea to draw it out on a piece of paper. There are also many templates available commercially, from simple shapes to complex designs. Templates can be copied and reused within a project or for other projects. The template can be placed under glass and the rhinestones placed on an adhesive surface, or it can be traced onto the fabric using carbon paper.
Adhesives
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When working with fabrics like cotton or denim, hot fix stickers are a good choice. Hot fix stickers are sheets of adhesives that can be cut to size and laid out on a clear glass surface. The stones are placed on the adhesive following the pattern on the other side of the glass surface. There are also rhinestone glues available in arts and crafts stores that work for applying rhinestones to plastics, glass, wood or fabric.
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Clear Plastic or Glass
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A clear surface of glass or plastic acts as a divider between the template and hot fix stickers. It is only necessary for applying rhinestones to materials that can be ironed. Glass from a picture frame will work well, although the size needed depends on the size of the templates.
Sew-on Rhinestones
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A needle and thread and a design template are all that's needed to use sew-on rhinestones. These come in the same size range as rhinestones applied with adhesives and can be sewn onto any fabric. Some crystals come in settings with holes so that they are first sewn together in strands and then sewn to the fabric in the desired design.
Pick Up Tools for Rhinstones
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Tweezers are necessary to pick up and place the rhinestones. Larger stones can be handled by nimble fingers, but placement of small stones is best done with a pair of tweezers. Rhinestone pick up tools are also available at craft stores. This tool has an adhesive on one end and a needle on the other. The adhesive end is used to pick up the rhinestone and set it in place. The end of the tool with the needle is used to move the stone around.
Iron and Ironing Board
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When using hot fix stickers, a heat source is needed to bind the stones to the fabric, and an iron is a good option. In addition to the iron and board, a heat-proof paper is needed. The heat-proof paper is placed on the back of the fabric where the rhinestones are glued in place. This keeps the glue from coming through to the back of the garment and from burning the surface of the fabric being ironed.
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References
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