Quick & Easy Techniques for Making the Perfect 1-of-a-Kind Hot-Fix Template and Easy Creative Motifs Designed by You

Quick & Easy Techniques for  Making the Perfect 1-of-a-Kind Hot-Fix Template and Easy Creative Motifs Designed by You! SewYou.net

If you are a crafter at any level, chances are good that you have come across a tool like the "BeDazzler" and it made you want to bedazzle everything from clothes to shoes and whatever would stay still long enough in between! Every crafty kid wanted to be able to bling every accessory they owned - It even appealed to adults! It called out to the kid in you and caused hunger pangs for Swarovski crystals you didn't even know were possible! 

Ever since I can remember, there have been kits and bundles galore - so much so I don't know who's the chicken or the egg and I was born in the ....AHEM! Oops! I almost told on myself there. There were even stencils available so that we could get to blinging immediately! 

What if I told you there was a higher level of blingage my friend - would you be interested? Walk with me, talk with me. What if I told you that you could design your very own custom-made stencils, and you could do it quickly and easily while you're at it. 

If we weren't living in the new normal, I would suggest joining a crafting circle and splitting the costs of the bulk materials but you could still do that if you held your meetings via Zoom. Hey! What a great idea come to think of it. Let's start one here at "Sew You  Love to Sew!" 

Lol! If someone could remind me every once in awhile to stay on topic, ahem...I'll list links to each item that I purchased and the cost as well. Now, a bit of housekeeping;  the items I bought were all purchased in 2020 on Amazon so hopefully they will still be available to purchase. •Note that each product name is a hyperlink to the Amazon listing or website where item can be purchased. 

I made these instructions myself and I'll attach a video showing the steps using a text motif since I often use hand-appliqued hot-fix embroidery on cloth face masks in my business. You can use the same steps to work with other motifs.  *What I am demonstrating in the video is the use of an A4 light box in tracing a project. I am not tracing a picture in the video but you could use the same steps and techniques to trace a picture.

I don't mind tracing my designs with tracing paper multiple times but since you'll be actually punching the designs out with a hole punch, if you are going to use the design repeatedly, you should make a master copy using a durable paper like butcher paper.  Before using, copy it (most printers have a copy function) so that the original remains a master. (I wouldn't suggest making copies from a copy; doing this repeatedly over time will eventually give you a distorted image). Treat your master copy well and it will return the favor.

Once you've made a copy, you can feel confident moving on to punching the holes for your crystals. It's important that you place the holes around the perimeter of the design. The reasoning for this is that the crystals will actually be making a tracing of your motif. If you place your holes within the body of design as opposed to around the edges, you may end up with a finished motif that is unrecognizable as a design. That would be a real shame after all of that work!

Before you put pencil to paper, there is some preparation work that must be done ahead of time. First, you need to do some reconnaissance of the desired final placement of the motif. You need to know the size of the area where the motif will be going and account for any take-up of seam-allowances or similar considerations. You need to be sure to leave adequate space surrounding the motif on all sides as well and that the motif is centered properly. 

For example, consider a blouse or pants, motif placement needs to be considered carefully to avoid embarrassing mishaps with bottoms or bossoms. Ahem! Anyway, just be mindful of placement  of your motif. Be sure that it is centered properly once placed and that you leave adequate space surrounding it so that crystals don't end up in seam allowances if it is an item that needs to be sewn.

Once you've determined the size of the space that you have to work with, you need to figure out which size crystals would work best with your project.  Because crystals are sized by mm, you know how many stones  occupy an inch. This information is very helpful in helping you design your project but you'll also use your discretion. Would you like smaller or larger stones to achieve to look that you're going for? In some cases, depending up the size of the area that you have to work with, you have to use 6ss stones but if you have a larger space you can have a little bit more discretion.

Now, since we've got all of the why's out of the way, let's move along to the actual step by step process of designing and using a hot-fix crystal template to hand-applique hot-fix crystal embroidery on a project. 

If you're not an artist, you can use scrapbooking  or artist stencils and put together 1-of-a-kind creations using the entire stencil or using elements of several stencils together into one motif. For those who need to use stencils to create motifs, don't worry, I'll list some good sources of stencils where I've found a nicely varied selection at a price that won't defeat the purpose. For instance, there are stencils at my local WalMart but the selection wasn't really geared towards the type of projects I wanted to do plus it was rather small. Even if you're not using stencils to recreate sections of your motif because your art skills art the greatest, small art stencils for curves and straight lines come in extremely handy. French curves and basic small stencils like the ones pictured below are great basics to have as part of your design kit. Trust me, drawing a straight line isn't as straightforward as you might think. Lol!

I didn't check my local Hobby Lobby although you may want to try yours. Pinterest and Etsy are both great choices for low cost stencils and you can actually find pre-made hot-fix templates if you don't want to DIY your own. If you don't mind waiting, the Wish app is a constant source of inspiration at a low cost, just make sure you check the shipping costs before ordering.

 Remember the days when you could get free shipping on Wish? #lesigh! I generally always have orders coming in from Wish so the waiting doesn't bother me. I've always got Something to open from Wish. Lol! Please share your sources for stencils and templates - if you don't mind us sharing that information with the SY Fam that is. If we post your information, as always, you'll get a code for a free face or sleep mask of your choice. Sharing is caring!

OK - Let's Start!

1. Draw your motif on graph paper. (drawing with graph paper helps you to keep control of the measurements of the project. Oftentimes the project needs to be a certain size and the elements needs to be a certain size or there are symmetrical elements. Graph paper allows you to keep everything aligned and within your frame.)

2. Use tracing paper & light box to recreate the "hole template".  

(Bienfang 12" x 20 yard sketching & tracing paper $7.49) 

(Cotanic A4 Dimmable Light Box  $16.99). You'll want to use a hole punch that is based on the size of the crystals that you'll be working with. The crystals need to be able to seat themselves into the holes that you punched easily just by you sweeping over them with your brush. (AIEX 1mm Paper Hole Punch $10.98)  Although the paper punch that I am using is 1mm, the size of the crystals in this case are 6ss or 2mm. I use the awl that comes with the KEAYOO leather hole punch kit below to make the holes a bit bigger. The leather hole punch has a 2mm punch included in it's multiple punches, but it doesn't make a clean punch on paper or vinyl like the paper punch does and a 2mm hole punch wasn't available when I was shopping so using the awl provides a workable solution. It is important that the crystals be able to sit down properly into the holes that you punch so you need to make the holes of corresponding size to the crystals that you use.

3. Transfer the design with markers to paper. - At this point, transfer your design to a durable paper that can act as a master like butcher paper. 

4. Attach paper with clips to vinyl sheet to make final prototype. (EZ Craft 12" x 12" 40 qty. matte adhesive backed vinyl sheets $20.99) You can use sewing binding clips such as these to hold your paper to the vinyl while making your punches. Depending on the size of the motif, you may have to make folds in order to reach some areas. The important thing to note is to spread it out and iron it if necessary to be sure it is flat for placement measurement. Always treat your master with care and make all copies directly from your master. Never copy from another copy; over time your image will become distorted,

5. Use hole punch and punch holes in vinyl. (KEAYOO Leather Hole Punch $20.99) Although I can not use this kit to punch holes directly in my vinyl, it comes with a lot of tools that are extremely helpful and so it was money well spent. You could certainly get by without it though but it has punches for 2mm, 4mm and 6mm already included. If you can get a clean cut with this tool then it is certainly better than buying 3 different punches. I just haven't been able to figure it out yet but then again I haven't been working with it all that long either.

6. Cut vinyl to size of backing board. (Golden State Art 5" x 7" uncut & acid-free backing board $20.49)  *note Your vinyl does not have to be the Exact size of your backing board here. I am only suggesting that both your design and your vinyl need to fit onto your backing board. If I am working with small designs like names, I sometimes put 2 designs onto one backing board. The templates are meant to be used repeatedly. By fitting a couple of designs on one board, I can just cut my transfer paper to fit the size of the design that I am currently working with and work around the design that I am not. 

You can think of creative ways to cover over the design that you don't want to use so that you don't get crystals into it, right? I'm kind of thrifty so for me, I like to do things as economically as possible. I don't like the idea of wasted space on a backing board if I can easily put another design there. Makes me cringe!

7. Peel sticky backing off of vinyl and attach to backing board. *I have to make a small admission about the vinyl product that I purchased. I wasn't expecting it to be so thin. When I imagined "vinyl" in my head, I automatically imagined something rather thicker than what I received. The owner of the company himself actually reached out to me to ask me what I thought about his product and I asked him if he sold a thicker product that still had an adhesive backing and he said that he didn't but would I still be able to find a use for the product. I told him I would gladly make it work and so I decided that since my backing boards are 5" x 7" and the vinyl are 12" x 12" I would just cut them down and stick them together to get a thicker vinyl sheet that the crystals could seat into. It seems to be working just fine. If you don't want to have to do that, I suggest purchasing the "Kandi's Crystal Template Material" B80302 from their website that I've provided the link for. I was married to the idea of having bulk materials that I diy'd myself.

8. Congratulations! You've created hot-fix template which can be used repeatedly!

How to use template

1. Fill template will crystals (pour crystals in the desired color over the template and use a circular motion with your sweeping brush - or other brush - push crystals in place.  Make sure all crystals are facing up and you have no strays.

2. Peel backing off of transfer tape. (Rococo Designs 10ft x 12" Hot-Fix Rhinestone Sticky Transfer Film $10.98) If you're only using part of your template,  consider cutting your transfer tape smaller. Place the tape sticky side down in your template, rubbing over each crystal to ensure the tape adheres well.

3. Slowly peel the tape away. The crystals should come up with the tape, if you're missing any,  just lay the tape back down carefully and rub some more to re-adhere any that are missing.

4. Now, lay the tape on top of your fabric that you've pre-marked the location for your applique. I would suggest thread basting for marking. You can remove the thread without leaving any marks behind. I'm personally a big believer in thread basting,  I used to hate it but now I realize it can be done quickly and has many benefits and the only downside is your level of patience.  Lol! Finger press the transfer film in place. You'll be able to lift and reposition if necessary until you get your motif perfectly positioned.

5. Place a thin cloth over the design (silk organza works well and is see through but is just a suggestion) and press down with a heated iron for about 40 seconds. The setting should be wool or the highest setting your fabric can stand. Always test first! (Measure twice, cut once is the crafter's rule of life.)

6. Remove the iron and tape. If you have crystals on your tape, reposition and iron again. Lastly, iron from the backside of your project and voila... enjoy your beautiful crystal appliqued embroidery design! Appreciating your handiwork is the best part of being a crafter #IMO. Smoochies!

The total cost of these supplies at time of first printing was$109.91 and shipping was included with Amazon Prime. Graph paper, markers & silk organza press cloth were already owned. Stated quantities enough to make100 DIY hot-fix templates (the qty of the backer boards) and each backer board can hold multiple motifs for me because I tend to work with 5/8" tall text projects. Doing this was extremely cost effective for me!

What fun DIY projects have you come up with lately that have allowed you to save money and economize your time in the "new normal"? #SewYouLovetoSew #theNewNormal

**Please note - All products mentioned in this post and video were purchased with the author's own funds. This is not a sponsored post and no exchange of money or goods was given or promised in exchange for a favorable review. The opinions expressed herein are the author's own and should be taken with your own discretion.**

Remember,  "You Could Buy Off the Rack, But Why?"