Let's Decorate a Doll Shirt part 3

 

Watch the video here.

 

 

This week I had every intention of getting 2 or 3 shirts decorated. Then real life got in the way and I ran out of time. That meant I had to make a choice between just doing one shirt this week or waiting until next week to give you a longer video. I decided to just go ahead and show you the one I got done.

This is the first of 3 shirts that I am going to show you that involve some kind of specialized equipment. I know that not everyone will have these items but I hope that by watching the video you will get ideas for the future.

This week we are using a Hot Fix Gem Applicator. Mine is the brand Kandi Kane and I have had it for somewhere around 20+ years. I purchased it to decorate my daughter's skating dresses. I got a ton of use out of it for the decade or so that she skated. Then it has sat in a drawer for many years. The gems I used today were actually left over from various skating dresses I made back in the day.

I love how fun this tool is and it is very easy too. You just have to remember to be careful of that hot tip. It is extremely hot, trust me.

If you do a Google search of “hot fix gem applicator” or “hot fix gems” you will get a lot of pages of choices.

The one I have has several tips that can be used for different size gems. The ones I used today were 4mm, this is the size I used to use on the skating dresses all the time so they are what I have on hand. I know they do come both smaller and larger.

These gems are real Swarovski crystals so they have a beautiful shine and look so pretty. They are worth the little bit more that they will cost.

So let's take a look at these gems, the have a beautiful gem top and a flat back that is a dull grey color. The dull grey is the heat activated glue. All you have to do is lay the gems out on your work surface flat side down. After pre-heating the applicator carefully touch the tip of the wand to the top of the gem. Don't push hard just a gentle touch. Lift carefully and turn so the tip is pointing straight up. Watch the surface of the glue. When it is ready it will get shiny and start to bubble just a bit. Quickly and very carefully press the gem to the garment and lift the wand off. Don't leave the tip touching for very long because that could damage the fabric.

I recommend practicing on a scrap of fabric until you get the hang of how the tool works. Once you get used to it it is very easy and a lot of fun to do.

You can do so many fun designs with gems on clothing so let your imagination go wild. 

 

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