How to Attach Hot-Fix Rhinestones

For decorating items at home, **hot-fix rhinestones are the optimal choice.

They already have adhesive applied, which melts when heated and soaks into the fabric. Then the adhesive cools and hardens, attaching the rhinestone to the material.

The type of fabric we want to decorate is very important. The process works best on medium-weight fabrics – cotton, linen, wool. The adhesive will penetrate well between the yarns and securely fix the rhinestone.

On thin fabrics such as organza the adhesive is not absorbed into the fibers, so our decoration can come off quickly.

On materials with too tight a weave the adhesive cannot get between the fibers. Accordingly the rhinestone will not stick.

## Process steps:

• be sure to pre-wash the fabric – this creates a degreased surface that the adhesive will bond to well;
• remove lint and fuzz – the surface must be clean;
• place the rhinestones on the prepared outlines of the design. If your fabric is thin, it's better to place paper between clothing layers beforehand. If you don't do this, the adhesive can seep through one layer of fabric and glue the garments together;
• cover the rhinestones with paper and gently iron for about a minute at the cotton setting (= 160-180 degrees);
• remove the paper.

## Variations:

• you can place foil or thermal paper under the fabric with rhinestones to avoid overheating other layers of fabric;
• if your fabric can't withstand this level of heat from an iron, you can use a special soldering-iron applicator – apply it from above, individually to each rhinestone, and heat.