Renee at the Pettit’s Rainbo Sports shop sat me down for an E6000 lesson last time I visited. Her method? She uses a paper plate and toothpicks. I kid you not. So…I tried it on the Ron and Harry pillowcase last night.
It works surprisingly well. Use a small dab of glue on the paper plate (in my case, it was a sheet of printer paper, folded over) – about the size of a nickel. Sprinkle your crystals on another piece of paper/paper plate. Flip them flat-side up. Touch the toothpick to the glue and swirl a small amount on the tip. Touch the glue-y toothpick to the flat side of a crystal. It will stick. Move the crystal to the fabric; flip the crystal carefully onto the fabric so that the toothpick is at about a 45-degree angle between fabric and crystal. Slide the toothpick out and use the dry end to push the crystal into the fabric.
What I like best about this low-tech application is what happens when the glue begins to dry out, which is right away. When the glue begins to dry, it leaves webby strings. I turned the toothpick over a few times and most of the strings disappeared. Any strings that remained I could remove before I touched a bead with the glue. Stray stringy glue is easy to remove from the fabric with a dry toothpick.
Renee uses a lot of glue when she sets her crystals – she makes sure that the glue comes up the sides. Renee does this because sometimes the crystal separates from its foil back. I decided not to do this, but if I see Ice Girl sprinkling crystals over the ice, I might.
I beaded the collar of Ice Girl’s figure skating dress last night with the honking huge crystals (40s and 34s). It took me maybe ½ hour. I have a lot more beading to do tonight. It’s important to remember that, unlike hot fix stones, E6000 requires drying time.
That means I’ll be setting crystals all night tonight. Ice Girl competes on Friday!
It works surprisingly well. Use a small dab of glue on the paper plate (in my case, it was a sheet of printer paper, folded over) – about the size of a nickel. Sprinkle your crystals on another piece of paper/paper plate. Flip them flat-side up. Touch the toothpick to the glue and swirl a small amount on the tip. Touch the glue-y toothpick to the flat side of a crystal. It will stick. Move the crystal to the fabric; flip the crystal carefully onto the fabric so that the toothpick is at about a 45-degree angle between fabric and crystal. Slide the toothpick out and use the dry end to push the crystal into the fabric.
What I like best about this low-tech application is what happens when the glue begins to dry out, which is right away. When the glue begins to dry, it leaves webby strings. I turned the toothpick over a few times and most of the strings disappeared. Any strings that remained I could remove before I touched a bead with the glue. Stray stringy glue is easy to remove from the fabric with a dry toothpick.
Renee uses a lot of glue when she sets her crystals – she makes sure that the glue comes up the sides. Renee does this because sometimes the crystal separates from its foil back. I decided not to do this, but if I see Ice Girl sprinkling crystals over the ice, I might.
I beaded the collar of Ice Girl’s figure skating dress last night with the honking huge crystals (40s and 34s). It took me maybe ½ hour. I have a lot more beading to do tonight. It’s important to remember that, unlike hot fix stones, E6000 requires drying time.
That means I’ll be setting crystals all night tonight. Ice Girl competes on Friday!
7 comments:
That dress is BEAUTIFUL!!
Hello Ice Mom,
My husband and I stumbled upon your blog last night and since then I have been addicted to reading every word you wrote! Thank you for being so thorough and funny! I can relate to so much that you have written about. We are new to skating, just complete a full year of lessons for two girls who are 11 and 6. We are now starting the whole competition gear up for the first time. I purchased a basic skate dress for my oldest and now am trying to figure out how to stone it. I have read your comments on both the hotfix and the glue method. Honestly - which method do you suggest I use as a first time endeavour?
Hi, realdaph!
For the first time stoning a dress, I'd use hotfix crystals. They're easier to apply than the plain flat-back crystals, but the process is slow.
The upside: if you have a JoAnn Fabrics coupon, you can get a pack of Tulip crystals for 40% off or half price. Buy the pack that looks like a wheel and spend just $6 on 200 or 300 crystals (I don't remember the exact cost).
Don't buy that crummy crystal applicator that Tulip makes. I have a BeJeweler Hotfix applicator that works very well. Be prepared to spend $20 on it.
After you're more confident with stoning a dress, then practice with the flat-backs and glue. It can be a messy endeavor.
Good luck!
Thank you for your advice. I have ordered a bejeweler hotfix applicator and will try it out when it arrives. Thanks again.
Well, I recieved the applicator and the hotfix rhinestone and jumped right in but now I am having problems. I'm working on a netting type material and when I push down to adhere the rhinestone, the glue goes through the netting and sticks to the surface below - any suggestions? What type of surface do you work on? Thank you again - I would be lost in the skating world without you!
I use an old china plate to hold onto the hot applicator and another one to hold the crystals, right side up.
You might need to get the tip a little sticky with the wrong side of a crystal so it picks up crystals easily. Too much sticky is a bad thing, though. Have a stick pin handy to remove crystals that won't leave the applicator.
I use a white cutting board underneath the dress material. Make sure you have only one layer of fabric against the cutting board - sometimes the crystals' glue will seep through and then you'll have glued the dress to itself.
With netting, as you described, I'd be kind of worried about the applicator melting the netting - be careful!
Good luck!
When using the bejeweler and hot fix crystals, I was instructed to put a small piece of fabric (like a sheet or pillowcase) between the bejeweler and the crystal for maybe 30 or 40 seconds and then I "finish" for another 10 or 15 seconds without the fabric. When I have tried without the fabric, sometimes the smaller stones get stuck in the bejeweler!! Next week I will stone my first dress with E6000 (lots of crystals) so I really appreciate the detailed instructions Ice Mom!!
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