Fabrics That May Or May Not Be Used!

YES:  Cotton T-shirts and sweatshirts are probably your easiest fabrics; cotton sweaters are the next easiest; cotton blends, wool, silk, denim (the softer the better, washed several times). Lycra, slinky, velveteen, velour are a little trickier, but possible.

Always test fabrics if you’re not sure.  Always read the garment hang tag for fabric content.

NO: nylon jackets, velvet, acrylic, leather, vinyl, trigger (fabrics with a finish).  Don’t forget to read the garment hang tags for fabric content.

Sue’s Sparklers takes no responsibility for the application or your iron.  No responsibility is taken for the reliability of your iron. House-hold irons may heat up after being used for a long period of time.

Easy to Apply Directions

1.   Always iron on a hard, flat surface (no padded ironing board).  Lay out your shirt.  It is often a good idea to put the hard surface, i.e. an new wooden cutting board on the inside of your shirt, so the melting glue will now penetrate both the front and the back of your shirt.  You can use a non-stick pressing cloth for this purpose.

2.   Peel off the white backing of the design.

3.   Place the sticky side down onto fabric.  If not in the desired place, you may pick up the design and place it again and again.  You may cut the design apart, change it by adding or taking away pieces, nothing is permanent until you press it on.

4.   Put a non-stick pressing cloth (this could be the second one if you are using one inside the shirt) over the design.  (We prefer the non-stick pressing cloth, because we have scorched all the cotton cloths.  You may use another type of cotton pressing cloth as lightweight as a man’s handkerchief.)

5.   Set your iron on a wool setting – NO STEAM.  Temperature may be adjusted as needed.  All irons are different.

6.  Place your iron on the pressing cloth on top of the design.  Your iron will sit there a minimum of 45 – 60 seconds.  Do not move your iron.  Let it sit in place.  This makes you nervous.  BUT – the length of time and your temperature is what is melting the glue.  Make sure your iron sits there long enough.  If it sits there long enough and the glue isn’t getting melted, then the temperature of your iron will need to be adjusted.
** Click Here to see pictures of a design applied with too much heat.

7.   Once you have let the iron sit in one place for 60 seconds, lift your and use the front half of your iron and press down in small sections at a time for short period of time, 3 to 4 seconds, allover the design.  This will help with different size pieces and different heights of pieces in your designs.

8.   If your design is larger than your iron, move the pressing cloth with the iron, and do the next section.  Don’t worry about overlap.

9.   It is also a good idea to turn your shirt inside out and repeat the instructions #6,7 and 8 and press from the backside. Use of the non-stick pressing cloth is highly recommended here, as the glue may have penetrated the fabric and could at this point get on your iron.

10.  Now, let the plastic cool.  There should be a slight ripple or bubbling in the plastic.  If the plastic is perfectly flat, your iron was probably not warm enough.  If it looks like the edges are shrinking, your iron might be a little too warm. If it is really shrunken and you have melted the plastic onto the garment – your iron is way too warm.  Check your temperature.

11. When the plastic is cool, the glue has had time to cool off and harden.  Approximately 5 minutes.

12.  Your sticky plastic will remove easier.  If you run the iron quickly over the top of the design.  This will warm up the plastic and make it easier to peel off.

13. If there are pieces sticking to the clear plastic, you have missed a section, OR if you have let the iron sit there long enough, your iron is not warm enough.  Turn up the temperature and repeat process until you get the glue melted.

14. If there are larger crystals in the designs, size 16ss or 20ss, keep in mind that with the extra depth, you’ll need to use more time to melt the glue.  Approximately 75 – 90 seconds.  If there are small flat pieces next to the larger pieces, make sure they get ironed on securely using the step #7.

15.Your project is now complete!TEST IT! Now make sure the pieces are securely bonded. Rub your palms across the design, up and down, back and forth.  You are feeling for loose pieces. Now, use your thumbnail and aggressively scrape at the pieces. If anything feels loose, you’ll need to re-iron. You have to melt the glue to make it permanent.  Everyone’s iron is different.

16.Once the glue is melted permanently, your garment can be machine washed, machine dried or dry cleaned.  Turn inside out to launder. Designs that contain FLAT colored metals should be hung to dry.

Heat Press: Iron for 10-15 seconds at 350 degrees Fahrenheit using light to light-medium pressure. Let it cool, remove plastic and press again with more pressure.  You can also turn it inside out and press from the wrong side. If you are using epoxy cabochons, make sure to turn the shirt inside out and press against the wrong side.