attaching crystals to quilts

[Joyce D.]

I would like to try attaching crystals to my quilting wallhanging. I have no idea how to go about this. I had looked at a demo online which used some sort of wand. I looked around at JoAnn Fabrics today, but couldn't find anything. I bought some self-stick crystals, but have no idea just how these adhere. Has anyone used these?

[Dawn S.]

Right up my alley! I have been called the "Bling Queen," but seriously if you ever go to the really big shows, you will see thousands of crystals on just one quilt. The wand you are referring to is a Bedazzler. Yahoo Search or Google it, and you can find out who sells them, on-line and in stores. Personally, I don't have one and have always used the tip of my craft iron. Or the side of my iron if I want to heat set a few at a time. A Bedazzler only heats up one crystal at a time. You place your crystal into the tip of the wand, let it heat up, (the glue on the backside turns liquid) then apply it to your quilt or garment. Instead, I place 6 or 8 crystals down at a time, touch the tip of my iron (set on medium) to one crystal, and slowly count to 7 and move on to the next, etc. It is much faster. I just need to be careful not to 'push' the crystal. Just touch it. I also need to be careful not to let the rest of the iron rest on the quilt, so as not to scorch it or melt poly threads. With a little practice this is a really quick way to apply lots of crystals!

You said you bought "self stick" crystals. Did you mean heat activated crystals? Some people also call them hot fix crystals, like Sue's Sparklers (suessparklers.com). This is my favorite shop for Swarovski crystals! Fire Mountain (.com) is another one. Have fun! Feel free to email me if you have any questions!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Nancy R.]

I have a tool like the Bedazzler that Dawn mentions except that the end is flat so it doesn't pick up the crystal. Instead, you do like Dawn does and set the crystal on the quilt and then touch it with the tool for about 8 seconds (more or less, depending on the size of the crystal). It does take a while, but I kind of enjoy putting them on one by one. I got mine at Michael's. I've gotten crystals at Fire Mountain Gems and Cheri's Crystals (http://cheriscrystals.com/). I'll have to try Sue's Sparklers. Looks like they have some fun stuff!

Nancy

[Keith D.]

Hi Bling Queen Dawn and Nancy!!!

Thanks for the information! When do you put the crystals on? I'm excited to put some crystals on one of my quilts (and actually I never thought I'd be saying this because like Carol, I'm basically plain cotton Keith). My project is mostly quilted, and it is fully quilted where I want to use the crystals. Can I put them on now or should I wait until the project is entirely quilted and washed/blocked?

-keith

[Margo C.]

Hey Keith! I'm not a blingy person either, but I do know that you do it after you have quilted so that you don't have to dodge them or sew around them. And, I added some to a tee-shirt that has been washed a bazillion times, and none have come off, so washing doesn't seem to be a problem.
(I don't wear it out...it's just a sleepshirt!)

[Dawn S.]

Yup, Keith! Ditto what Margo said! Always AFTER you have done the quilting, and usually before it is washed. So, if you are eager to apply crystals to that fully quilted area (Be sure you really are NOT going to do any more quilting in that area!) you can apply them now. The best advice I have ever received is; when the crystals have cooled down, 'pick' at each and every one of them with your finger nail, to be sure they are all well secured. By doing this, I have actually found some crystals that I have totally missed with the iron.

Also, practice with a few crystals on a scrap, until you get the hang of it, before you heat set them to your "prized" quilt! They can be moved ever so slightly while the glue is still hot and fluid, but occasionally they will leave a shadow of glue where it was slid from.

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Nancy R.]

What Margo & Dawn said....

Nancy

[Betty J.]

I have the wand, but use my iron like Dawn, the bling queen, does--the wand is entirely too slow for lots of crystals, and I do it after it's washed and blocked. But my tip is that you can move it slightly if it is not in a perfect place after it's hot and before it cools down. You don't want to move it far because it would leave a trail of glue, but if it's a tiny bit off place, you can use something like a bamboo skewer to move it while it's hot to perfection. I think I'm a rhinestone cowgirl at heart...I love the bling. :lol: :lol:

[Betty J.]

small question about that - is it ok to glue the small crystals with little school glue to put all of them on the block, so to see the right position, then to iron all of them with iron (with baking paper protecting the iron etc.).
or do i need to do it one by one and getting nuts

[Nancy R.]

small question about that - is it ok to glue the small crystals with little school glue to put all of them on the block, so to see the right position, then to iron all of them with iron (with baking paper protecting the iron etc.).
or do i need to do it one by one and getting nuts

I haven't tried anything like this and would guess that you'd have problems because the school glue would keep the hot fix glue from contacting the fabric. But it's certainly something to try on a scrap. If there was a kind of glue that disappeared with heat, like some marking pens do, then that would probably work.

Nancy

[Dawn S.]

small question about that - is it ok to glue the small crystals with little school glue to put all of them on the block, so to see the right position, then to iron all of them with iron (with baking paper protecting the iron etc.).
or do i need to do it one by one and getting nuts

I have a feeling, like Nancy said, that there might be a problem with the two substances not playing well together. Since you are trying different ways of doing a mass setting of crystals, you might try a spray startch (it's kind of sticky) set your crysatals, let it dry, and see if they temporarily stay in place. Or, maybe even a spray baste, except that stuff is so toxic, so I only use it outside. Just play around, trying different methods, and if you find one that works, let us know! For now, I usually don't do more than about 5 or 6 at a time, if they are close enough together.

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Pamela O.]

Good topic. Thanks for the info.

[Nancy R.]

small question about that - is it ok to glue the small crystals with little school glue to put all of them on the block, so to see the right position, then to iron all of them with iron (with baking paper protecting the iron etc.).
or do i need to do it one by one and getting nuts

I have a feeling, like Nancy said, that there might be a problem with the two substances not playing well together. Since you are trying different ways of doing a mass setting of crystals, you might try a spray startch (it's kind of sticky) set your crysatals, let it dry, and see if they temporarily stay in place. Or, maybe even a spray baste, except that stuff is so toxic, so I only use it outside. Just play around, trying different methods, and if you find one that works, let us know! For now, I usually don't do more than about 5 or 6 at a time, if they are close enough together.

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

And I would do a test on a sample for any substance you try since I would be concerned about anything interfering with the bond between the hot glue and the fabric. I would probably wash the test sample if you are going to wash your final quilt after applying the crystals, just in case that makes a difference. For example, maybe the hot fix will attach to the starch, but then not be attached to the fabric once the starch is washed out. It's just better to be safe than sorry! Good luck and let us see what you make!!

Nancy

[Dawn S.]

"And I would do a test on a sample for any substance you try since I would be concerned about anything interfering with the bond between the hot glue and the fabric." Very good point Nancy! Almost all of my quilts are wall hangings, and never get washed, so it did not occure to me to add that! Thanks!

Dawn
In beautiful Northwest Montana

[Joyce D.]

The self-stick crystals did not work on fabric. There were no instructions on the package. I tried heat with the iron, but that didn't work. The crystals were a little sticky on the back, but not enough to stick to the fabric. I ended up using Elmer's glue. So far, the crystals are still attached. This is on a wallhanging that will probably never be washed. For storage and transporting, I pinned a piece of fabric over the area of crystals to reduce any friction. There are less than 20 crystals, all in one area. I'd like to use crystals in another project that is ready for them, but would like to use different crystals/method of attaching them. Thank you, everyone, for commenting on this subject.