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The celebration of America’s independence on July 4th holds the promise of cookouts, picnics, and fireworks. For a festive look, many homeowners like to drape red, white, and blue bunting across their porches. You can show your pride for your country by wearing a bedazzled shirt you DIY using our American flag template. 
How to Use Our American Flag Template History credits Betsy Ross with the design of the original American Flag. However, it wasn’t until 1912 that the specific layout was determined by law. While the law dictates proper usage of the flag, you can use an image of it on clothing. Creating a glittering rhinestone embellished tee shirt is a wonderful way to show off your patriotic spirit. Our American flag template makes it easy for you to bedazzle a shirt with rhinestones. We offer 2 different templates that you can download for free. Both show the placement and rhinestone color needed to create a patriotic bedazzled tee shirt. Furthermore, you can use any rhinestone size. Before beginning your bling project, prewash and dry your shirt. Usually, manufacturers apply chemicals to clothing that can affect the absorbency of the rhinestone glue. Choose a work spot offering a flat surface to lay your shirt. 
Hotfix Vs. Glue on Rhinestones While there are several different ways to attach rhinestones to fabric, hotfix or glue on works best with this project. If you choose flatback rhinestones, you’ll need to punch holes in the template where indicated. You can do this with a Cricut machine or a hole punch set. Then, lay the template on your shirt and mark the placement of rhinestones using chalk or a water-soluble sewing marker. To glue rhinestones, place a drop of glue slightly smaller than the rhinestone on one of the marks. When you gently press the rhinestone into the glue drop, some of the glue should ooze from the sides. This creates a seal which helps prevent the rhinestone from peeling off. Continue gluing in this manner until your design is complete. Typically, craft stores carry several different adhesives. The best glues for bedazzling dry clear and are washable. Our favorite rhinestone glue for fabrics is Gem-Tac for its ease of use. Alternatively, you can also use hotfix rhinestones and transfer paper to make an iron on transfer. Simply lay a piece of wax paper over the template. Then, place the hotfix crystals on the wax paper facet side up in the spaces indicated. Peel apart your transfer paper and place the clear sticky part over your iron on rhinestones. Gently press down on the transfer paper to make sure the bedazzling crystals stick to the clear part. Once you’ve created the rhinestone transfer, you’re ready to adhere the design to your shirt. You can use a heat press or non-steam iron to activate the glue. Furthermore, heat activated crystals are great for clothing that gets a lot of wear and wash. Plus, it’s less time-consuming to apply the crystals. Choosing Your Rhinestone Brand Today, you’ll find a seemingly unlimited number of suppliers when searching rhinestones for clothes. Companies like Temu, AliExpress, and Amazon have realized the potential of selling bedazzling crystals and carry stock. However, not all rhinestone manufacturers use the same material or processes to create their products. Thus, some crystals may not have the quality or sparkle you want. Typically, rhinestone manufacturers may use one of 3 different materials: 1. Plastic Sometimes, you may see these rhinestones types labeled as acrylic, jelly, or resin. Made from synthetic and natural materials, manufacturers inject or compress their compounds into molds. Although the least expensive option, these rhinestones also have the least sparkle. 2. Glass For thousands of years, craftsmen melted sand to produce glass. Early artisans found many different uses for glass including beads for jewelry. Later on, manufacturers added other ingredients like soda ash and lime to add strength and durability. With new properties, artisans could cut facets. Today, glass rhinestones are a popular in-between choice for their price and sparkle. 3. Crystal Crystal is a type of glass created with the addition of lead, barium, zinc, or potassium oxide. It’s denser, stronger, and clearer than simple glass. This allows manufacturers to cut more facets into the stone. Although it’s the most expensive type of rhinestone, it also produces the greatest amount of sparkle. In addition to material, rhinestones also have a different number of facets and arrangements. Facets interact with light acting as a mirror and reflecting it to the viewer. Ultimately, their angle and alignment will affect the rhinestone’s sparkle. For even light distribution, facets must be symmetrical and uniform. Rhinestones Etc. currently offers 2 high-quality brands, Preciosa and PriceLess. Both are high-quality crystal rhinestones. Moreover, we provide same-day shipping when you order before 2 PM. Browse our online store to find the perfect rhinestone color for your project.
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Are you new to creating blinged out projects? If so, you may have noticed that rhinestones have a unique unit of measurement. You may have seen sizes listed as 6ss, 12ss, 20ss, or 30ss. While you are familiar with inches and millimeters, “ss” is an unfamiliar unit of measurement. Since you don’t understand this term, you have no idea whether the rhinestone is large or small. Is there a way to translate rhinestone sizes into something recognizable? 
The History of Rhinestone Sizes To understand the term “ss”, we must go back in history to when rhinestones were a natural resource. Originally, gem hunters collected a unique type of quartz found only along the banks of the Rhine River. During formation, lead mixed with silicon and oxygen to give this type of quartz glittering properties. Finders of these sparkling stones grouped them by dropping them into different size holes. These gem hunters assigned a number to each hole with smaller stones having smaller numbers. So, whichever hole number the quartz fit into became the stone size. Later, stone size became abbreviated to “ss” As years passed, this natural resource became depleted and manufacturers developed processes to replicate this glittering quartz. Today, rhinestone manufacturers continue to use stone size as the unit of measurement to describe rhinestone sizes 
Choosing the Perfect Rhinestone Size Typically, most rhinestone retailers offer a rhinestone size chart with the accompanying millimeter length. This enables you to check the stone size against a ruler. Generally, the larger the number, the bigger the rhinestone. So, a 6ss embellishment will be much smaller than a 34ss one. Sometimes, your bling project can help guide you in choosing a size. For example, you’ll probably choose a smaller rhinestone when gluing rhinestones on fingernails. Some manufacturers offer tiny rhinestone sizes like 5ss, perfect for adding a bit of sparkle. On the other hand, you may want to use a large size for a dance costume. Generally, popular sizes include 16ss, 20ss, and 30ss. Yet, choosing a rhinestone is a personal preference and there are no wrong choices. Furthermore, you don’t have to stick with only one size. Scatter patterns are a trendy and stylish way to use rhinestones on clothing, especially for skating and dance costumes. Additionally, if your design has curves or lettering, you may find using several sizes work better. Rhinestone Size and Sparkle Will a bigger rhinestone sparkle more than a smaller one? Generally, the material, the number of facets, and their arrangement affect sparkle the most. Typically, rhinestones made from crystal sparkle more than both acrylic and glass rhinestones. Additionally, manufacturers cut facets at different angles. This determines how light penetrates and exits the rhinestone to create scintillation and sparkle. Of course, larger rhinestones will also have larger facets to reflect light to the viewer. Usually, higher quality rhinestone manufacturers use crystal. Generally, crystal is a form of glass with an additional ingredient. In the past, manufacturers used lead oxide. With health concerns, today many rhinestone companies use barium, zinc, or potassium oxide instead. Crystal is stronger and denser than glass allowing greater precision in facet cutting. Buying High Quality Crystal Rhinestones Today, crafters bling out many types of objects including clothing, shoes, sunglasses, purses, and tumblers. By adding rhinestones, you create visual interest with texture, sparkle, and color. Once you understand the unit of measurement, it’s easier to choose the perfect size for your project. When shopping for high quality crystal rhinestones, trust Rhinestones Etc. Since 2011. We offer competitive pricing, fast processing times, and great customer service. Browse our online store to find the right color and size rhinestones for your bling project. Macramé is that craft using knotting techniques and some type of cord. Chiefly, common types of cord include cotton, linen, jute, leather or yard. Moreover, the craft is ancient, probably dating back to around 500 BC where the Persians and Syrians used it. From there it spread to other Arab countries, and then finally Western Europe. Today, macramé has become fashionable in jewelry making, mainly bracelets. To make a macramé bracelet, the crafter mainly uses square knots, weaving beads in between. Fancier bracelets use pave beads, which are beads covered in rhinestones. This tutorial shows you how to make a macramé bracelet with beads that is quick and easy.  How to Make a Macramé bracelet For this project you need: Cord in the following lengths: 2 ft, 4 ft, and 2 ft Beads - 5 size 12mm and 2 size 6mm Glue If you have a macramé board, insert one of the 2 ft pieces of cord in the slot. You'll want to leave about 8 inches hanging behind the board. Or you can use a clipboard as I did or simply tape the piece of cord to the table. Take the 4 ft cord and find the center by folding it in half. Place the center of this cord underneath the cord attached to your macramé board. If you are using a clipboard, or have taped the cord to the table, start about 8 inches down. Now you will begin making your square knots.  Take the left piece and cross it over the center cord.  Take the right piece and thread the end underneath both the left and center cords. Now, pull it up on through the left corner between the center cord and left cord. Pull to tighten. Repeat starting with the right cord crossing over the center cord. Then take the left cord, thread it underneath both right and center cords. Again, pulling it up, this time on the right corner between the center and right cord. You now have one square knot.  How to Add Beads to Your Macramé Bracelet Continue making square knots until you have 3 square knots. Take a bead and thread it through the center cord.  Slide to the bead so that it is up against the square knots. Make your next square knot around the bead. Again, continue knotting until you have made 3 knots. Slide another bead on and continue knotting. You can make your bracelet as long as you want, with most bracelets measuring 7 ½ inches. Seal the ends of the left and right cords using super glue, E6000 or some other super strong glue. Allow to dry. Snip the ends of the left and right cords close to the knots. Your bracelet should now look like this:  Form a circle out of your bracelet. One end of the center cord should face up and the other down.  You are now going to make the sliding clasp also using square knots. Take the remaining piece of 2 ft cord and fold it in half to find the center. Place the center underneath both center cords so that one end faces left and the other right. In the same manner as before, make 5 square knots.  Once you’ve made your 5 square knots, seal the ends of the knotting cord with glue. When dry, snip the ends of the cord close to the knots. Thread one of the 6mm beads onto the top center cord. Next, tie a knot about 2-3 inches away from the sliding clasp.  Do the same for the bottom center cord. Seal the ends of the cord with glue and let dry. Snip the ends of the cord close to the knot.  Your finished Macramé Bracelet with Beads These bracelets are easy and fun to make and look fabulous! You can experiment with more beads and fewer knots or different size beads and different types of cord. Try adding pave beads for some sparkle! Each macramé bracelet with beads will be a unique and fashionable piece of jewelry. Do you need some beads to start your macramé bracelet? Rhinestones Etc. has been selling rhinestones online for over 10 years with discount pricing and quality customer service. In addition to our stock of rhinestones, pearls, and metal trim, we now carry pave and clay beads. |
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Copyright 2025 Rhinestones Etc. All rights reserved.