Rhinestone Pattern Ideas - Creating A Scatter Design

You’ve decided to create some bedazzled clothes and bought supplies. Yet, when you lay out your dress to stone, you’re not sure where to begin. You’ve seen some rhinestone pattern ideas on Pinterest, but these seem a bit complicated for a beginner.  One easy arrangement is the scattered rhinestone pattern.

How to Create a Scattered Rhinestones Pattern

Often, choosing simple rhinestone pattern ideas is best when you’re a beginner. One easy rhinestone design is the scatter pattern with randomly placed rhinestones. You can use this pattern on dresses, tee shirts, and accessories. Plus, this easy design is virtually foolproof and has some unique variations.

Usually, scattering rhinestones won’t have a structure and require random placement.  A variation is to begin with a center point of closely placed crystals. Then, as you move away from this center, you increase the space between the rhinestones.  This variation gives the appearance of an explosion.

Additionally, you can create a design with a negative space. This design idea uses the scatter pattern around a word or symbol. To create this design, create a template of the shape of the negative space. The picture above shows this technique.

First, cut out a template of your shape. Then use scotch tape to place the template on your garment. Glue rhinestones to your garment spacing those next to the template fairly close together. Furthermore, avoid getting glue on your template because you’ll need to remove it once you’re done gluing rhinestones. You can continue to space the rhinestones close together, or space them further apart as I did.

Once you’ve glued all your rhinestones into place, you’ll need to let your garment lay flat for 24 hours. Then, remove the paper template and you're ready to wear your bedazzled clothes.

Unique Variations for a Scatter Pattern

Of course, you can take this simple rhinestone idea and alter it to make it more unique. For example, using different size rhinestones throughout the pattern will add depth and texture to your design. Or, you can use bigger sized stones in the center gradually shifting to smaller sized rhinestones. This gives the illusion of fading off into nothingness.

Likewise, color plays an important part in your overall design. For instance, alternating between light and dark colors creates drama and interest. Or combine a standard rhinestones color with the AB counterpart to add a lustrous rainbow-like play of color. The ombre effect of transitioning from one color to another is also very popular.

Rhinestone Pattern Ideas - FAQs

Are you excited to begin a bling project but still have some questions? Below, we answer a few commonly asked ones. If you have others, feel free to reach out to us by email.

How Can I Transfer A Design To My Apparel?

As you move on to more complicated rhinestone designs, you’ll probably need to mark the placement of your design. Basically, you can choose a few different methods for transferring your design to your clothing. Stencils can be very helpful and you can find a wide selection online and at craft stores. You can also make rhinestone templates.

Painters or masking tape is another good tool for marking boundaries. Of course, fabric pencils used for sewing work great and you can easily remove the markings.

What’s The Best Rhinestone Glue To Use?

You’ll find several good rhinestone glues at your local craft store. Our favorite is Gem Tac for applying rhinestones to clothing. It’s easy to use, washable, and dries clear. Some other favorites are:

• E6000
• Fabri-Tac
• Aleene’s Flexible Stretchable or Jewel it
• API Crafter’s Pick Jewel Bond
• Supertite

When choosing your glue, check with the manufacturer for suggested use. Some glues work better on some surfaces than others.

Can You Recommend a Quality Rhinestone?

At Rhinestones Etc., we currently carry 2 different quality rhinestone brands. Preciosa has over 500 years of manufacturing experience producing a large variety of sizes and colors. If you want a more cost-effective crystal, PriceLess offers lots of sparkle for less money.

Ready to try out some new rhinestone pattern ideas? Rhinestones Etc. offers free downloadable rhinestone templates to create beautiful, bedazzled clothing. Browse our online rhinestone store to find your size and color rhinestones.