Easy to Apply Directions-Motifs
Motifs are ready to set. Simply peel off the backing. All the pieces will be stuck to the clear Mylar. Place it on your garment and iron it on. That’s it! But…there are some important things you need to do. Read on and follow all the suggestions and you will have a beautifully decorated garment that will last through washing after washing.
There are a few very important instructions to follow…customers have called me and said they were having problems and every time it was because they didn’t follow these instructions. So first of all…here are a few must do’s…or must not do’s.
A hard flat surface works well if all of the crystals are the same size. When there are several different heights of crystals or metals use a padded board or layers of a fluffy towel to iron on. If there are very large crystals in the design, take them out of the design and add them by hand after the process is done. The higher crystals will stop the small crystals from being heated or pressed into the fabric.
Do iron with medium or wool heat. Do NOT use steam!
Do leave the iron in one place for 25 to 30 seconds and then put pressure on it for another 5 seconds before moving on to the next area.
Do move the iron a little so that if there are any pieces under one of the holes in your iron, it gets the pressure it needs also.
Do let the entire motif cool before peeling it away…But Do NOT let it get completely cold…or warm it up just a little before peeling off the Mylar.
Now that you have read the most important things to remember, let’s do it step by step.
Place the garment on a padded flat surface or a layer of towels. I like to use a padded quilt board when there are different heights of crystals. If your ironing board does not have a thick padding, try it. If the motif doesn’t stick, move your project to a different surface. If the fabric is thin and there is a chance that the glue will seep through to the back, slip a Teflon ironing sheet inside the shirt.
When doing a neckline, it is easier to place it perfectly if you first cut away excess Mylar and the white backing. It is easier to cut when the white backing is still on. Cut the motif into sections if necessary so that it forms around the contour of the neckline.
Now peel off the backing and replace any pieces that may have been moved in transportation or while peeling off the back. Place the design on the garment checking to be sure it is centered and straight…if of course, that is what you want.
You can place a Teflon ironing sheet on top to protect the fabric. It is not necessary for the sake of the design. If you have a Teflon slipper on your iron, turn your iron on high.
Be sure your iron is not too hot and place it on top of the Mylar. Leave it for 25 to 30 seconds…moving it slightly a few times to be sure that the holes have not gotten in the way of heating the pieces. After that amount of time, put pressure on the iron again, lifting the iron and placing it down in a slightly different position. Do not move the iron back and forth. Lift and set it down in a different spot.
If the design is larger than the iron, move on to the next area and repeat the heat and pressure process until you have completely covered the design.
Let the motif cool off. But not cold. If the design gets cold, run your iron over the entire thing to warm it up a little. This will release the Mylar from the fabric. If this step is omitted, when you pull up the Mylar, the nap of the fabric is also pulled and you can get a mark all around where the Mylar was. If this happens, spay sizing can erase that mark.
Slowly pull off the Mylar. If any of the components stay attached to the Mylar, they were not heated enough and need to be heated again. Without pulling it off completely, lay it back down and follow the process again in the loose area.
If there are different heights of pieces in the design, it is possible that you are not putting enough pressure on the smaller parts. Just move the iron around so that all areas get pressure. The glue on the backs of the pieces must be pressed into the fibers of the garment. Or you can then iron from the back of the piece on an ironing board where the heat is closest to the glue.
Once you have pulled the Mylar off, run your hand over the entire design, feeling for any possible loose pieces. You can put your iron back on the entire area or use the Decorative Touch or heat applicator to heat up just the pieces that seem loose.
To be sure that everything is stuck well, you may want to turn the garment inside out and press from the inside after you are done.
When using a heat press, use light to medium pressure with 300 degree heat for 25 seconds
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