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How To Not Mess Up Glitter HTV

Hey my peoples!  I took a short break to finish up some much needed spring cleaning.  But have no fear--I'm back! And I'm back with a tutorial on how to work with Glitter Heat Transfer Vinyl (HTV). 
 
 
 
Materials
  • Design
  • Weeding Tools (if applicable)
  • Glitter HTV
  • Shirt
  • Vinyl Cutter (I use the Silhouette Cameo)
  • Marking Pen (optional)
  • Parchment Paper or Pressing Cloth
  • Tile or hard pressing surface
1. Cut out your design. (Skip this step if you purchased one pre-cut).
 
 
Two tips on this step if you're cutting out your design: 
  • Remember to mirror your design in the software.
  • DON'T cut your glitter HTV with the glittery side up!! It will come out backwards! So unless you plan on reading your shirt in the mirror...
These two steps are essential.  The adhesive is on the back side of the vinyl and a protective, clear plastic is on the front.  You don't want to cut through that sheet of plastic.  That's what allows you to transfer the design and also protects the HTV when pressing. 

I cut my HTV out with a blade depth of 4, Speed: 5 & Thickness: 10.

2. Cut and weed your design. (Again, skip this step if you purchased a pre-made design)
Weeding simply means pulling up the material that you don't want in your final design.  This is what it looks like pre-weeding. Pro Tip: if you're making your own design, always add weeding lines!  It makes the next step so much easier.

Design fully weeded:

TA DA!  This is why it's important to mirror your design and flip the HTV in your cutter.

3. Mark where your design should go.  I don't trust myself to eyeball where the center of everything is so I mark it with a water soluble pen.


4. Place your design on the shirt, cover with freezer paper and press.


I use parchment paper because it typically has a grid, which is very helpful if you skip the marking step.  It's also translucent so you can see your design underneath to make sure it doesn't shift. It also protects your iron and garment. The plastic on the HTV doesn't melt on your iron and the iron doesn't scorch the fabric. 

I used Siser Glitter HTV and they recommend pre-heating your fabric for a couple of seconds to help the HTV adhere slightly before pressing. This helps to ensure that the design doesn't slide around. I used my iron on the highest heat setting and gave steady pressure for 10-15 seconds in each section.  When I was sure the design was stuck to the shirt I peeled the plastic up while it was still warm.  Don't wait until it cools down because you won't be able to separate the two layers.  Once the clear plastic is pulled off, layer the parchment paper on top one more time and give it another press.  This helps the HTV firmly adhere to the fabric. 

This is my set up: I have a couple of tiles set up on my desk to provide a hard, solid surface for pressing. A cushy surface prevents the HTV from fully adhering because it provides too much give.


And there you have it.  A fun new shirt to wear while working out. Or while wearing yoga pants, sipping wine while sitting on the couch and watching Netflix. Am I right or what?

XOXO
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