# What are your preferred materials?



## trixie (Mar 9, 2012)

there are sooo many choices for materials and there are just as many people selling it too! 

What do you prefer to use to make your Rhinestone Transfers? 
1. Stencil Material. Since I have the DAS system, I have only used the grey vinyl material, but it does seem to be very expensive. 

2. Hot fix Tape. Again, I have only used what came with my system. 

3. Rhinestones. what do you like? What colors do you use most? What sizes do you use most? If I may ask, who do you purchase from?

4. Shirts. What is your preferred style of shirt to use for your designs? feminine cut tshirts? brand specific? 

any other tips you may want to share with a newbie would be greatly appreciated. 

Also, where is the best price to purchase your preferred materials too if you don't mind sharing. 


Thanks in advance. 
Trixie


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## allhamps (Mar 15, 2007)

trixie said:


> there are sooo many choices for materials and there are just as many people selling it too!
> 
> What do you prefer to use to make your Rhinestone Transfers?
> 1. Stencil Material. Since I have the DAS system, I have only used the grey vinyl material, but it does seem to be very expensive.
> ...


1. Stencil Material - www.jsisign.com @ 35.00 per 10 yd roll of 15" or Sign Warehouse for 20" roll - more expensive, but great for my larger designs.

2. Hot fix tape - import & resale my own 15" silicon tape. I would suggest whereever you decide to get your tape, you get silicon if you are going to be shipping out transfers because it holds better. I use the regular acrylic tape for designs done in-house and to be pressed immediately.

3. Again, import & resale my own Korean stones. You might want to get samples from as many places as you can to see what you like in the price range you want to pay. Rhinestone prices are all over the map right now.

4. I don't do a lot of shirts, but for my "girly" shirts I like the Anvil 1441 baby-doll, for regular unisex t-shirts I use the gildan 2000.

Have fun whatever you choose


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## DivineBling (Sep 14, 2010)

Welcome, Ann! 

I'll weigh in on a few things...

Hot Fix Tape - I personally prefer the Silicone over the economy. The only thing I like better about economy is that it peels really easily off the shirt after it's pressed and the silicone is more difficult to peel. However, the stones seem to shift more easily on the economy, making me take more time to adjust them. The economy is also thinner and tends to fold in when lifted when there are a lot of stones on it. I can also reuse a piece of silicone tape about 7-10 times whereas the economy needs to be thrown out after maybe 2 uses.

Rhinestones - I use ss10 85% of the time. The color I use the very most is Crystal Clear. After that it really depends on what job I'm doing at the time. Right now the school I'm working closely with has colors of blue and green so I've been using a TON of Sapphire and Emerald along with the Crystal Clear. After that I'll make the recital costumes for the elite hip hop team at a dance studio so I'll use a ton of Amethyst and Crystal Clear. It's a good idea to get a sampling of various colors. When I started, I would have thought that I'd use a ton of AB Crystal but I almost never, ever use it. I'd say the colors that pop the most on black are Sapphire, Capri Blue, Indicolite, Light Siam, Light Rose, Light Sapphire, Peridot, and Citrine. I also use a lot of Garnet or Siam for schools who need cardinal or maroon. One thing that I learned is that putting a Crystal Clear outline around a design with darker colors makes those colors pop. I'm attaching a couple of designs I made for that school I was talking about. The logos that were sent to me had either blue or green for an outline and I changed them to Crystal Clear. It made a huge difference.

Shirts - This is always changing for me because manufacturers are always coming out with new stuff. I use the Next Level 6610 a lot because the cotton/poly blend keeps it from fading. It's also super soft and durable without being too thick. It's longer and has a feminine fit. For the larger ladies, I use the men's version which is the 6210. It has pretty much the same cut and the XXL 6610 is the same size as the Med 6210.
For 100% cotton, I use the Next Level 3900. For those who want a really fitted shirt, I use the Bella 8701 and 8751. They're 98% cotton and 2% spandex. They are SO comfortable but not for everyone because they're so fitted. For women who want a looser, less fitted shirt, I use the newer Bella Missy line. The 6400 is a crew neck, the 6405 is a v neck, the 6425 is a 3/4 sleeve v neck, the 6450 is a long sleeve, and the 6480 is a tank. (The shirts in the photos are both Bella Missy.) They all fit the same way so it makes it easy for customers who want to offer a variety of styles to their schools or businesses or team members. The sleeves are a little longer which I'm finding that more and more women are wanting. They are also great quality and they are easy to work with on my heat press. That said, they're a little more expensive than other lines such as Next Level, Gildan, Hanes, Anvil, etc. I REALLY want to like the Gildan, Hanes, Anvil, etc, but every time I'm at a convention and they give me a sample of their new "feminine" cut shirt, it feels thick and boxy to me, even after a whole bunch of washes and dries. There is another line that I LOVE called Pima Apparel. I would use them a lot more if it wasn't so convenient to get the Bella and Next Level locally. You can call most of these companies and ask for a sample. You should find an ISS Show or NBM Show to go to. There is an ISS in Atlanta in September which is a bit away, but you should definitely plan to go since you're right there.
Here is a list of all of the shows around the country this year: http://www.t-shirtforums.com/offline-retail-tradeshows/t172506.html
I know @Rodney, who founded this forum, is planning on attending (and has a cool booth to chat with him in) every ISS Show this year and sometimes plans a little meetup for TSF members who attend. He'll usually post about it in the Offline Retail and Tradeshows - T-Shirt Forums section.

Those are all great questions you posed and it seems you're doing this the right way by being specific on what you're looking for. There are a lot of rhinestoners here on the forum who are usually around to hit up for info.

I wish you well in your new business and HAVE FUN! It's a wild ride!


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## katruax (Sep 30, 2010)

allhamps said:


> 1. Stencil Material - www.jsisign.com @ 35.00 per 10 yd roll of 15"



What I see is $35.00 per 10ft not 10 yards... 10 yards is 30ft....

Am I just not looking at it right?...


Kevin


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## trixie (Mar 9, 2012)

Thanks for the info! 

I attended the ISS show in Orlando and that's what got me into Rhinestoning. I didn't really know what I was looking for there so I was all over the place. I will definately go to the Atlanta show, now that I know what I'm looking for  

Keep the info coming


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## allhamps (Mar 15, 2007)

katruax said:


> What I see is $35.00 per 10ft not 10 yards... 10 yards is 30ft....
> 
> Am I just not looking at it right?...
> 
> ...


Thanks for the correction Kevin. I sell my stuff by the yard, so I tend to type yards as a habit. It is indeed feet.


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## Ldyroscoe (Mar 11, 2012)

Such a wealth of information!!!! I'm looking to add this to our business.


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