How to make a rhinestone bandana

What to know first

Everything about a bandana suits hotfix: it is thin, flat, 100% cotton and takes heat well, so it is the fabric a first hotfix project should be done on. What is different is that a bandana is almost never seen flat. Folded into a triangle for the hair or knotted at the neck, three-quarters of the cloth is hidden, so a design spread evenly over the square mostly disappears. Work out how you will wear it, fold it, and put the stones where they land.

What you need

• 100% cotton bandana (blank packs are cheapest)
• Hotfix rhinestones, SS10 and SS16
• Hotfix applicator, or an iron and a pressing cloth
• Card to slide underneath
• Tailor’s chalk

Step by step

1. Pre-wash and iron the bandana; skip fabric softener, which blocks the glue.
2. Fold it the way you will wear it and mark the area that shows.
3. Unfold it, lay it flat and slide card underneath.
4. Set the outline stones first, then fill.
5. Let the stones cool completely, then check each one with a fingernail.
6. Wait about 24 hours before the first wash; wash inside out, cool, and air dry.

Avoid

• Polyester or coated bandanas without a heat test
• Covering the whole square (most of it will be folded away)
• Fabric softener and the tumble dryer