Craft, Hobby + Stitch International 2014 - part 3

Using Beacon Gem-Tac to Adhere Buttons

I thought I'd better share this one before Valentine's Day becomes a distant memory!

My wall art example for Craft Hobby + Stitch was made to demonstrate the excellent bonding qualities of Beacon Gem-Tac. If you design your project so that you can access both front and back of your base material then you can make use of an iron to heat set buttons, gems and other embellishments. This ensures that they are firmly bonded - how embarrassing would it be if they started dropping off mid-show?  

 

 

I firstly cut the heart swirl and sentiment from a piece of white flocked heat transfer vinyl (HTV) on my Silhouette Cameo and ironed it on to a 12" square of regular felt/flannel. Then I adhered the buttons using Beacon Gem-Tac (actually I practiced various arrangements first in the Silhouette's Designer edition software, which saved a lot of frustration). Although the glue dries clear, excess glue would still show up on the matte texture of the felt, so it was important not to allow any glue to oose out around the buttons. The trick to achieving an 'oose-free' finish is to use a thin coat of glue and to gently guide the buttons into place without pressing - and then some patience! I left the glue to cure overnight and then ironed on the reverse to complete the sticking process.

When it had completely cooled down I trimmed the felt and adhered it to a cardstock frame which I'd earlier cut on the Cameo and assembled with Beacon 3-In-1 glue. 

I love the cardstock frames designed by Lori Whitlock and available in Studio format though the Silhouette store. I've made several and I recently made another of these combined with a 3D letter which I'll share in a later post. Ooh, I just remembered a tiny one that I made way back!

Design Credits:

Heart Felt Wall Art
Janet Packer (The Crafting Quine)
Frame: Lori Whitlock
Heart (adapted): Jamie Koay
Flourish (adapted): Bird's Cards

Sewing Frame
Buttons: Janet Packer
Frame: Lori Whitlock
Other Elements: Silhouette Online Store