Extend Your Embroidery Product Lineup With Bling (DIY Clothing Embellishment)

Are you a DIY apparel decorator or customizer?

Or do you own and operate an embroidery business and want to expand and diversify your product lineup?

Adding bling is a fantastic way to do it! Integrating bling—such as sparkling rhinestones, shimmering spangles, and sequins—can open up exciting new opportunities. Not only will it make your custom pieces stand out, but it can also help you attract new customers.

In this article, we’ll guide you through seamlessly integrating bling into your existing work. We’ll provide practical tips on sourcing and applying bling, prepping your designs, and equipping your workshop with the necessary tools, accessories, and supplies.

So, if you haven’t explored bling yet or are looking to deepen your knowledge of this embellishment technique, this article is just what you need.

We’ll walk you through the essentials and provide everything you need to get started.

Let’s get to it.

Why Add Bling?

Now let’s get the big questions out of the way: Why expand with bling, not something else?

Well, that’s a good question for starters, isn’t it… what makes bling a standout option for adding variety to your product line?

The answer to that question can be looked at in a few different ways, and could well change with time.

But, the main attraction is to be found in the combination of bold visual aesthetic and market demand. Adding rhinestones, spangles, or sequins to clothing (or any everyday item) creates a visual appeal that’s hard to match with other decoration methods.

Then you mix that with affordable start-up costs and perceived value of these items in this niche market and what do you get? You get a winning formula for expanding your product line.

That, in essence, is what makes bling such an appealing choice for diversification.

Now that we’ve set the stage for why bling could be a great addition to your business, let’s take a closer look at what bling actually is.

What Is Bling? An Overview & Breakdown of Its Scope and Sub-Categories

When you hear the word ‘bling,’ what comes to mind? For many, it brings to mind celebrities, musicians, and athletes showing off their wealth with big gold chains, rings, diamond-studded watches, and grills.

While the idea of ‘’bling’’ started with high-profile figures showcasing their status and newfound wealth, over time it quickly spread to everyone. Now, people from all walks of life wear flashy, expensive-looking pieces and accessories in public. It’s worn by club-goers, dancers, cheerleaders, bands, sports teams, fans, you name it.

But bling is a vast category, much like fashion itself. In the context of custom apparel decorating, bling can be split into multiple sub-categories.

Here we’ll go on to highlight and describe the four main ones:

Hotfix Rhinestones: In its simplest form, rhinestones are 3-dimensional glass or acrylic pieces that mimic the appearance of real-world precious gems. They come in various shapes, sizes, colors, and prices. Typically, these stones have a heat-activated adhesive on the back which requires a heat press (and automatic rhinestone setting machine) for application. We'll cover that part in a later section. Just know that the added dimension and texture of the rhinestones give a sense of weight and depth that you can feel when you run your fingers over them.

Embroidered Sequins: Then there are sewn on sequins. Very simple in their design, round with a hole in the middle for a thread to go through. Typically, sequins are applied with a commercial embroidery machine through an add on attachment. They are stitched flat to the fabric, so they do not move, and are less likely to fall off. Or they may be stitched at only one point, so they dangle and move easily, catching more light. Modern sequins are made from various materials, including plastic, polymer, metals, and eco-friendly biodegradable plants.

Hotfix Sequin Transfers: In many ways, hotfix sequin transfers and traditional sequins are quite similar, which can make it hard to tell them apart. However, the way they are applied is very different. Hotfix sequins, also known as sequin transfers, are pre-arranged sequin designs on a transfer tape. These are then heat pressed onto the garment, eliminating the need for an embroidery machine. They're ready to use and can be applied to any material with consistent, timed heat and pressure.

Of course, we’ve taken a broad look at bling here, but these decoration methods are widely used and popular among decorators. And we hope you can see it that way too by now.

Now let’s figure out where to buy them and how to use them.

How to Source and Apply Bling

Where do you get all the supplies for this? From www.colmanandcompany.com! We carry over 50,000 wholesale supplies, blanks and equipment for customizers and decorators of all kinds.

Whether you need something for embroidery, bling, DTF, DTG, vinyl, or sublimation—we got you covered!

We’re the #1 source for all things custom apparel, and we mean it. Over the years, we’ve helped over 30,000 individuals and businesses turn their curiosity for custom creations into careers, successful businesses, and expansions into new markets.

That’s what keeps them coming back—not just because we sell the right products and supplies, but because we’re here to help you get ahead!

So with that as the backdrop, let’s shift gears now and talk about the application process of rhinestones and spangles.

How does the whole work process look like?

To give you the best explanation and experience, we’ve prepared two video demonstrations—one for the rhinestones and one for the spangles.

Click the play buttons to watch them.

In the videos, we’ll walk you through the entire process from A to Z. By the end, you should have a good understanding of how spangles and rhinestones are applied to substrates.

Typical Spangle Application Process

Typical Rhinestone Application Process

So, how was it? Did you watch the video demonstrations? We hope you now have a clearer understanding of how the rhinestone and spangle application process works.

Okay, we’ve covered a lot of ground here today. If you’ve read through this page by now you should know what bling is, the scope of it, and where to get all the materials from. The missing link? Knowing exactly what accessories, materials, and equipment are essential for setting up your workshop for bling.

So, let us walk you through all these items.

Equipping Your Workshop

So, what exactly do you need to invest in to grow your product lineup with bling?

Well, it really depends on what you already have in your workshop. If you’re just getting started, you’ll likely need to pick up a lot more supplies. But if you’re already running an embroidery business, you might only need a few additional items to round out your toolset.

In whichever category you fall, let us walk you through some essential (and not-so-essential) products you may want to get to set up your bling decoration business.

Rhinestone Setting Machine: There are basically two main approaches to setting rhinestones. The first is using traditional rhinestone templates (stencils or guides), which you can create with a Cricut machine or similar equipment. This method involves placing rhinestones manually or brushing them into the grooves of the template, and while it’s more affordable, it can come with its own set of challenges and inconveniences. The second, more efficient option is to invest in an automatic rhinestone setting machine from CAMS. This machine quickly sets multicolored rhinestones, rhinestuds, or nailheads onto transfer paper according to your design, making the process much faster and more precise.

Spangle Transfer Machine: Up next is the spangle transfer machine. Much like a rhinestone setting machine, it applies spangles onto transfer paper according to your programmed design. It’s generally a more budget-friendly option both in terms of initial investment and operating costs, and it might offer a quicker return on investment. If a rhinestone setting machine is out of your budget, this could be a great alternative.

Glue Dots Applicator: A glue dots applicator is a device used to apply adhesive dots to join spangle tapes together. This allows the machine to seamlessly switch between different spangle colors.

Bling Materials: To use these bling machines, you’ll need to “feed” them with various embellishments. Depending on your system, you’ll need to purchase bulk raw materials such as hotfix rhinestones in different sizes and colors, as well as spangle cartridges or spangle reels.

Heat Press: A heat press is essential for applying bling transfers, such as rhinestones, because it uses even, consistent heat and timed pressure to securely fix embellishments to fabrics.

Wholesale Blanks: And, of course, how could you possibly go without clothing blanks and accessories; t-shirts, hoodies, bags, belts, and other everyday items? You can’t—you’ll want to order them well in advance and in bulk to keep up with customer orders and your projects.

Transfer Paper: Transfer paper is essential for creating rhinestone and spangle transfers. It serves as a stable base or medium for the spangle or rhinestone machine to lay down stones or spangles. When you heat press your design, the transfer paper can withstand the heat, activating the adhesive on the back of the rhinestones or spangles to bond with the fabric.

Design Software: Software like CorelDRAW, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop for creating vector designs and Hotfix Era for converting those files into detailed instructions for the machines to understand how to place the spangles or rhinestones on the transfer tape.

Tweezers & Scissors: Occasionally, spangles or rhinestones may get misplaced. In these situations, tweezers are used to adjust and align them. Scissors are handy for tasks such as swapping out spangle colors or cutting away excess transfer tape around the design.

This is by no means the full list of all the bling essentials. There are way more besides those mentioned, but we’re not here to list them all.

For a full range of products, visit our store where you can find and purchase everything you need. There are pages and pages of various products for you to explore.

For one-on-one help simply call 877-793-3278 or live chat with one of our pros!