Instructions

Read all the instructions! Don't go rogue on us. 

There are two sheets of iron-ons and one piece of parchment in this set. The parchment should always be on top of the art when ironing. Press at least twice: once while the art is still attached to the sheet, and once after you’ve peeled the sheet up to reveal the design. Most importantly, the adhesive needs to cool before you peel the sheet up. 

General Instructions for cottons, cotton blends, and most apparel:

1. Carefully cut out your Hot Dang from the sheet, removing any remaining crop marks at the corners. Place the art on your material as desired, white adhesive side down. Place parchment on top. 

2. Using your iron on a medium high heat setting, approx. 300°F, press firmly and evenly for 15-20 seconds. Now WAIT for it to cool. Do not touch it! We are so serious. 

3. Once the iron-on art has cooled, carefully peel the film up. The design may not be completely set at this point, and that’s okay! Do another press with the parchment on top for 10 seconds to finish setting it. Let cool again before moving to prevent wrinkling or sliding. You did it! 

TIPS & TRICKS

Start small. If it's your first time, you may want to start with a low stakes project. Sheets with fine lines and small details as well as fabrics with loose weaves or heavy texture may be more challenging, as the adhesive needs to adhere to a minimum amount of surface area to perform well over time. 

Temp vs. material. These iron-ons work on a variety of fabrics, leather, faux leather, and even cardstock. You will need to adjust the temp according to type in order to apply the iron-on art without damaging your material. When in doubt, start on a lower heat setting and work up until you’ve found a temp that will activate the adhesive but not scorch the material. The recommended 300°F for most applications is usually the same as your iron’s wool setting.

Parchment paper is your friend. Some materials can take direct heat from your iron, but if you’re applying our iron-ons to a delicate fabric, or over a large area, get a full piece of parchment paper to protect the entire surface from direct contact with the iron. Regular kitchen parchment is all you need.

Take Care. When applied correctly and successfully, these iron-ons are long-lasting and can be machine washed and dried, preferably inside out and at a low temperature. But please don’t tempt fate! If you applied these on a trickier material and have minimal experience, hang dry is a safe bet.

Heed our advice, because we aren't responsible for accidental damage that occurs in the performance of this craft. Irons can burn. And remember! That's why kids need supervision.

Tips that get into the nitty gritty: 

LEATHER APPLICATION: 

Leather takes heat really well. It's not the heat that's going to trip you up. 

1. Creasing from the edge of your iron could be hard to remove if you press really hard and do not keep in mind the sharp edge. Don't press too hard and try to disperse pressure evenly to avoid a crease. Specific leather ironing tools are rounded so as not to crease. You don't need a specialty tool, but this may be helpful to know! 
2. Leather is a more slick surface with less texture than fabric. While the adhesive of the design is hot and malleable, it's more prone to shifting and sliding, especially if you accidentally make direct contact with the iron (parchment parchment parchment!!!). Don't start moving the iron around while the adhesive is hot and slidey (technical term). Once it cools back down, it will be stuck in place.

FAUX LEATHER, NYLON BACKPACKS, & OTHER THINGS MOSTLY MADE OF WOVEN PLASTIC:

We have successfully put our iron-ons on all of these materials and more. The advice here is two-fold:

1. Start with lower heat, get a big piece of parchment in case you might slip up with your iron's direct heat, and consider doing more gentle presses for shorter amounts of time.
2. While using a light hand is the way to achieve success, this also means these items aren't going to be good candidates for washing and drying. But who washes and dries a faux leather bag anyway? If you do wash a backpack and some of the iron-ons start coming up, guess what? You can usually iron them back down again! 

CRAFTING WITH KIDS: 

We want kids to feel included in this craft experience, especially because it's one of the least messy DIY crafts out there, but kids under the age of 10 shouldn't use an iron, and kids under the age of 15 could definitely benefit from supervision. 

The best advice we have for helping kids feel like active participants in this craft is, depending on their age, to allow them to cut out their own designs using safety scissors (soon to be available in our accessories section). Then, for ages 3 and up, children can arrange their designs and use thermal tape (also soon to be sold on our site) to hold their creation in place until an adult can take over the ironing process. They can also peel up the tape and film together to reveal the vibrant artwork underneath once it has cooled!