Have you seen those expensive rhinestone designs? One style does not fit all. The best way is to do it yourself.

You are uniquely talented. You can design a piece of art or collaborate with a friend to make an heirloom and even probe ancient mysteries.

MATERIALS

You will need fabrics, rhinestones, studs, rhinestone tool* ( optional ), light prisma colored pencil, thread, scissors and paper.

*Different rhinestones require different methods of application. Pronged rhinestones need a tool ( like Gem Magic or Bedazzled) to push through fabric. Some crystals are heat set, perforated stones are sewn and some need fabric glue.

LETS GET STARTED

TIME: 3 DAYS

QUANTITY: A total of 122 rhinestones and studs.

STYLE: Glagolitic letter A. SIZE: 6" X 7.5 "

1) I cut a piece of fabric destined to be a purse, apply rhinestones and then sew it together.

2) To make a template fold a ruled 8.5" x 11" paper in half. Turn the paper so that the lines are vertical. The crease in the paper becomes the center of the design.

I drew this Glagolitic letter free hand and with partial help of french curves, although I could have used coffee lids.

TRANSFERRING THE DESIGN

1) Cut the paper template through both layers. Place your template on the fabric. Use pins to secure your template if you are working in a windy room. Use a pencil or a sharp piece of leftover hand soap to trace the outline of your template.

I used a pencil and I needed to sharped it three times!

2) I started to apply rhinestones in the center of the design inorder to get wiggle room for my tool. Traveling away from the center made my job simple.

3) For design flow large cystals stand in the center and are accompanied by smaller ones. When the design gets skinny it is nice to finish with a large crystal.

DESIGN IDEAS

You are surrounded by design ideas! Why does one of the computer symbols resemble Neptune's fork? I chose mine from the Croatian Glagolitic Script website that features ancient stone tablets and medieval manuscripts. If ancient mysteries interest you then you may consider looking up runes, celtic symbols, or even the Klingon alphabet!

Ever wondered about old school techniques? With a coffee lid or a yogurt cup you could create overlapping circles that symbolize an atom or a galaxy. Fold a piece of paper 4 to 8 times, draw a squiggly line, cut and maybe you have a star.

TIPS

1) If you are designing with pronged rhinestones consider decorating on fabric then applique it to your object because those prongs can poke through fingers.

2) Take your time. When the project becomes frustrating TAKE A COFFEE BREAK.

3) If you use pronged rhinestones on 4 ply denim fabric such as a corner pocket you will need to use fabric glue since it will eventually dislocate.

4) Consider substituting some of the rhinestones with beads, sequins, cabochons, tiny seashells or embroidery.

5) Cluster same color group of three to four pieces inorder to form eye movement.

5) Because this pattern emphasized symmetry I tried to use the same number of colors for each half of the design.