Two Ways to Make Shining St. Patrick’s Day Shirts

Metal is a shiny HTV that comes on a pressure sensitive carrier, and has the same application settings as EasyWeed® Foil (305°F, medium pressure, 10-15 seconds, peel cold). However, while you can purchase Metal from your authorized distributor or reseller, EasyWeed Foil is going to be harder to come by. We know you guys love this product! We know because we just can’t make it fast enough to keep it stocked for all our sellers. So while some distributors may still have EasyWeed Foil in stock, from here on out EasyWeed Foil will only be available at Michaels Craft Stores.

For some of you, Michaels is a quick and convenient stop, but others prefer to stay loyal to their distributors and their discounts. So I wanted to provide you guys with not only one EasyWeed Foil substitute, but two that can be purchased from your authorized distributor or reseller!

First, let’s talk about the new line of Siser Heat Transfeer Vinyl: Metal!

How to Iron On Metal Heat Transfer Vinyl

Step #1: Cut and Weed Metal HTV

Cut Metal with the shiny colored side down and the shiny silver gray side up. Recommended cut settings can be found here. After cutting, weed out the excess heat transfer vinyl.

Step #2: Pre-Iron the Garment

Pre-iron the t-shirt to remove any wrinkles or moisture. If you want to find the center of the shirt, fold it in half and iron a crease line down the center. Next, fold and crease Metal’s carrier then line it up with the t-shirts crease line and….Ta-da! Totally centered!

Step #3: Apply Metal HTV

Once you like the HTV’s placement (usually about 3 fingers down from the collar) place a heat transfer cover sheet on top. Next, with your iron on the “Cotton” setting (and no steam!) press each portion of the Metal HTV for 10-15 seconds. Let the carrier cool completely then peel it away.

Step #4: Apply Glitter HTV

For this design, we’re adding a bit of Glitter. Align the Glitter HTV, cover with a heat transfer cover sheet, and press with your home iron for 10-15 seconds. If you want the Metal HTV to stay as shiny as possible, avoid pressing it a second time. If you like the more hammered Metal appearance, then feel free to re-heat the Metal sections as well when applying the other HTV.

Wait about 5-10 seconds then you can peel Glitter’s carrier while it’s still warm and you’re all set!

Next, let’s go over EasyWeed Adhesive and screen print foil. This is a two step application process, but still produces a very shiny outcome.

How to Iron On EasyWeed Adhesive and Foil

Step #1: Cut and Weed EasyWeed® Adhesive

For cutting and weeding information check out this post.

Step #2: Pre-Iron the Garment

Pre-iron the t-shirt to remove any wrinkles or moisture. Remember, if you want to find the center of the shirt, fold it in half and iron a crease line down the center. Next, fold and crease EasyWeed Adhesive’s carrier then line it up with the t-shirts crease line and….Ta-da! Totally centered! Finally, place a heat transfer cover sheet on top to prepare for heat application.

Step #3: Apply EasyWeed Adhesive

With your iron on the “Polyester” setting, press each section of the design firmly for 5-10 seconds. You can tell the adhesive has transferred to the shirt when it’s clear. Then you can peel the carrier hot.

Step #4: Apply Foil

Cut a piece of foil to size and place on top of adhesive. The color side should always face up. Replace the heat transfer cover sheet before pressing.

Now you can press each section of the design for 10-15 seconds before waiting for the foil to cool completely. Peeling the foil cold will give you the best coverage on the adhesive. There will always be very small bits of foil that don’t transfer to the adhesive and remain on the foil sheet, but that just helps to create a weathered look.

Step #5: Apply Glitter HTV

For this design, we’re adding a bit of Glitter. Since Glitter can’t be layered, the second layer has small parts of the artwork knocked out, so all of the HTV lays on the fabric. This blog post explains how to knock out artwork in Cricut Design Space, Silhouette Studio, and CanvasWorkspace.

With a heat transfer cover sheet on top, I pressed the Glitter (Avoiding the foil to retain maximum shine! If I pressed the foil again it would produce a more hammered look.) for 15 seconds and peeled the carrier warm. Again, just like with Metal avoid pressing the foil a second time to retain maximum shine! If you want a more distressed or hammered looking metal appearance then feel free to press the foil a second time.

EasyWeed Adhesive and foil are so much fun because you can create all kinds of styles! See 3 more ways to use this material in this blog post.

So, there you have it- two ways to achieve a metallic foil look with Siser materials. If this tutorial was helpful or maybe you just like the St. Patrick’s Day shirts, pin the image below to Pinterest!