Frequently Asked Questions
We've tried to list our most commonly asked questions about Hot Ribbon. If you don't see your question below, contact us and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
|
Q: Can I iron ribbon straight onto a surface?
A: Yes. Follow our directions for making appliqués. Tack your ribbon in place like when you work on glass, then do your final ironing for 40 sec. with a full-sized iron.
|
|
Q: Can I split ribbon?
A: Yes. You can carefully cut the ribbon to be narrower, within reason. Tiny slivers of ribbon may not have enough adhesive and may pull up easier. Go back over each edge with the hot iron to avoid fraying.
|
|
Q: Can I use the ribbon to hold pieces of fabric in place?
A: No. Beacuse it it so narrow, Hot Ribbon works well for finishing edges, but you need to hold the fabric in place with a stronger adhesive meant for larger areas.
|
|
Q: How can I clean my iron?
A: We recommend cleaning your iron frequently by rubbing the tip against a piece of steel wool. This safely removes any glue build-up.
|
|
Q: How can I get nice even curves?
A: With sharp, fine scissors (embroidery scissors work great) trim the inner edge of your curves at even intervals to bend for tighter, smoother curves.
|
|
Q: What if I make a mistake?
A: You can carefully remove bits of ribbon by heating them then pulling up and removing the unwanted ribbon. However, you can't reuse that piece of ribbon and you may get a bit of glue residue on the fabric in the place where you removed the ribbon.
|
|
Q: What if I need a color that is not available?
A: You can dye white Hot Ribbon with fabric markers, permanent/waterproof markers, or we reccommend using COPIC Permanent Markers.
|
|
Q: What if the ribbon edges peel up?
A: You can iron the edges back down, even after washing. Just use an iron protection sheet between the iron and ribbon, then iron as before.
|
|
Q: What surfaces will Hot Ribbon work on?
A: Hot ribbon works best on cottons, paper, polyester blends, denim, cloth shoes, baseball caps, cork coasters, paper meche boxes, wood, and other similar materials.
|
|
Q: What's causing my ribbon to melt?
A: You are either holding your iron in one place too long, going over the same spot too many times, your iron is too hot, or you aren't using an Iron Protection Sheet when making your final Ironing.
|
|
Q: Why shouldn't I have more than 2 layers of ribbon?
A: If you are using the Hot Ribbon on clothing, we suggest you keep it to 2 layers or less. Otherwise the ribbon feels stiff and doesn't bend with the fabric as well. It might also be more likely to peel up. On flat images, it gets bulky, but does not hinder the integrity of the work.
|
|
Q: Will Hot Ribbon fade over time or in sunlight?
A: No. Hot Ribbon is made from durable polyester ribbon that is color fast for many years.
|
|
Q: Will the coloring bleed?
A: The only colors we've found that might give you problems are the deep reds- red or maroon - especially on white fabric. We suggest you test these first to make sure they won't flow over onto the fabric.
|
|
Q: Is Hot Ribbon Art machine washable?
A: Yes. You can wash fabrics with Hot Ribbon attached. However, if you've made an appliqué with fuseable web, the web may detach, pulling the ribbon with it. We do not recommend hot dryer cycles however.
|
|
|
