A solution has been discovered! I know you are holding your breath with anticipation… Heat n Bond Lite. And the Super-Crafter with the answer is my own MOM! (I wonder if she’ll make me send her the $25!?)

Here is a little about the product – which, by the way I purchased at Joann Fabric and Craft Stores by the yard in the fabric department:

”HEATnBOND LITE is a lightweight paper-backed adhesive that has a strong bond without adding extra weight or stiffness to a project. Once applied, HeatnBond Lite is easily sewn through, making it ideal for appliques, quilting, home decor projects and much more.”

So, I got out my ironing board, turned the heat setting to low and turned off the steam setting. I followed the directions and laid my ribbon velvet-side down and placed the adhesive, paper side up, on top. Then just put the iron on top for a few seconds the entire length of my ribbon making sure the entire surface was bonded. Then just peel off paper backing.

The tricky part was then cutting and trimming the adhesive along the length of the ribbon getting as close as possible. This part was a little tedious because I’m kind of a perfectionist and certainly can’t have any adhesive poking out on the sides of the velvet.

But with that done, the velvet was cut into the necessary size to wrap around a clip and as I glued it onto the clip I realized that I was actually holding my breath! I really wanted this to work. Another bonus was that the velvet was not stiff or crunchy in any way. It was easy to work with and behaved just like ordinary ribbon.

FIRST PICTURE: Clippie made without adhesive

You can tell that the clippie is darker than the original velvet and you can actually see the darker areas where the glue has attached to the clippie under the velvet. I was unhappy with this result because the clippie lost some of it’s sweet pink color and looks almost dirty. This effect is even worse on white velvet! So the purpose of the adhesive backing is to 1) prevent the hot glue from darkening the velvet by providing a barrier and 2) create a more uniform appearance overall.

SECOND PICTURE: Clippie made with adhesive

A much more uniformed result. I feel that even though the velvet did darken somewhat, more of the pink color remains using the adhesive. You can see from the pictures that using the HeatnBond Lite makes a prettier finished clippie and I am so happy that it worked. Thanks, MOM! (and don’t worry, the check is in the mail).

Posted by Julie Covey on May 13, 2009