Summer is just around the corner, that means it’s time to a little razzle dazzle to your closet!✨
This baby tee is truly my pride and joy, and I couldn’t be more excited to finally share it. Every inch of this piece was a labor of love—from the very first cut of fabric to the final rhinestone placement. What makes it so special? Over 1,000 shimmering pink rhinestones, each one individually placed to create a bold, eye-catching design. The star of the show is a large, dramatic hibiscus flower that stretches across the entire tee, giving it that perfect mix of boldness and femininity. It’s everything I love about summer fashion—bright, fun, and totally extra! also, with pop influences everywhere right now (hello, Zara Larsson energy), this kind of 2000’s sparkly look feels especially on trend.
I chose to make this tee completely from scratch, which made the process a little more time consuming lol. But if you’re looking to recreate the look without the full build, you can absolutely start with a pre-made tee you already love. The magic really comes from the design and embellishment, so don’t feel like you have to reinvent the wheel unless you want to.
For those who do want to make it from the ground up, I followed a basic tee pattern as my foundation and customized it to better suit my personal style. I added an extra inch in length so it would hit perfectly right above my hip line. Still kind of cropped, but a bit more wearable for me. I also tapered the waist slightly to create a more fitted, flattering silhouette. These small adjustments make such a difference in whether or not the garment will make it to my ‘favorites’ list.
The fabric I used is a cotton stretch knit at 200 GSM, which gives it that ideal balance of structure and breathability. It’s lightweight enough to stay cool in the summer heat, but still has enough body to hold its shape—especially important when you’re adding heavier embellishments like rhinestones.
I’ve been sewing for nearly 20 years, and one thing I’ve learned is that even something as “simple” as a t-shirt really comes down to having the right tools. Knit fabrics are notoriously tricky, and achieving that clean, professional finish is much easier with specialized machines. If you’re a beginner, I’d honestly recommend starting with a pre-made tee and focusing on the embellishment side first… Unless you’re ready to invest in equipment like a serger and a cover stitch machine.
For my setup, I use the Brother Coverstitch machine for hems, and it creates that beautiful, stretchy, ready-to-wear finish you see in store bought garments. There’s definitely a bit of a learning curve, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a total game changer. For construction, I rely on my Brother 1034D serger, which has been an absolute staple in my sewing space for years. It’s reliable, beginner-friendly, and consistently delivers clean, durable seams. It’s my best friend in my sewing room and I genuinely can’t recommend it enough.
Overall, this project is the perfect blend of craftsmanship and creativity. Whether you’re sewing from scratch or transforming an existing tee, it’s such a fun way to create something that feels completely unique, expressive, and ready to shine all summer long.
Materials & Equipment
You can find all of this stuff in my Amazon storefront here. By purchasing through my storefront I earn a little commission which helps me to continue to work on new projects! Thank you for your support!
- Hotfix tool kit
- or b7000 glue
- Hot fix rhinestones. These are the ones I bought and love! I used about half the bag for this design fyi
- Chalk
- optional ready-made baby tee. I would go for something like this
If you’re making the shirt you’ll need:
- 1 yard of stretch knit fabric around 200gsm, I’m using this Rayon spandex Knit
- baby tee sewing pattern from Mercaditodemoldes
- Serger for overlocking seams. This is my favorite serger
- Optional: cover stitch or cover stitch machine for the hems. Here is a link to the one I use!
Mine is:
Let’s get to Rhinestoning!
- Before we can get to the sparkle, we need a design to bring it to life. I started by loosely sketching my hibiscus flower directly onto the tee using chalk. Don’t worry about perfection here—this step is all about mapping out your idea. Once I had a rough outline, I tried the shirt on and made adjustments as needed, refining the shape so it felt balanced, flattering, and cohesive on the body. This part makes a huge difference, especially with a large, statement design—you want it to flow naturally with the fit of the shirt.
2. Next, prep your tee before introducing any heat. This step is crucial: place a barrier between the front and back layers of the shirt. If you skip this, the hotfix rhinestones can fuse straight through to the other side (and yes, it’s as frustrating as it sounds). I used a simple piece of leftover cardboard and slid it between the layers—it worked perfectly and kept everything protected.
3. Now for the fun part: bedazzling ✨ Turn on your hotfix tool and let it fully heat up. Working in small sections, use tweezers to carefully place your rhinestones onto your chalk outline. I found that placing about 10–12 stones at a time was the sweet spot. Any more than that, and I’d accidentally bump them out of place before I had a chance to secure them. Once your stones are positioned, press the hotfix tool directly onto each rhinestone with firm, steady pressure for about 4 seconds. You may need to experiment slightly depending on your tool and stones, but you’ll quickly find your rhythm. From there, it’s just a matter of repeating the process—section by section—until your full design comes to life.
4. Once all of your rhinestones are set, there’s one final step to lock everything in. Turn your shirt inside out and place your cardboard barrier between the layers again. You’ll see the small backing dots from each rhinestone—this is where the adhesive sits. Using an iron or heat press, go over the entire design to fully activate and secure the glue. Set your iron to the “cotton” setting (around 300°F) and apply firm to strong pressure for about 10 seconds per section. This step ensures your hard work stays put, even after wear and washing.
And just like that—you’re done! A fully customized, sparkle covered Tee that’s guaranteed to stand out. Congrats on your blingy new creation ✨
Thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of the internet! If you decide to tackle this project please don’t forget to shop my Amazon Storefront for supplies! Also- I would love to see what you make! Please tag me if you share any photos or vids, my ig and tiktok are both @hanakobem <3