Hey craft lovers! Today I'm sharing my recent experience with a really cool type of Heat Transfer Vinyl called Chameleon, and I'm giving away TWO bundles of this specialty HTV too!
Chameleon HTV is a smooth vinyl that has a slight shimmery sheen to it:
But what make it really stand out is that it changes in color from different angles:
So head on my shirt designs are blue, green and gold:
but from a different angle the same HTVs change to purple and green:
Items have a cool chameleon-like effect, hence the name:
A few months back I was contacted by a company called HTVRONT (which stands for Heat Transfer Vinyl, Really outstanding, Never temporary) to do a review of their new Heat Press. I've done quite a number of heat press projects over the years so I thought trying out a new type of affordable press would a useful experience for myself as well as other crafters. You can see my review here.
I was really pleased with the performance of their heat press (and its price point compared to another well known version), so when they contacted me about reviewing some of their heat transfer vinyl I was game. I've tried a lot of different brands and types of heat transfer vinyl and had hits & misses over the years, so I was curious to see how theirs measured up. I was very intrigued by one of their most popular varieties, Chameleon HTV.
It comes in a variety of color combinations:
The HTVRONT Chameleon HTV is available in 12x12in sheet assortments, as well as 5ft, 10ft and 30ft rolls. The price points are VERY reasonable and currently they even have a Shopwide Sale going on, so prices on the 5ft rolls (and a number of other products) are even lower.
So how did the HTVRONT Chameleon do?
I used some basic 100% cotton tees for my test projects:
I paired some free clip art files with some pretty fonts to make some cute cut designs:
My rolls arrived as expected and looked even prettier & more shimmery than in the photos. Interestingly, each color was black on the backside. I LOVED how easily it unrolled and stuck to my cutting mat. So often rolls of most kinds of HTV tend to curl, which makes it difficult to keep flat on the mat, but this was perfect.
I mirrored the designs and cut them with my cutting machine, like normal. It cut easily on the basic HTV cut setting and was frustration-free to weed too. The carrier sheet seemed thicker than other vinyl brands, which seemed to make it simpler to remove the tiny bits inside letters. That was a nice time saver:
Since I wanted to use more that one color of HTV for each of my cut designs, I cut the excess carrier near the design edges to put them close together:
HTVRONT recommends using temperature between 302-315F for 10-15secs and medium pressure when using a heat press. They also recommend using a Teflon sheet or parchment paper between the press and the carrier top sheet. I tried 310F with 15secs. I always turn my shirts inside out and do the same on the back sides as well to get better adhesion. They also recommend doing a cold peel, so I waited at least a minute before peeling off the carrier sheets.
Since I haven't had good adherence with HTV when I've used heat press mats under my items in the past, I always use a folded fluffy towel under them. With smooth finish vinyls like this I've learned to put several sheets of parchment under my shirt (and a single one on top in this case) so the texture of the towel won't raise through and affect the design:
A few parts of my cut design had very fine, thin detailed bits (like the tails on the tiniest butterfly wings) that pulled up a bit as I peeled the carrier sheets away so I laid the sheets back down & went over them again with the press for another 10 seconds to get them to fuse better. I think that would have happened with any type of HTV. Next time I'd make sure to use cut designs that didn't have those delicate thin spots to make that easier.
For washing, I turn these inside out and line dry so the vinyl stays nice over time & with wear. I was pleased with the performance of this HTV and loved the effects it made:
Now, how about a chance to win some for yourself?
I'm giving away TWO HTVRONT Chameleon Heat Transfer Vinyl Bundles that include a 12"x24" sheet of each of the following colors:
Sky Blue to Purple
Green to Purple
Gold to Green
