DIY Rhinestone Makeup Bag & Free Stencils for Rhinestone Patterns (2025)

Learn how to glue rhinestones to fabric and get four printable free stencils for rhinestone patterns to create your own makeup bag collection!

Do you celebrate Galentine’s Day?

If you’re looking for ideas, can I suggest a crafternoon with your best girls?

You can make these adorable rhinestone makeup bags. Oh, and maybe these Valentine’s Day bath bombs, too?

Giveaway: Win 1 of 4 Kits to Make This!

I’ve partnered with Beacon Adhesives for this fun project, and we’re doing a giveaway for four kits with everything you need to make your own rhinestone pouch!

Are you wondering how do you apply rhinestones to fabric without having them all fall off?

Or maybe you already know that you can just glue them right on. No fancy tools needed!

What is the best glue for rhinestones on fabric?

From my experience so far, I’m confident that Beacon Adhesives Gem-Tac is the best glue for rhinestones on fabric.

It’s also going to be the best glue to use for rhinestones on shoes or clothes. It will even adhere rhinestone and gemstones to surfaces like wood and plastic, so it’s versatile, too.

There’s a good chance you’ll find Gem-Tac to be the best rhinestone glue in general for several reasons:

• It’s formulated specifically to secure gems and rhinestones instead of a million different things.
• It’s permanent, which means anything you glue with it is machine-washable.
• It can be dried, too. In fact, it actually gets STRONGER when exposed to heat from the dryer.
• It dries clear, and you only need a little bit, so a bottle will really last.

How to Bedazzle a Makeup Bag with My Free Stencils for Rhinestone Patterns

Supplies

This list is the actual items I used for this project, but feel free to use different pouches or even for clothing or shoes! My free stencils for rhinestone patterns will work on any flat, matte surface that graphite will transfer onto, like fabric, wood, vinyl, leather, and more.

• Small canvas zipper pouches
• Gem-Tac adhesive
• 5mm flat-back rhinestones
• Graphite transfer paper
• Free stencils for rhinestone patterns: Sign up for my newsletter to access the free download inmy printable library.
• Scissors
• Pencil or pen
• Optional
  • Tweezers or a wax rhinestone picker pencil

DIY Rhinestone Makeup Bag Instructions

1. Pre-wash and dry the canvas pouch to remove any fabric sizing or residue.

2. Iron out any wrinkles and creases that could interfere with the design transfer.

3. Cut out your favorite design template. Use the cut lines so that you can easily center and line up the design on the pouch, rather than cutting super close to the design itself.

4. Cut a sheet of graphite transfer paper in the same size.

5. Place the transfer paper darker-side-down in the center of the pouch, and lay the template on top of it.

6. Trace it with a pencil or pen.You need to press really hard to make sure the design transfers onto the fabric, or you won’t be able to see the marks. You can lift up a corner of the transfer paper and template to make sure it’s working and then adjust if needed.

Tip: Trace right down the middle of the dots with one thin line. The dots are just meant to show you how many rhinestones to place, so there’s no need to actually trace each little circle!

Tip: It’s helpful to use a colored pencil or pen so that you can easily see where you’ve already traced and fill in any missing spots.

7. Apply a dot of Gem-Tac to the back of each rhinestone, and set it into the design.You don’t need to press very hard, and gently gluing the rhinestones will keep excess glue from oozing out.

8. Continue to glue rhinestones to the fabric along the design. You can use your fingers like I did, or you could try tweezers, jewelry pliers, or a wax rhinestone picker pencil to make your life a whole lot easier.

9. Set it aside to dry overnight. Gem-Tac rhinestone glue actually dries within 1 hour, but you should let it cure for 24 hours before you launder or use your pouch.

Printable Instructions