It is often the case that between the years, shows and events costumes tend to get damaged and it is most likely that the gemstones, used to make your costume bedazzle, have given all they can and have started to peel away.
Weather this is from intense dance movement or the wear and tear of time, don’t worry!
In this tutorial we will teach you step by step how to apply more stones to your dance wear in order to replace the ones that have fallen away.
Materials:
- Gem-tac
- E6000 (Read instructions carefully before use)
- Nozzle
- Bee’s wax
- Stick (pens or pencils are a useful alternative)
- Tray
Materials Continued:
- Rhinestones
- Tweezers (to remove excess glue)
- Steamer
- Pillows
- Ironing board
- Trash bags
- 2 swatches of fabric or paper for practice
Removing Excess Glue
Step 1: Before applying glue to replace the missing stones check the garment while on a hanger to see if there are any raised glue dots. Raised glue will prevent the stone from sitting right as well as the glue being able to latch onto the fabric effectively.
Note: You don’t need the glue to be removed perfectly, a little remaining glue is okay to stone over. It is the raised glue that will need to removed.
Step 2: To remove the raised glue, use a steamer a few inches away from the glue spot. Wait for the glue to soften.
Step 3: Once the glue is soft; grasp the glue with your tweezers and pull gently! The glue should come right off.
Preparing To Replace Stones
Step 1: Grab your ironing board and cover it with plastic so that the glue will not ruin your board.
Dresses:
Step 1: Find your pillow and place it inside of your garbage bag so that when you stone the glue you are using will not go through the fabric and stain your pillow. (This will be used as a makeshift mannequin)
Step 2: Put the covered pillow into the dress and place the dress on the ironing board.
Suits:
Step 1: Spread the suit across the ironing board. Make sure that no layers are underneath the portion of the suit you attempt to stone. Note: Also make sure the affected area stays flat. We recommend pinning that area to the board itself.
Step 1.2: When stoning sleeves or pant legs be sure to put either a board (we recommend cardboard covered in plastic) or a thick folded piece of plastic inside. This is so that if the glue goes through the fabric will not stain the other side.
Applying Rhinestones
Step 1: Carefully glue and replace stones on your garment. Use the same size stone as the stones that fell off
Step 2: Continue stoning one side of your garment. When you are ready to flip it over, wait overnight for the completed side to dry. if you are pressed for time wait at least 2-3 hours.
Please note, flipping the costume prematurely will cause stones to fall or slide making the glue spread and staining your garment.
Thank you for keeping up with Lenique! We hope to see you soon!
