Most of my cosplays include sequins or beading in some way. Sparkle has become my trademark for my costumes! Here are my tips for working with those fiddly sequins and beads, so you can add a bit of bling and detail to your own costumes.
· Use a small, thin needle. Many times I’ve started to hand sew beads on to my fabric, and been met with the disappointment of the beads not fitting on my needle. Ensure you’ve chosen a very small and thin needle, so the beads can fit over it and down the thread onto your fabric.
· Sewing vs. gluing. You can either sew or glue your sequins and beads on. I advise that most of the time it is best to sew them on, unless you’re applying them to a prop or piece of armour that is not made of fabric. This guarantees that they will stay on and not fall off.
· Patience. This is one of the parts of costuming that takes the most time. Since you’ll either be sewing or gluing your beads/sequins on, it will take a long time. You’ll need to practice lots of patience, because sitting hunched over your fabric for hours sewing tiny beads on, and sometimes having those beads pinging off to the other side of the room, can be very frustrating!
· Roughly sketch out what you’ll be beading. Using tailor’s chalk/ a dressmaker’s pencil, lightly sketch out your design so you know where you’ll be sewing/gluing. However, I used the pouncing method when working on my Satine tails’ beading. For my Genie top beads, I used the same sort of pouncing method, but instead I sewed through the paper with a basting stitch onto the garment, and cut away the paper so I was left with an outline sewed with thread.
I find that beading and sequins can often add a lot of detail and a bit of fun, whilst also looking good, to a cosplay. There are many types out there, so have a look at them and decide which ones you like or look the most accurate. Make sure to sew them on with a matching thread!
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