Sequin dresses are breathtaking, but sewing sequin fabric can be very challenging!
I recently had a lot of fun creating a very sparkly belly dance dress. Along the way I learned a dozen tips, tricks, and lessons for sewing sequin dresses, so let me share my notes with you, so you can avoid mistakes and make pretty and sparkly dresses yourself! Let’s get started!
Want to make the sparkly dress for yourself? Check it out here!
11 Do’s and Don’t of Sewing Sequin Fabric
#1 Do check if the fabric has any stretch
Often sequins are glued or sewn onto mesh, lycra, or velvet. Check to see if it has stretch and how much the fabric stretches, and in which direction it stretches, especially if you’re making a fitted garment like my dress that requires stretch.
#2 Do check the size of the sequins
The sequins on sequin fabrics come in a wide range of sizes. They can be small 2-3mm or large 40mm. The size of the sequins helps you determine what you can make with the fabric, which I’ll explain in a minute.
#3 Do check the density of the sequins
Sequin fabrics can be covered completely with sequins in an overlapping manner, or a little more sparsely or partially or in some sort of pattern. Checking the density is important because you may need lining if the sequins on your fabric are sparse, and also because this is another factor that determines what you can make with the fabric. Let me explain next.
#4 Do use sequin fabric with sparse, small sequins
If you’re new to sewing sequin fabric, use fabric with small, 2-3mm sequins that are applied sparsely like this fabric. This fabric is quite sparkly and pretty, but as you can see the sequins are not overlapping, and they are small.
This type of sequin fabric is the easiest to sew, and generally, you can use regular stretch needles and you will likely have fewer broken needles. I’ll explain the sewing tips in a bit, but for beginners, I recommend this type of fabric with sparse, small sequins.
#5 Do remove sequins from the seam allowances
If you’re using dense sequin fabric like this one or if the sequins are larger than 5mm, it’s best to remove the sequins from seam allowances. Simply mark the seam allowances with pins, take your seam ripper, and remove the sequins one by one. And keep these sequins for now, because after sewing these seams, you may want to go back and sew these sequins back on by hand to fill up any gaps.
As you can imagine, this takes time and patience. But if you’re sewing fabric with sparse, small sequins that you saw earlier, you don’t need to remove the sequins from the seam allowances, and this is why I recommend this type especially if you’re sewing large pieces like a dress.
#6 Don’t use a pattern that has many seams
So as you can see, if you go for sequin fabric with large sequins, it takes a long time to remove the sequins from the seam allowances. If you go for small sequins, sewing the fabric is easier, but the seams can get bulky. So it’s generally best to avoid complicated patterns with many panels and seams.
#7 Don’t use your fabric scissors to cut sequin fabric
You could ruin your good fabric shears if you use them to cut sequin fabric. I use regular craft scissors to cut my sequin fabrics.
#8 Do use a stretch needle and zigzag stitch
As mentioned before, if you use fabric with sparse, small sequins, you can use a regular stretch needle (Size 75/11) and zigzag stitch. As you see, since the sequins are small and sparse, the stitches go through the holes of the sequins or in between the sequins. And you won’t have many broken needles. Also, if you remove sequins from the seam allowances, you should also be able to use regular stretch needles and a zigzag stitch.
#9 Do expect broken needles
When you sew sequin fabric, expect that your needles will break. As I said, it’s less likely with sparse, small sequins, but it can happen. So have some extra needles on hand, and if your needle breaks, switch to a fresh needle or try a thinner needle. If your needle keeps on breaking, then it may be a sign that you need to change your strategy. it’s probably better to remove the sequins from the seam allowances, and then you will not have broken needles anymore!
#10 Don’t buy yards of fabric right away
Before starting your project, get small pieces of the sequin fabrics that you’re interested in, and try sewing them using the tips mentioned in this video. Every fabric is different, so it’s best to try sewing them and figure out which one works for you. Does it sew easily? Or does it break needles? Will you need to remove sequins from seam allowances? Whatever your design calls for, it’s good to know these factors before committing to yards of the fabric!
#11 Do use a lint roller for cleaning up
After working with sequin fabric, you’ll find a huge sparkly mess on your table and floor and yourself. I’ve tried a bunch of different ways to clean it up like a vacuum cleaner, swiffer, and picking each one with my fingers, but the best cleaning tool is a lint roller. It’ll pick up every tiny piece off the surface.
Just be careful when you peel off the sheet though. If you go too fast, you might sprinkle the sparkles all over the floor again! So do it slowly, and do this over a garbage bag.
And now enjoy sewing sequin fabric! If you know how to handle it, it’s really not that difficult to sew sequin fabric, and the result is just breathtaking! Look at the shine and shimmer!
And if you’re curious about making THIS dress, I have a brand new course where you can learn to make these dresses with mesh cutouts in your size!
Dress designs with this type of mesh cutouts are very trendy among belly dancers these days, and these cutouts help create such unique, professional-looking dresses!
If you’re curious, check out the mesh cutout dress designs at SparklyBelly.com/Leyla!
Check out the mesh cutout dress course here!
Hope you liked this sewing sequin fabric tutorial, and if you did, please share this tutorial with your dancer friends!
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!
P.S. Pin this on your sewing technique board 😉
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