In her last post, Chani showed how she started altering the beaded bra top from the 90s.
She found a bunch of glued-on stones coming off of the bra top, so she removed them, and drilled holes to turn them into sew-on stones!
In this post, she will show you exactly how to drill holes in acrylic stones, so you can securely sew them onto your costume. Enjoy!
This is an affordable and easy-to-use tool that will turn any plastic gem into a sewable rhinestone.
When I started to refurbish the Nourhan costume, I discovered that nearly half the stones were hot-glued on. The costume dates from the 1990s, and hot glue gets brittle and hard with age, and the adhesion diminishes as well. Some of the gems simply fell off, and some were half on, half off, while a handful remained quite secure.
Not a fan of hot glue
I am not a fan of hot glue for costuming so I did not want to secure the gems with more glue.
Many of the stones glued on had holes, but just as many did not.
Hand drill I used
I purchased this hand drill so I did not have to replace all the gems that did not have sewing holes. Not only would I lose the wonderful variety of shapes, sizes, and colors (I loved it that the original designer, Shadia, had mixed in the occasional pink, rose, and almost lavender color in them with reds; it gave the costume a lot of depth), but it would be very challenging to find the right sizes and shapes to fit into the existing spots. I did not want to completely remake the costume; I wanted to repair the costume.
The tool consists of a black handle about the width of a big Sharpie marker, with a freely revolving ‘head’ at one end, and an opening for the different sizes of drill bits at the other. A variety of bits come with the drill. You can play with sizes as you learn how to use the tool; they are not, to my knowledge, numbered in any legible way (at least not to my old eyes!). However, I chose one of the smaller sizes and it worked great for 3-4 passes of regular sewing thread, doubled, on a medium-sized sewing needle.
Where you can buy the drill:
How to drill holes in acrylic stones
Insert your bit into the end of the handle, and tighten the handle down by turning. You do not need to get it real tight; finger tight is sufficient. Then simply hold the bit at as close to a 90-degree angle to the surface of the gem as you can, place your index finger on the top of the tool, and use your thumb and remaining fingers on the tool to turn it clockwise – starting to drill. See my video for hand placement on the tool.
On a faceted gem, it may be hard to get the drill started without having it slide down the side of the gem. Sometimes I would hold the gem up at an angle so that the drill was vertical, making it easier to keep it in place until I had gotten started. Generally, however, I found it easiest to drill the holes with the gem flat on a table.
Watch how it’s done in this video ↓↓
Beware of drilling holes in a gem that is partially or fully attached to a costume as you do not want to pass through the gem and into the fabric.
While I drilled plenty that were still partially glued to the Nourhan costume, I would place something hard, like a small piece of flat plastic, between the bottom of the gem and the costume so I could tell when I was through the back and should stop drilling.
How many holes to drill
You will determine how many holes to drill based on the size and shape of the gem. On rectangles, squares, and ovals of a small to medium size (3/8”-3/4”) a hole at each end (or on opposite sides in case of a square) is generally sufficient.
On larger gems, you may want to drill four holes, one on each end and one on each side. It is harder to make larger gems look like they are laying flat if only sewn at each end. On tiny gems, drill one hole in the center and stitch on from two opposite sides into the center hole.
Shadia also used smooth, rounded gems. These were the hardest to drill on, as the drill bit simply wanted to slide off. In addition, you cannot simply drill straight in from a 90-degree angle, or you would be drilling all the way through the dome. For a stone like this, I would start the drill at a 90-degree angle, but once I had a hole started, I would then slowly rotate the drill so it was aimed for the flat base of the dome, coming out the bottom. I never had a problem feeding a sewing needle through, in spite of the fact that the drilled hole was not a straight line.
The drill bits will get dull eventually; when you realize it is taking longer than you think it should to drill a hole, grab a new bit. I did about 75% of the Nourhan costume, however, before I had to change bits.
Tip: How do you decide when to drill into hot-glued stones, and when to leave be?
I decided that if the stone was easily removed, it warranted removal and drilling. If the stone was half detached but the side that remained glued didn’t want to come off, I would drill both ends (even through the glue) and stitch it while on the garment. If the stone was well attached, I would leave it alone.
There are so many advantages to being able to drill holes in plastic gems! They look great; they are lightweight and help keep a costume lighter than glass or crystal; they are inexpensive, and they are easy to find. Even at Ross Dress for Less, I have seen large variety of bags of plastic stones in a myriad of shapes, colors, and sizes. Great to have on hand for repairing many different costumes!
Hope you enjoyed this drilling tutorial by Chani! It’s quite practical, and expands your decoration possibilities!
If you like the tutorial, please share this post with your dance sisters 🙂
If you’re curious about the tutorial and the rest of Chani’s 90s bra top refurbishing project, make sure to sign up for the Sparkly Belly newsletter below so you won’t miss them!
Want to make costumes from scratch?
If you’re more interested in making costumes from scratch…
OR if you want to know the construction of belly dance costumes so that you can disassemble old costumes with confidence (like Chani does)…
Then I have good news!
Next Monday, November 15, 2021, the enrollment for my flagship program, Belly Dance Costume Workshop (BDCW) is opening up for 1 week!
In BDCW, you will:
- Make a custom, perfectly fitting bra & belt and a gorgeous, flared “goddess” skirt with confidence – even if you’ve never sewn before.
- Decorate the costume with a beautiful beaded fringe and other beading & designing techniques that instantly create that professional look.
- Learn practical tips on handling those strange dance fabrics – less frustration, more creation!
- Get additional shortcuts like advanced sewing & designing tricks and techniques, worksheets, cheatsheets, and a special calculator – no more guessing!
…and lots more!
If you’re curious, check out the BDCW teaser on this page! (+ sign up to be invited to the VIP enrollment with special discounts ;))
Let’s make this entire costume to fit YOU!
Click here to check out the BDCW teaser!
Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!
P.S. Pin this image for your future reference 😉
Like what you read? Want to make more costuming bits yourself?
Learn more and sign up for my free email course, Belly Dance Costume Making 101 here!
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