How to Sew String Rhinestones with Chani

Rhinestone chains are great materials to embellish your costumes with. They come pre-strung, so they are easy to sew and great for framing motifs and filling empty spaces.

But how do you exactly sew them onto your costume? How do you get that polished look?

In this post, Chani, our alteration expert, will continue her 90s costume refurbishment project and show you how she sews string rhinestones to make decorating your costumes quick and easy. Enjoy! 🙂

How to Sew String Rhinestones

Typically, the string of stones is pulled out leaving space between the rhinestones. Obviously, you get a lot more distance out of your stones doing it this way, and they are faster to sew on. Generally, costumers take a stitch every couple of stones as they create their line. However, you can get a much denser line of stones if you want (and have sufficient yardage) by pushing the stones together as you sew.

In the above photo, the left side shows the string rhinestones extended and spaced out, as most costumers use them. However, I like the look of density that you see on the right side, with the stones pushed together.

To create the look of a line of stones, you will take a stitch between each rhinestone, keeping them pressed against each other (see photos below).

To start, I like to secure the first stone using the prongs that hold the stone (these are called tiffany settings: a metal base with four prongs holds the stone in place).

After securing your sewing thread, hook the thread around one prong on the outside of the first stone (I am sewing right to left, so I will attach the two prongs on the right side of the first stone). (On the costume I used red thread, or would use white to blend in with the silver settings. For this instructional, however, I am using black thread so you can it more easily.)

You can see the top right and lower right of the four prongs that hold the stone. I will take a stitch that makes a loop around the lower prong first, take my needle down through my fabric, then bring the needle back up next to the upper prong and do the same thing. This secures the right side of the first stone to my fabric so it doesn’t ‘flop’ around.

Catching the lower right prong with my first stitch.

Catching the upper right prong for my second stitch.

Take a stitch behind your stone, then push the next stone up against that one, hold it in place with your non-dominant hand (I sew with my right being right-handed, so use my left index finger or thumb to hold the stone in place), and take a stitch right next to that next stone. The stitch keeps the stone in place and pushed up against the one before it. It does require nearly double the number of string rhinestones – and a lot more time – but creates a nice look.

I have taken a stitch immediately to the left of my first stone, keeping it at close to the stone as I can. Now the first stone is attached to the fabric by the two prongs on the right and a stitch across the bar that joins the stones on the left.

With the first stone in place, I push the second stone up against it, hold it in place, and take a stitch to the left of the second stone, as close in as I can. This holds the second stone against the first one.