Now that Halloween's over, I've had a chance to talk with some people about their experiences with sewing costumes. Many of them used faux sequin (also known as confetti dot or "glitter dot" fabric. It's that polyester stuff with the mylar dots glued on) and said they were so frustrated sewing with it. The needle gets stuck; the dots come off on your iron; they gum up your machine. One person even said "why do they even sell this stuff if you can't use it?"
I'm right there with you. Sewing dance and skating costumes for so many years, I can't help but sew with glitter dot now and then. The main reason people have a hard time sewing this stuff is that the heat and friction from the sewing process melt the glue and release the dots. Fortunately, there are a few tricks that help make the process easier.
1) Use a fresh sharp needle, even though the fabric itself is a knit. A ball-point needle won't penetrate the dots, or at least not gracefully.
2) Lubricate the needle with a silicon liquid like Sewer's Aid (available in the notions section of your local fabric store.) If you're in a pinch, you can just rub candle wax on the needle.
3) Use a high quality thread (that hasn't been sitting in the sun.)
4) Don't press unless you have to, and then use low heat and only on the back side of the fabric (and use a pressing cloth.) Heat softens the glue and melts the dots. It's a mess you really don't want to deal with.
5) Try to sew most of your seams "right sides together" so the dots can't escape onto your needle. If you have to topstitch, you might want to use some wash away stabilizer over the dots. Then just rinse it away when you're done sewing.
6) Sew as slowly as you can, to avoid heating up the glue.
7) If the needle becomes gunky with glue build-up, you can use rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover to clean the needle (don't forget to reapply the lubricant.)
When you're finished with the project, discard your needle and give your machine a good cleaning out. You don't want any stray dots or fuzz to stay inside the mechanical parts. Do you have any tricks for sewing with glitter dot? Share them with us in the comments.
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