In this section, we are going to answer a few questions that we have been frequently asked.
- The first question we are going to share is, “Can you use a hot glue gun on rhinestones.”
Answer: I would not recommend it because you really do not have a lot of control over the glue and you only need a very small amount of glue for gluing crystals. My personal favorite glue is E6000. But definitely use it in a well ventilated room. If you have kids gluing the crystals, you may not want to use the E6000 glue because the fumes are pretty strong. There are some glues out there that are made flexible for fabric and gluing rhinestones. The key to that is you will want the put glue on the back of the crystal, flip the crystal over and place it where you want.
- Another question we have been asked was, “If I am putting rhinestones on lace material, what color should you use.”
Answer: It is really all a matter of personal preference. The best thing I can suggest is that you go to a store where they are sell rhinestones whether you are going to purchase from them or not. Set the lace down and lay some rhinestones on it.. Take a good look and decide which rhinestones are most visually pleasing. An alternative would be to purchase a rhinestone card. If you are going to be doing a lot of rhinestoning, it is a great idea to have a rhinestone card because you can lift up that clear film, put the fabric underneath and really see what how rhinestone will look on the lace. Some people want the rhinestones to blend in with the lace and some want the rhinestones to pop. It is really a personal preference. Plus, the look you are trying to achieve will also be a deciding factor. So, I would say to test it out before you buy any rhinestones or glue them on the costume. That’s the best way to do it.
- The next question is, “Can you dye lace?”
Answer: You can dye most lace but it really depends on the lace. If it has polyester in it, you cannot. It will not take the color properly. It is important to check the lace when you buy it, find out the content. Also, it helps to test dye a small swatch. I do know one way to tell if it is polyester is to burn the edge of a swatch of the material. If it is polyester it will get really crispy and hard. I really have not had a lot of success dying that type of fabric. It is possible to spray fabric paint on it, something that would adhere to the fabric. Again, test it on a small swatch before you try it on the whole piece of fabric. I personally go with material that is Lycra and that has nylon in it because those take a dye really well. The key to dying lace though is to not try to dye it in the washing machine because it will pull on the fabric and the fabric is pretty delicate. Remember, if you want a deep, rich color, the water should be really hot. If the fabric turns out too dark, you do not want to try to take any of the dye out by bleaching it or anything like that because that will just mess up the fabric and start creating holes in it.
I think that answers most of the questions I have been asked at this point. However, if you have any more questions, just let us know. I will be glad to answer them for you. Just experiment and have fun with it.
Remember, it may be just a dance costume but it means a lot to the dancer. With a little fun and experimenting, you will create something that is really different, something no one else could possibly have.
