Beyond Thread: Sequin: Found, Studied and Conquered

It's homecoming time once again, the dress has been picked and it is now time for the vest and bow tie to be made. So, my little brother has decided that since his sister can sew he will only wear custom made gear to all important events. (Sigh)

Well, at first sight I thought this is beautiful, second thought oh no I have never sewn with sequin and third where do I find this fabric. I start my online search and find some but this fabrics starting price is forty $$$ a yard. I was nervous to buy this particular fabric offline without knowing for sure it is the right color and kind of fabric. Working at Joann Fabrics I know that there are many varieties of sequin fabrics and at this price I can't make the wrong purchase. With time winding down I have got to get started. So I decided to check around locally and see what options were here for me. My store didn't have any color close to the dress but I was able to get the material for the bow tie to match the shoes. I remembered one of the local stores had been know for there formal fabrics and lace and thought I would give them a chance. Stopped by and I could not believe they had my fabric Yayy....

The store owner informed me it was actually located and ordered for a wedding and the person never returned for the fabric, Great news for me....This picture does not do it justice it matched perfectly. So excited for my find, but now the second thought comes back, I have never sewed with sequin. I am always up for a challenge but this is a very important garment so I have to do my homework of course. I was able to find some really great tutorials and blogs using and explaining their knowledge of sequin. Also, over the last couple of months I have been taking online classes on craftsy.com and the skills learned well they were definitely helpful during this journey. I am always looking for new and tried and true wisdom to help improve my sewing skills, I believe you never stop learning and it is always good to invest in yourself and your talent.

Alright I have done my research and studying and my pattern is picked and it is time to get to work. Homecoming dance is fast approaching

I realized once I started cutting out the pattern this fabric was not to be handled like any other fabric. The single sequins are attached indiviually to a piece of knit tulle type material so I would need to not only line this fabric but also back it directly with a lining to help give it stability and a help is not look flimsy. Because it is not a solid piece of fabric backing it with a lining really came in handy when sewing the actually garment together. I was able to put my marking lines and symbols on the lining.

It's a good thing one of the classes I have recently bought and started on at Craftsy.com was The Classic Tailored Shirt, several of the skills and techniques she used is helping me in the garment construction. She reviewed the classic tailors tack which was definitely my saving grace because there is no way to mark on the fabric for buttons and buttonholes so I used the technique with the bright orange thread to mark the buttons and buttonholes.