Stitching Sequins to Fabric
Get out polyester thread and a sharp, thin sewing needle. Cotton sewing thread can snap or break easily, so use polyester or nylon thread that matches the color of your dress. You'll also need a needle that's thin enough to fit through the hole in the center of the sequins. If you don't have a sewing needle that's thin enough, try a beading or crewel needle, which is used for embroidery.
Make an anchor stitch on the dress where you want to put the sequin. Take your needle and insert it through just a top loop of the dress fabric. Pull the needle through and keep pulling so the thread makes a loop that's about 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide. Then, wrap the thread counterclockwise around the base of the loop and insert the needle through the back of the loop. Pull it through firmly to create a tiny anchor stitch. The anchor stitch keeps the sequins firmly in place so they don't slide around your fabric, which is even more important if you're sewing in a slippery fabric such as satin. This will also help you make straighter seam lines.
Thread a sequin on the needle and slide it down to the anchor stitch. Hold a sequin so its cup is facing up. Push the center of the sequin down onto your needle and pull the sequin down until it's centered on the anchor stitch you made.Tip: Some sequins have 2 holes on the sides instead of a single hole in the center. If your sequins have 2 holes, attach 1 side of the sequin. Then, bring the needle up from the bottom of the fabric and insert it through the opposite hole so you don't sew directly across the sequin. Choose a sequin that matches the color of your dress.
Make a straight stitch over 1 side of the sequin down into the fabric. Decide if you'd like to sew from left to right or right to left. Then, push your needle down into the dress fabric. This makes a straight stitch across 1 side of the sequin. At this point, you could reinforce it or move on to fixing another sequin.
Work a stitch across the other side of the sequin if you want a stronger hold. To prevent the sequin from moving around at all on the dress, bring your needle back up through the fabric on the opposite side of the sequin. Then, push the needle down through the center of the sequin to complete the straight stitch. Look at how the rest of the sequins on the dress were sewn. Sew your sequin so the stitch line matches the existing sequins.
Overlap sequins as you sew if you'd like to sew a row of sequins. Start at 1 end of where you'd like to place sequins and stitch 1 sequin to the dress. Bring the needle up through the fabric and slide another sequin down the thread. Position the sequin so 1 side overlaps with the sequin that's already attached. Then, push your needle down into the fabric next to the sequin. Repeat this until you've made a sequin row as long as you like. This is a great technique if you're sewing sequined trim along the bottom or hem of the dress. If you want to fix a row of sequins without overlapping them, just arrange them side by side as you sew.
Tie off the thread to secure the sequin and cut the thread tail. Once you've fixed the sequin or row of sequins, insert your needle through the last stitch you made and pull to make a loop. Then, bring your needle through the loop and pull it tightly to make a knot. Trim off the excess thread. Remember to tie off the knot on the underside of the fabric so it's not visible.
Using Quick-Dry Fabric Glue
Lay out the dress and put a piece of cardboard under the fabric. Spread the dress out on your work surface and slide a piece of cardboard directly under the fabric where you'll be attaching sequins. The cardboard prevents the fabric glue from soaking through to the bottom layer of the dress. The cardboard doesn't have to be big. You might have an easier time if you use a small piece of cardboard so you can move it around under the dress.
Squirt a drop of glue onto your dress where you want to put the sequin. Buy a bottle of quick-dry fabric glue from your local craft supply store or online. Then, squeeze a single drop of glue onto the dress where you want to put the replacement sequin. If you're going to fix a cluster or strip of sequins, squeeze a line of glue over the area.
Use tweezers to pick up a sequin so the cup faces up. Get out a package of sequins that match the color of the ones on your dress. Put some of them onto your work surface and use tweezers to pick 1 of them up. Position the sequin so the cup is pointing up.Tip: If you don't have replacement sequins for the ones that have fallen off, use small beads that are the same color as the sequin. This can add an interesting texture to your dress. The sequin reflects more light and lays flat when the cupped edges point up.
Press the sequin onto the glue. Use the tweezers or your fingers to push the sequin down onto the dot of glue. You'll see the glue come up through the tiny center dot of the sequin once you've got it in place. If you're fixing a few sequins that are next to each other, place them side by side or overlap the edges to match the sequin pattern of your dress. Wipe your tweezers with a damp cloth if they become sticky and you're having trouble releasing the sequins.
Air dry the sequined fabric for about 30 minutes. Leave the dress to dry for about 30 minutes so the sequins set and don't slide around. The glue in the center of the sequins won't be visible since it dries clear. Once the glue dries, your dress is ready to wear!
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