Swarovski Crystals

[miraclegro]

Okay, ignore the bad spelling, i'm an avid good-speller, usually.

I have a lady making a very pretty dress for me, but when it is done, i cannot decide whether we should use the hot-fix crystals (cheaper in the long run), or the sew on. Another lady who sews seems to think the hot-fix type are "cheap" and i am not sure that is the case.

What is you all's take on this? What are the ones that come with the crystals attached like? Aren't they the hot-fix type? I need help with this. The fabric is a beautifl red stretch velour, and i also wonder if the hot-fix ones will stay on that fabric through time.

Any input is appreciated!

[jenlyon60]

Many people use the hot-fix crystals. I usually hand-glue the stones on. You can also do interesting embellishment with sewing crystals and beads on, but it's very time consuming compared to using the hot-fix or hand-gluing stones.

[miraclegro]

Yeah, i know, the lady who is sewing the dress will charge quite a bit more to hand sew crystals on than do hot fix. I really don't want to spend too much more on the dress, even though i want it to look really nice.

[phoenix]

btw, it's "Swarovski". They are really beautiful, but very expensive. I do my own stoning too (I hand glue them). I also discovered Preciosa stones this year; they're Czech crystal, & for me they were just as flashy & a little less expensive.

[tidesong]

Hot fix generally will do for competitions, you're probably only going to wear that dress three or four times ever and need it to look good and from what I see on my friend's costumes, it seems to do the job reliably.

I personally like sewing my own sequins on, but if you're wanting to keep costs low then I say go for hot fix.

Of course if you decide to continue wearing it regularly for practise and a few stones drop off it wouldn't really matter would it? It wouldn't be too much to touch it up with a few stones before your next competition (if you're going to use it again that is)

[SkatingOnClouds]

I have used hot fix crystals, though not Swarovski. I can't get them to stay on! I have to strike the balance between the heat melting the lycra, or them falling off. Even then they fall off. Perhaps it is the cheaper type of crystals, that the glue isn't as good.

[jenlyon60]

I have noticed issues with the glue on the Korean crystals not holding as well as others.

I know a lot of moms who swear by hot-fix crystals and their Bejeweler/Kandi Kane (2 brands of hot-fix applicators). At least one of the popular dress vendors who will apply stones on request uses hot-fix crystals.

My dressmaker prefers hand-gluing the crystals. Her experience has been that the stones are more secure when hand-glued. With practice, one can hand-glue crystals quite rapidly. I recently stoned the bottom of a dance dress waltz-style skirt in about 5 hours total clock time, and that was with E6000 glue on mesh where I had to glue each stone individually and allow for setting up time before moving onto the next section of skirt. It was a total of about 4 gross of stones [roughly 500 stones]. Simple edge stoning or scatter stoning with a glue such as GemTac goes much much faster.

[BuggieMom]

I do custom dresses and have glued on literally THOUSANDS of stones over the years. Personally, I don't trust the hot fix type. I prefer to *see* how much glue I am applying, and know that there is enough on there. I am also a big time control freak. Go figure...:roll:

Hot fix are not "cheap". They are actually a bit more expensive than the regular glue-less flatback stones. Which may or may not matter. Sometimes it makes a bit of difference when you are buying 10 or 12+ gross of stones.

I have never, nor would I ever, hand sew stones on. I don't have that much patience, and it would be way too costly for my clients if I did that! I have sewn a few sequins here and there, but for overall use, glue is the way to go. I use the aforementioned E-6000 glue.

As for Swarovski vs. other types...I have never used anything other than Swarovski, so I really can't comment on other types. Swarovski has a beautiful cut and sparkle, especially the new 2028 xillion style they have. People come to me for beautiful dresses. A dress before the stoning is just a dress. It comes to life when the stones are applied. So I don't risk using anything other than Swarovski.

As a general rule...whether they are glued or sewn on, never put anything with stones on in the dryer! Glue can soften and you will lose stones, or the flopping around can shatter or otherwise damage stones, which are basically glass.

[Lenny2]

Swarovski applied with E6000 glue (I use a toothpick). I squeeze out a small blob of glue onto waxed paper and dip the toothpick into the blob and then onto the back of the stone. The blob will get too thick within a few minutes, so I use only a little bit at a time before squeezing out a little more. I use a new toothpick every ten stones or so.

[TreSk8sAZ]

I crystal all of my own dresses and many of my friend's dresses as well. I only use Swarovski flatbacks, and I only glue them on by hand. I would NEVER use hot fix because, as someone else mentioned, they fall off and you can melt fabric. It's also much quicker to reapply when you just need to throw some glue on the back and stick it on should something fall off at a competition. Instead of a toothpick, I use a small paintbrush with very stiff bristles to apply the proper amount of glue to the back and rarely do any of my customers complain of stones falling off. I've only had to replace a couple on my own dresses.

[SynchroSk8r114]

My mom has always hand-glued these crystals on. Doing so held up very well as opposed to the times when she's sewn beads on, which became loose very quickly.

I think it's a matter of personal preference and the amount of time you have to decorate the dress. Gluing can be time consuming, but I've found it's quicker than sewing. Plus, like another poster wrote, you can see how much glue you need to apply, which minimizes oozing and mess.

[doubletoe]

Swarovski applied with E6000 glue (I use a toothpick). I squeeze out a small blob of glue onto waxed paper and dip the toothpick into the blob and then onto the back of the stone. The blob will get too thick within a few minutes, so I use only a little bit at a time before squeezing out a little more. I use a new toothpick every ten stones or so.

Yep, same here. E6000 and a toothpick, and none of the 950 crystals I glued on my dress came off in the 2 years I wore it. :) I've heard too many people say the hot-fix don't stay on as well. Also, the regular flat-back Swarovski crystals are cheaper than the hot fix.

[miraclegro]

Thanks for all the input, ya'll, but also, what mm size do you all typically use?

[BuggieMom]

I use the 20ss crystals (4.6-4.8mm) the majority of the time. For adults, you could go even bigger, maybe a 30ss (6.3-6.5mm). For young ones, you can go smaller, maybe a 16ss (3.8-4.0mm), but any smaller than that may not really "read" very well from across a rink. The size I use the most of though, for all ages, would be the 20ss.

[doubletoe]

Yep, 20ss is a good standard size for skating dresses, although you can also have a few larger ones and smaller ones as part of a pattern.

[miraclegro]

Thanks you all! -Miraclegro