Where to add stones to a dress

[mikawendy]

I'm planning on adding stones to this dress (http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/skatebuys_1937_46651064)that I'm using for my freestyle program, but I'm having a hard time figuring out where I'd put the stones.
For those of you who are more experienced at adding stones, where would you add them? I was thinking along the top border of the bodice on the green fabric and along the crisscross straps, but I don't know if it will look odd to have the stones along the top of the bodice since it is kind of zigzag because of where the illusion fabric is.

The straps and border are velvet and the fabric is stretchy with glitter, so I'm figuring I would have to use glue instead of hotfix so that I could add additional glue if needed.

[Skate@Delaware]

If it were my dress to stone, I would do as you planned-stone along the bodice top and on the straps. I would also randomly stone the inset on the skirt with very tiny stones AND if I wanted more kick, add some small stones to the illusion. But, I would save that for last in case the dress looks good without it.

Are you planning on mixing different sizes of stones? What color(s)?????? If you want more sparkle, keep the colors close to the color of the dress. If you are looking for punch and to accentuate the bodice, go deeper along that edge, or lighter, like diamond color (but not the clear stones KWIM?).

[jskater49]

I've stoned quite a few dresses - I even stoned my daughter's winter formal that I made.

Straps are a good idea...I don't think I'd do the illusion...I'd outline the nextline - kind of a triangle pattern..use different sizes. And instead of clear, try to find a light stone close to the color of the dress. Then if you want to really get fancy, do a kind of swirly pattern in the middle. Play with it for a while. The most fun part of getting a new dress is figuring out how to stone it! Don't forget the back!

[slusher]

Oooh, this was one of the dresses that caught my eye when I was dress surfing in the fall to see what was new.

I haven't seen this particular one in competition but I have seen the fabric on a different style. It is different - a fresh colour. Nice.

I would use hotfix, but I would stretch out the fabric slightly while applying them, it takes a sewing bird or a patient friend to help. They don't pop off that way.

The matching colour in stones is peridot, emerald is a little too green. I would outline all the straps and also the v-front of the bodice and bring it down more, the illusion is meant just to be that, to keep your girls from popping out.

[jenlyon60]

Olivine or Olivne AB might look nice also.

I'm using a mix of Olivine and Olivine AB on the lime green part of a dress I'm stoning for a friend's daughter. The Olivine AB tends to flash very blue but I think the two AB and non-AB complement each other nicely.

[mikawendy]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I am planning on getting different sizes of stones--for the main stuff, I am probably going to use 20ss, 30ss, and 34ss. (The smaller stones that I peeked at at the fabric store just to get an idea of color and size were TINY and I don't have that kind of patience!)

Yes, color-wise, it seemed like erinite would be too dark. When I was at the store, even peridot seemed a little dark. Jonquil was too yellowish, but not terrible. I originally was thinking of foiled crystal AB (diamondlike but iridescent because of the AB coating), but Skate@Delaware, do you think that will be too light? (I have another dress, plain black velvet and mesh that I wanted to put stones on, so I was originally thinking of buying a whole bunch of foiled crystal AB, to cover both jobs.)

Slusher, in your experience, does hotfix work on stretch velvet? The straps/trim of this dress are stretch velvet and the black dress that I'm also planning on stoning are velvet. Does the hotfix have enough glue that the stones won't fall off the velvet?

[slusher]

Slusher, in your experience, does hotfix work on stretch velvet? The straps/trim of this dress are stretch velvet and the black dress that I'm also planning on stoning are velvet. Does the hotfix have enough glue that the stones won't fall off the velvet?

I had a problem with some coloured stones that fell off, the supplier thought that maybe they were from an old batch. I re-did the girls dress with a new batch and they were okay. I've never had a problem with the clear (diamond) ones. The trick with stretch velvet, especially with straps
is that you have to stretch out the fabric so that the glue sticks to the underlayer. If it sticks to the velvety top part only, it will come off. But there's a fine line where if you stretch too much your pattern gets thrown off, so practice a bit. When they're stuck on good, you should see on the underside a little circle of the glue embedded into the fabric and there will be a litle edge of glue squished out around the stone. Bigger stones are harder to stick, I use 20ss mostly.

It's great that you can see the stones at the store, I mail order them and have guessed wrong. Expensive mistakes but I do end up using them eventually.

[mikawendy]

It's great that you can see the stones at the store, I mail order them and have guessed wrong. Expensive mistakes but I do end up using them eventually.

The store only had a limited color selection. The web sites that I'm thinking of buying from (e-Joyce, Rainbow of Light, etc.) have a color chart that you can buy. I think I'll do it as it will come in handy. Plus, the colors on the web sites (even though they're in photos) all look different from site to site and also look different from what the stones look like in the store, and the color of my dress is hard to match to the stones. (It actually is a little more green-yellow than it looks in photos for some reason. Not much difference but a bit.)

[Skate@Delaware]

Get the color chart-I have one and use it EXTENSIVELY!!!!

As for the AB stones, they really flash so you might want to go less or smaller. If you have time, take your dress into the store where the stones are and even placing the package onto the dress will give you a good idea of the play between the two. It's always good to go with smaller stones, you can add larger later, or tape them (in the pattern you desire) onto a piece of clear mylar and put it over the dress....gives you an idea of what size/color to use.

I am working on a dress (coral) and it will have illusion-I am going to have the stones run up from the bodice into the illusion. That's my take on it.

Mostly, unless your glue is really gooping out, or your lines are very crooked, you can do anything with stones and it will look good on the ice! Don't forget, the closest you will get to the judges is about 8-10 feet and that is mostly moving.....if that puts things into perspective! The only other consideration is video and they don't zoom in at all (unlike my husband who zooms in to see faces).

[jskater49]

I buy stones from here...http://www.rhinestoneguy.com/
they are very fast...and you can get a sample card of every color for $20, if you end up stoning a lot, it will be worth it.

j

[Thin-Ice]

What a BEAUTIFUL dress! I am going to disagree with many of the other posters on this board and say I WOULD add some stones to the illusion. For starters, it will draw more attention up to your face. And you must be fairly tiny to wear such a delicate dress, so you COULD put some stones at the waistline. But for me, I would put a few stones on the pleat of the skirt.. probably a few stones towards the top and then let them "fade out" either by size or spacing down to the hem (or you could go with darker stones towards the top and let them fade out by color -- but this could be harder to do since the color is so perfect on its own). What is your music for this dress?

No matter what you do, it's sure to be gorgeous. Best wishes to you and your new dress!

[Mrs Redboots]

It is a lovely dress. I think, though, I'd only stone (if at all - but that is because I find stoning too fiddly, and it makes me cross. You are probably less fumble-fingered than I am) around the V of the neckline, and perhaps on the shoulder straps.

[jenlyon60]

I personally don't like going too matchy-matchy with the stones, unless they have an AB coating. Otherwise, the effect gets lost at a distance. JMO of course.

[Isk8NYC]

What about stoning the straps and outline of the "V", then stoning a design in the illusion area, like a starburst or a flower? It would appear to "float" if the illusion matches your skin tone.

[Mrs Redboots]

You can actually buy "ready-designed" flowers, starbursts, whatever, that you just have to iron into place.

[flo]

Hi,
That dress looks great on, so how about getting a photo of you in it and put on dots with gel pens. It will give a bit of an idea and you can try a few looks.