Pre-Sewing: How to Prepare Sequin Fabric

I have to admit - if you just want to sew right now, getting ready to sew sequined fabric can be time consuming and really tiring. However, in my opinion, they are worth the effort because the final costume is so much fun to wear!

How to add sequins to your wardrobe

cut your sequins

First, you need to cut out your pattern piece. It is important to identify the "fluff" of the fabric. The nap of a fabric is the direction in which the fibers (or in this case, the sequins) lay on the fabric. Sequined fabrics are generally fluffy and directional. If this is the case with your fabric, you need to make sure to cut all the pattern pieces in the same direction! For example, you don't want sequins cut in one direction on one sleeve and another in the other! Therefore, you may need to purchase more fabric to consider the nap direction and make sure you have enough time to complete your project.

Next, when cutting sequined fabric, it's much easier to cut in a single layer. Folding the fabric into a double layer for cutting will result in an inaccurate cut and the fabric moving around because those dodgy sequins just don't like laying flat!

Sequin Sewing Tools

Also, cut the fabric with the sequins down. This way, there will be less sequins flying to your face when you cut. It is also easier to cut from the fabric side than the sequin side.

Final cutting tip - please, I repeat...please, don't cut the sequins with your cloth scissors! Cutting sequins with nice, sharp cloth scissors is a quick way to get your sewing tools dirty! I highly recommend that you use regular craft scissors to cut the sequin fabric or use a rotary knife (because the blade can be changed when it gets dull).

ready to seam

Preparing the seam to sew the sequin fabric

Once you've cut all the pieces, you'll need to remove the sequins from the seam allowance so your sewing machine can get the job done without irregular seams and broken needles.

First, mark your seam allowances. You can do this with fabric markers/tailor's chalk on the fabric side or by hand sewing along the seam line. Hand stitching will be easier to see when you remove the sequins, but it will take longer than just marking with chalk.

When sewing sequined fabrics, hand stitching is easier to see when the sequins are removed

Next, take your scissors (not your cloth scissors!) and cut the sequins from the seam allowance. Make sure to cut the actual sequins in half and scrape them off the fabric, not the threads that hold the sequins to the fabric. In some fabrics, the thread is not individually attached to each sequin; so, if you cut it, you could lose an entire row of sequins!