sewing western horseshow stuff

Betsey: I also sew my own show clothes and put lots of rhinestones on them. I used two methods: Glueing and rim sets. When glueing I use Gem Tac. You can get a nifty glue applicator from Whitestone Rhinestones

253-536-1397. He also sells the rhinestones at the best prices I have found. The applicator is a syringe with different size "needles" and you just push the plunger and a drop of glue comes out. He has a "picker upper" to pick up the stones and set on the drop of glue. It is very fast and accurate. I also use rim sets. You need to buy a small tool that costs about $30. It is trickier to set the stones in the right place if you have a pattern, because you have to set them from the wrong side of the fabric. If you have lines of stitching that show on the back of the fabric you can follow that. I did try the heat set and even bought an iron-type applicator but it is possible to burn/melt the fabric and I did not feel comfortable using the thing. The glueing is easy and I have only had one rhinestone come off all last show season. It is easy to just replace the missing rhinestone. Cheryl

Cheryl--

thank you so much! i did call, and got information. now, i just need to figure out what colors/sizes/amount and then place an order . what size stones do you typically use???

betsey

You are welcome! The vast majority of the stones I use are size SS20. For special effects, like on collars, I will sometimes use larger size SS30, or a combination of 20s and 30s. You can order a sample card that has all the available colors on a clear plastic sheet that you can lay over your garment to see how the colors look - it is a wise investment and not very expensive. Have fun! Cheryl