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I'm even happy when an Alabama fan watches! Thanks so much!

I love hearing that my videos helped someone! Thanks so much for your kind words and thanks for watching!

Thanks so much! I'm glad it helped. Happy rhinestoning!

Thanks so much! So glad it was helpful to you. Happy costuming!

Wishing all the best on your first dance presentation! Thanks for watching!

Thanks so much! So glad you found it helpful!

So glad you found the video helpful. When I started, I had a TON of dance experience, but only minimal sewing skills. You can do this, too! I'll have to add 2-piece costumes to my "to do" list. Sadly, I'm so busy making custom commissioned costumes, that I haven't had a lot of time to make videos. I'll get there one day!

It definitely would, but that wasn't the look I was going for with this one ... AND I was using items I have "on hand" (free) since I only made this costume for video demonstration pieces. In an upcoming video I will show how I stone it with flatback pearls and rhinestones. It definitely will add texture and depth to the overall look of the piece.

Darts or princess seams are going to be your friend with a large busted dancer. Try to find a pattern with either of those to use as your starting point. I cut the bust/waist/hip measurements as they are for each person, so one person might be a L bust, but M waist and hip or some other combination. When I'm doing a costume for a large busted client, I usually use my mannequin wearing a bra filled to my client's size (bust and under bust measurement) then drape the cut bodice and pin my darts in. You also may want to watch some videos on increasing the bust measurement on a pattern. (Sorry, I don't have any of those.) When I sew for myself (which is rare), I refer back to those to adjust my patterns. I can't recommend a specific one, but there are a few out there that I found helpful.

Thanks so much! It's been a busy couple of years for me with building a new house and hosting our daughter's wedding at our home! I hope to post more after I get through this costume season. Hopefully, summer 2025 is a good posting year, so there's more to come!

I'm so glad it worked for you! I know it's technically correct to do it a different way where the seam doesn't show, but this is so easy! And ... if you're going to cover the straps with rhinestones anyway, the topstitching doesn't ever show!

That's usually how I do it! You can even shade with stones! Anything you can do with a paintbrush, you can do with rhinestones! Flatback pears are also a nice touch. They don't shine, but they do add texture. Go to my Facebook page and look at solo costume photos. I have a black pleather jacket that I appliqued and stoned. I also have multiple dance costumes with stoned appliques. Peruse those pics for inspiration for your dress. Happy rhinestoning!

I use Dreamtime Creations. They are one of only 3-4 Swarovski suppliers left in the US. They have a private label stone called Dreamtime Crystals that you can buy if you don't meet the very high purchase quantity required to buy Swarovski. (Their private label stone magically became available at the same time Swarovski was not, the color names and quality of the stones are identical to Swarovski. I believe them to be repackaged Swarovski, but can't say that with 100% certainty.) I use only high-quality stones, so I buy their Dreamtime Crystals, and sometimes use Preciosa Maxima if the color/size I need is not available in the Dreamtime Crystals line.

Thanks so much for watching! Happy costuming!

Ohhh nude mesh.

Peek a boo: Nude Lycra

Main: White Lycra

Thank you so much for this. I had to take notes as I watched lol

I used a beige lining and I used a beige mesh for the inset. Does that help?

Yep! Born and raised down here, so that tracks! Thanks for watching!

Thanks so much!

Thank you so much!

I buy my laces everywhere I go. I'm lucky to live only an hour outside of New Orleans, and we have two fabulous stores that sell a lot of laces: (1) Jefferson Variety - a Mardi Gras store, and (2) Promenade Fine Fabrics, which specializes in high-end designer fabrics. I also make a trip to NYC every couple of years where I scour the fashion district for pieces to add to my stash. In the rare instance that I get a commission that I can't find fabric in my stash or at local stores, I hit Etsy and the search is on.

With only one exception, every costume I've done like this has been embellished. For that costume, I used a technique called "bagged seams". I don't have a video on that, but I found this one that may be helpful for you. th-cam.com/video/z9ys5QhfTkk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=7N421iKouhgurzmP

Thanks for watching! Happy rhinestoning!

I use an all-purpose thread, usually Dual-Duty or Guterman brand.

Thanks so much for your kind words and for watching!

I finish those basically the same as I do for leg holes. I've been doing this so long that I just pull the elastic a bit and it always comes out fine. But, if you want to be a bit more accurate, your elastic measurement should be roughly 85% of your opening. I apply my elastic in a continuous piece, finding a starting/ending point that makes sense if the line I'm following makes a loop and the elastic meets itself, like the center of the back or on a side seam. Let me know if that doesn't make sense. Sometimes its hard to use words without pictures!

@@RhinestoneQueenCostumes thank you so much and thank you for your videos they e been Soo helpful 🙏 Another question ...first attempt went pretty well but I'm not sure how to go about a sweetheart neckline with a really sharp v shape when it comes to flipping it inward after the elastic is added (I don't have a serger yet so relying on the zig zag) ....I tried cutting a slit before folding over and that didn't work out as I hoped 😅😅

There's now a bit of a gap in the elastic which is putting to much tension on the little slit I made so it'll probably start tearing

@@TikiGurl1971 I'm so sorry for my delayed response! I just saw this comment! I make my sweetheart necklines the same way I do the deep V on this costume. I cut the mesh first, extending way beyond the lowest point of lowest point of my sweetheart neckline. Then I lay the mesh on top of my pattern, then lay the lycra (with lining) that has been cut with the sweetheart on top of the mesh, pin the mesh and lycra together then zig zag topstitch the pieces together.

I just use the standard foot that came with the machine. I know some people like to use a walking foot to sew spandex, but I just use my standard foot.

Good question. Yes! You can do multiple colors. If you look at the cover photo on my "How to Sew Spaghetti Straps" video, there's a hot pink and orange costume where I used two different color boas. I simply twisted them together, then proceeded the same as I would with a single boa.

I have not done lessons, but would consider it. I specialize in custom dance costumes. I can sew other things, but stretch fabrics are my comfort zone, so that's where my skill lies. Joann's may offer basic sewing classes. I do have a series on "how to make a leotard" that would help you get started in the world of stretch.

I'm so glad! Thanks so much for watching!

Me too! Hopefully, I can get one or two more out before costume season starts up again. Thanks for watching!

Thanks so much for your kind words and for watching! Sadly, I don't have the physical space to conduct in-person workshops here, but, I'm not opposed to traveling somewhere to do one!

I’ve seen pictures of 1st anniversary gift/ lingerie set made from lace wedding dress pieces appliquéd to a bra & undies set for embellishment … is this a how-to project you would be willing to demo??

I specialize in spandex dance costumes, so I don't plan to do that. If I were to take on a project like that I would approach it very similarly to the way I did this dance costume. I'd still put it on a board to hold the fabric taut. The biggest exception would be that on an heirloom piece like that, I wouldn't use glue and my hand sewing would be finer. I'd use more stitches, closer together, and I'd hide my stitching as much as possible so that it didn't show on the underneath or the top. I hope that helps! Thanks so much for watching!

So glad it was helpful to you! I've costumed several plays, production numbers, and even one movie (hopefully, more to come). If you want to see some of my photos, check out my Facebook page "Rhinestone Queen Costumes". I have the production numbers / plays in photo albums.

I don't. I double my thread and sew in each spot, knotting 2-3 times at each spot. I cut my thread then move on to the next spot. It makes for a nicer finish in the back with no threads to tangle.

Congrats on retirement! I HIGHLY recommend it! It's fabulous! You have stumbled on to what I do with my time ... costuming! Thanks for watching!

I usually use lace and beaded lace fabric yardage that I cut into appliques. I'm fortunate to live near New Orleans and have a couple of stores there that carry nice laces, and I travel to New York every 2-3 years to shop and replenish my stash. If my stash and the local stores don't have what I need when I'm designing a costume, I turn to Etsy, usually at "Mary not Martha". They have a nice selection of appliques at reasonable prices. I hope this helps! Thanks for watching!

I can no longer get the lining that I used in the video. I prefer a lining that is lighter weight than my outer fabric to avoid bulky seams since I sew my lining into the seam. My new favorite lining is "Feather Nylon Spandex" from Blue Moon Fabrics. It's even better than the one I used in the video. Expensive, but worth it!

When sewing stretch mesh to stretch mesh, I usually baste then sew permanently with stretch stitch on my sewing machine and trim. I find it makes the seam less bulky while still giving a good hold.

Thanks for making me giggle, and thanks for watching!

You are so welcome! Thanks so much for watching!

You are too kind! Thanks so much for watching!

I'm so glad! Thanks so much for watching!

The package doesn't specify a size of the tip, so I have no idea of its size. I tried syringes many years ago, but found it cumbersome to repeatedly load glue into the syringe. The precision tip with E6000 is small enough to allow me to have tiny glue dots for tiny stones, and I can still push out more glue for larger stones. You absolutely have to wrap with a paper towel as demonstrated in my video so the glue doesn't squish out of the sides of the tube, but other than that it's perfect for me. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

I'm so glad the was helpful to you! Thanks for watching!

The base fabric of the leotard in that video was from Jefferson Variety, a local store in New Orleans, and the black milliskin used for straps and trim was ordered online from Stretch House out of NYC. I make most of my bases out of 4-way stretch fabrics - milliskin lycra, velvet, pin dot, metallic, etc. I buy most of my lycra from Stretch House, but have also been pleased with stretch fabrics that I've purchased from Spandex House (NYC) and Blue Moon (CA). All 3 of these places can provide you with swatch cards, usually at a cost. I'm blessed to have a couple of fabric stores only an hour's drive from me in New Orleans (Jefferson Variety and Promenade Fabrics), so I shop there in person often and have had great finds, like the fun print on this leotard. Occasionally, I get lucky at Joann's, but for stretch, it's mostly online ordering for me.

Thanks so much for watching!

I do sometimes use "stretch mesh" (the vendor I use doesn't sell "power mesh") for skirts, especially when I use colored stretch mesh for insets and want the skirt to match exactly. I do prefer using silk chiffon when possible, especially for lyrical skirts because it moves like a whisper. Regular chiffon and stretch mesh work, but the movement is not even close to the type of movement you get from silk chiffon. I only used polyester chiffon on the costume in this video because it's what I had on hand, and I didn't want to spend money on fabric for a costume I was making only for demonstration purposes.

So happy they're helpful to you! Thanks so much for your kind words, and thanks for watching!

I'm so glad it was helpful to you! Thanks for watching!

I ordered mine through my supplier, Dreamtime Creations. Swarovski changed their distribution model since this video was published, so I now almost exclusively use the "Dreamtime Crystals" brand, which are comparable quality to Swarovski. (I believe they are Swarovski stones repacked under the Dreamtime label as Dreamtime is one of the few suppliers remaining for Swarovski crystals.) I also like the Preciosa Maxima crystals (also from Dreamtime). Happy stoning!