Thread: beads vs sequins

I've read some posts about sequins losing color over time. I'm just wondering how most people prefer to embellish their costumes -- with beads or sequins? And, if it depends on the brand or quality, can you please specify how you determine that? Thanks!
--Natalie.

I thought that was you girl! ;-)
Sequins, in my experience, only really loose thier color and sparkle if they get wet from sweat or what have you. So around the areas where the costume touches our body and you can easily replace them.
I think most people chose to do a little bit of both. If you use beads I would siggest glass instead of pastic. They are a bit more but won't loose thier "paint". Bugle beads have a TON of sparkle and of course Sawvorski rhinestones are the best IMO!
Whatchya makin?! :-)
xoxo,
-NJ

Most of the time sequins are attached with beads. Are you talking about using larger "chunky" beads or doing flatwork beading instead of sequins?

Originally Posted by mmouse1534

If you use beads I would siggest glass instead of pastic. They are a bit more but won't loose thier "paint".

That depends on the beads. A costume vendor once told me that she refused to carry purple costumes because she'd never found a purple glass bead that could hold up to repeated performing. Cheaper foil-lined beads (seed/rocaille or bugle) can lose their internal silvering and become dull over time or with exposure to moisture. I haven't personally experienced it, but there may be low-quality glass beads with pearlized or oil-slick finishes that degrade from friction like plastic pearls do, too.

It's like anything else--you get what you pay for. Cheaper beads often lack the durability of more expensive ones. They'll also be more irregular in size, more likely to be drilled slightly off center, and so on, which can be problematic for some designs.

Bugle beads have a TON of sparkle

I know a few dancers from the old days when most folks made their own costumes, and a lot of them won't touch bugles. Unless the edges are fire-polished (i.e., "the expensive ones"), they can be very sharp and they'll saw through your string over time. If you do want to use cut bugle beads, I'd suggest a string like DandyLine or something similarly challenging to saw through, not regular beading thread or dental floss.