tutorial: how to sew on a sequin

Sequins are a fun way to add some glitz and glamour to Christmas ornaments and crafts. But do you really want to just glue them on? Sewing them on means your craft will last longer and add a decorative touch as well.

As always, this is an original tutorial and may not be copied or reproduced without my permission. You're welcome to link to my site however :-)

Let's get started!

You'll need your standard sewing supplies as well as sequins, "e" beads and whatever fabric you're attaching the sequins to:

I'm using felt because it's sturdy, doesn't fray and is easy to work with. Thread up your handsewing needle (make sure the eye is small enough to fit through the beads) with four strands of thread. You can use either a matching thread, or a contrasting colour, as I'm showing here.

Take a stitch through the fabric and leave a short length of thread before the knot at the end of the thread:

Make a loop of thread by passing your needle through two of the strands of thread and pulling snug - it should look like this:

Thread a sequin and a bead onto the needle and thread:

Stitch back through the hole in the sequin so the bead is held in a little loop - like this:

Gently tighten the needle and make a knot on the wrong side of the fabric... or keep going and add more sequins and beads:

If you don't want to use beads to secure the sequins, you can use just thread. Repeat the first two steps as above, but this time, bring the needle through the centre of the sequin and stitch across it - on the edge. Repeat at least twice more:



Make a knot on the wrong side and trim the threads. You can get some lovely effects by using decorative threads as well.

This is a great technique for adding sparkle to anything from pillows to clothing - give it a try!

tutorial and image copyright C Findlay-Harder 2008