My jeans NEED to have rhinestones on them

December 26, 2006 7:30 PM

I have a pair of jeans. It is a normal pair of jeans. I would like to have a line of rhinestones going along the outseam on either leg. What's the best method?

I went to The Rag Shop to do some research. It seems I have several options, none of which seem all that great.

1. I can glue on rhinestones using fabric glue. I can spend many many hours doing this and then wash the jeans and goodbye rhinestones.
2. I can do the same with sequins. They don't look quite as cool, but still acceptable, and seem a little less likely to pop off. This would also take many many hours
3. I can get some sequin rope like this and hire a tailor to sew it on. This is easy and, I think, would look okay. I'll probably do this if no one has a better idea.

Really, I'd like rhinestones. I started doing some Googling and noticed a variety of rhinestone applicators, but none that stood out as a great option, so I said, Y'know what? I'll just ask on mefi. Someone will have the answer.

So...please help me transform my jeans into AWESOME JEANS.

posted by SampleSize to clothing, beauty, & fashion (10 answers total)

bedazzler, yo.
posted by monkey!knife!fight! at 7:34 PM on December 26, 2006

The bedazzler and similar vaguely crafty items do that sort of thing - and hook them in using metal prongs generally. Know anyone who is susceptible to late night TV ads that might have one?
posted by jacquilynne at 7:34 PM on December 26, 2006

MAJOR NOISE WARNING on monkey!knife!fight!'s link. Turn your volume waaay down before clicking.
posted by Deathalicious at 7:38 PM on December 26, 2006

In addition to the bedazzler option, there is also rhinestone rope you could sew on - not sequins, but rhinestones. It costs a small fortune, but would look much better than sequins. Check out a craft or fabric store that has a wide range of ribbons, edgings, trims, etc. as it's normally with that stuff.
posted by -harlequin- at 7:48 PM on December 26, 2006

example, though it comes in colors, and multi-color ribbons / patterns too.
posted by -harlequin- at 7:52 PM on December 26, 2006

It is easy to google up Rhinestone Guy. He recomends heat set gems for jeans and says (about jeans)

Jeans' Legs: IF you plan on decorating with rhinestones only, I suggest you consider elaborate designs in rhinestones of 10SS and 12SS. Larger rhinestones will have a tendency to peel if you machine wash. IF you are going to hand wash only, any size will be fine on the legs.

along with lots of other advice on jeans.

One alternative I recall seeing to glue or heatset is mountings with a pin or teeth that penetrate the fabric and are then bent over or capped on the inside. These metal endings can scratch the hell out of your legs but you can always sew some padding and a length of (blue jeans) canvas over them on the inside.
posted by MonkeySaltedNuts at 8:04 PM on December 26, 2006

Hi! I'm Tana! You may remember me from a national tv show. As a single mother, I traveled all over New York to find just one (1!) Bedazzler. I am called the Bedazzler Queen. For the historical retro price of just 29.95 you can own your own Bedazzler right now! Call now!
posted by stavrogin at 8:39 PM on December 26, 2006

I just want to say that as a new owner of the bedazzler, it sucks. I doubt it would really work for the seams of the jeans as that part of the fabric is so thick. Really, I had high hopes for the bedazzler and now I'm sad.
posted by yodelingisfun at 1:14 AM on December 27, 2006

For a line of rhinestones, I would say your best bet is to buy "by-the-yard" rhinestone trim. I would use a two step process to apply.

First apply the trim using fabric glue, taking time to get the line straight along the seams.

Then, once the glue is dry, go back and hand-stitch the trim along the jeans seam.

I would still wash the jeans by hand, in cold water, and probably for safety's sake turn them inside out for the wash, if you want the rhinestones to stay in place for more than a wash or two.
posted by La Cieca at 10:37 AM on December 27, 2006

Seconding yodelingisfun. The Bedazzler sucks. I bought one about a year ago and was super-excited at the thought of the rhinestones heaven I was about to enter. Or so I thought. There are plenty of other tools for applying rhinestones and rivets out there that work LOTS better. Look for something made of metal. The Bedazzler is plastic and as noted, it sucks.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 10:39 AM on December 27, 2006