A Soupçon of Sequins

After findings a bunch of novelty sequins at an estate sale last year, I wanted to find a good use for them.  So for the ultimate finishing touch to my novelty printed dress, I decided to go all out with the belt, and use some of those sparkly bits.

The Sixties seem especially suited to the addition of sequins to apparel of any kind, and so that bow belt included with the pattern was going to get the spangled treatment.

I pulled out all of the sequins I had stashed away, including those from the estate sale, and decided to jump right in.  After placing a few of the larger sized sequins in a pleasing pattern, I stitched them in place.  And then I started filling in the blank canvas of the fabric with the smaller sized embellishments.

Of course, all of those sequins were going to be a problem for the sewing machine, so the back of the bow was stitched to the front piece by hand.

The same thing was done for the "knot."  The portion that would show from the front was covered in sequins and beads, leaving the back bit that would be wrapped around the bow completely unembellished.

I also left the middle portion of the bow blank so that once the "knot" was in place there would be as little bulk as possible.  The bits of bow that are folded to the back are left blank as well.

Everything was basted together by hand.

And once I was happy with the look of the bow, the knot was wrapped and stitched into place.

I just love how this little accessory turned out - it looks so cheery!

Sometimes the execution of an idea doesn't quite live up to the image in my mind.  In this case, however, I think the finished project is even better than I could have anticipated!

I love the extra sparkle that the belt adds to the dress.

And I am thrilled to have found the perfect use for some of my sequin collection!