How to Use Rhinestones on Figure Skating Dresses

Have you checked the price of figure skating dresses which are embellished with rhinestones? Bargain prices can range up in the $300 range. If you shop around, you can find a plain skating dress for about $75. That is a big difference when you are paying for skates, lessons, testing and competitions. Do you want your skater to dazzle on the ice? Buy the cheaper figure skating dress, glue on rhinestone yourself and save yourself a pocketful of money. Even factoring the cost of rhinestones, you will not come close to paying $300.

​How to glue rhinestones to Figure Skating Dresses

Interested in learning more but don’t know where to start? First learn the basics of finding quality rhinestones. You can read about the 4 C’s determining rhinestones quality here. Once you’ve decided on the brand of rhinestone, you’ll need to choose the color and size.

Since you are new to gluing rhinestones to figure skating dresses, you many want to stick with either Crystal or Crystal AB. Both are popular colors which will enhance any dress. Crystal is a clear rhinestones and Crystal AB is the clear rhinestones with an iridescent coating on it.

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The size you choose is also a matter of preference and dependent on the type of design. Generally, most skating dresses are embellished with the larger size stones, 20ss and 30ss. How many you need depends again on the design and the size. Helpful tips on size are discussed here on this rhinestone sizing blog.

Next, pick out your adhesive. Both E6000 and Gem Tac are widely used. I prefer Gem Tac for the ease of application. Whatever adhesive you choose, make sure it is suitable for gluing rhinestones to fabric, permanent, washable and dries clear. Follow the manufacturer’s guidelines. A pair of tweezers or wax tipped tool is essential for picking up rhinestones and pressing into the glue.

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Prewash the figure skating dress before beginning to glue. Additionally, if the material is thin, you may want to put a piece of wax paper between layers. When gluing rhinestones, use a drop of glue slightly smaller than the rhinestone. Some of the glue should seep out from the edges when you press the rhinestone into the glue drop. This is very important as it creates a seal to keep the rhinestone from peeling off. Allow the garment to dry flat for 24 hours.
After you start gluing rhinestones, you will see how easy it is! As you get more confident, you can experiment with different designs and color. With practice, you’ll be good enough to design those fancy skating dresses you see during the Winter Olympic Games.

Rhinestones and wax tipped tools are available from Rhinestones Etc.