Want to add sparkle to your dance costume, but not sure where to start?

Rhinestones can completely transform a plain outfit into something stage-ready, but with so many types of stones, glues, and techniques, it can feel a little overwhelming at first.

So in this video, part of my Beginner’s Guide to Belly Dance Costume Making series, I’ll walk you through the basics of rhinestoning dance costumes, including the best stones to use, the tools you need, and 3 simple ways to add beautiful sparkle to your outfit.

Let’s get started!

Part 1: Rhinestone Basics

3 Types of Rhinestones

There are three types of rhinestones that work beautifully for dance costumes.

Sew-on Rhinestones

The first one is sew-on rhinestones. These are the ones with holes in them.

Applying them is super easy.

Take a double-threaded needle and make a knot at the end.

Place the rhinestone on your fabric and sew through the holes two or three times.

Then tie a knot on the wrong side.

And that’s it.

Sew-on rhinestones are great for adding large sparkles to your costume.

But sewing every single stone can take a lot of time. So when you want lots of sparkle, the next type is perfect.

Glue-on Rhinestones

These are flatback glue-on rhinestones.

My favorite sizes for dance costumes are SS20 to SS30. They’re about 5–6.5mm wide, which means the sparkle is still visible from the audience.

One color I always keep on hand is Crystal AB.

AB stands for Aurora Borealis, and it has a beautiful rainbow shimmer that catches the light on stage.

I almost never use sew-on rhinestones by themselves. I like to scatter these smaller rhinestones around them to create layers of sparkle.

Rhinestone Chain

The third type is rhinestone chain.

This is a line of rhinestones already connected in a metal setting.

Rhinestone chain is perfect for creating clean outlines and elegant designs, like along edges or around appliques. 

It’s a great way to make your costume look more professional and polished.

Tools

Before we start rhinestoning, the good news is you only need 3 simple tools.

• A rhinestone picker – This can be a rhinestone picker pencil, or even a toothpick with a little wax or poster putty.
• A tray or small plate – This keeps your rhinestones from rolling everywhere.
• And of course, rhinestone glue.

Rhinestone Glue

The glue you choose actually makes a big difference in whether rhinestones stay on your costume… or start flying off on stage.

So let’s talk about which glue works best for rhinestones. There are 2 popular choices of rhinestone glue: E6000 and Gem-Tac.

I’ve used both, and they both work well with rhinestones and dry clear.

But my personal favorite is Gem-Tac.

It has a nice texture and holds rhinestones well. It’s also white, so you can easily see where you applied the glue. The applicator is easy to use.

E6000 works too, but it can be a little stringy, and the smell is quite strong.

So for beginners, I recommend starting with Gem-Tac.

Part 2 — 3 Ways to Rhinestone Dance Costumes

Now that you know the basic rhinestones, let’s look at 3 ways you can add them to your dance costumes.

We’ll start with the simplest method beginners use, then I’ll show you how professional costumers create intricate designs, and finally, a technique that helps you draw beautiful sparkling lines on your costume.

Method 1 – Apply Rhinestones Directly to the Costume

The simplest method is applying rhinestones directly onto your costume.

First, check if your fabric has stretch.

If it doesn’t stretch, you can start applying rhinestones right away.

But if your fabric is stretchy — like spandex or mesh — you’ll need to stretch the fabric first.

You can insert a piece of cardboard wrapped in plastic inside your garment to stretch it slightly.

This prevents rhinestones from popping off when you wear the costume.

Once the fabric is ready, apply small dots of glue and place the rhinestones.

This method is great for:

• framing edges
• outlining necklines
• adding scattered sparkle

Even a small amount of rhinestones can make a costume look much more stage-ready.

Method 2 – Make rhinestone appliqués

If you want to create a more intricate design, try making a rhinestone appliqué first.

Instead of placing stones directly on your costume, you build the design on a separate piece of fabric. By working on a flat surface, it’s much easier to create detailed shapes and keep everything neat and symmetrical.

Once the design is finished, you can simply sew the appliqué onto your costume.

I’ll show you how to make rhinestone appliques down below, but first, let me show you another technique that’s very useful when decorating dance costumes.

Method 3 – Add Rhinestone Chain

Another beautiful technique is using rhinestone chain to create clean designs. This is easy too.

First, draw the line you want your rhinestone chain to follow.

If you’re creating a curved design, try to keep the curve gentle. If the curve is too tight, the stones can start facing sideways.

Next, place the rhinestone chain along the line and trim it to the right length.

Now apply a small amount of rhinestone glue along the line.

Place the rhinestone chain on top of the glue. The glue doesn’t dry immediately, so you can adjust the position as you go.

Once it looks good, take a needle and thread and sew between the stones like this.

I usually sew every other stone.

And just like that, you have a beautiful rhinestone chain design.

Once the chain is in place, you can also follow the line with beads or rhinestones to build more detailed embellishments.

Part 3 — Other Ways to Apply Rhinestones

Once you know the basic ways to add rhinestones, you can start using techniques that instantly make costumes look more intricate and professional.

Let me show you two of my favorites.

Rhinestone Appliques

One technique used in professional costumes is rhinestone appliques.

Instead of placing stones directly on the costume, you first build the design on a separate piece of fabric, like felt or lycra.

Start by sketching your design on paper. 

Then trace the motif onto your fabric base.

Next, apply rhinestones, chains, and larger stones to build your design.

I like to start with the larger stones first, then outline the design with rhinestone chain.

Once everything is dry, simply cut out the motif.

Then stitch the applique onto your costume.

This method creates beautiful raised designs and perfect symmetry, which makes your costume look much more sophisticated.

If you’re curious, I have a full tutorial here!

And here’s another technique.

Rhinestone Fringe

Another fun way to add sparkle is rhinestone fringe.

Start by cutting a rectangular strip of stretch fabric.

Then draw vertical lines for each fringe strand.

Glue rhinestones along each line.

Once the glue dries, cut along the lines to create individual fringe strands.

It’s so easy, and now you have sparkling fringe that moves beautifully when you dance.

You can find a more detailed tutorial here.

And if you’re excited to take your costume designs even further, check out the Sparkly Belly All-Access Membership.

Inside, you’ll get instant access to all of my courses, where I teach advanced embellishment techniques like intricate appliques made from scratch, beautiful beading, and full costume construction step by step.

So whether you want to transform a simple costume with amazing details, or design your own professional-looking outfit from scratch, you’ll find everything you need to bring your ideas to life!

You can learn more by clicking the photo below!

So those are some beginner-friendly ways to rhinestone belly dance costumes.

It’s quite easy, and even a small amount of rhinestones can completely transform a costume, so I highly recommend you give it a try.

And if you found this helpful, the next tutorial you’ll want to see is this one — where I share beginner-friendly bead embroidery techniques to level up your decoration skills.

Thanks for reading, and keep sparkling!

P.S. Pin this on your costuming idea board!

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