- Q:How much do you overlap the sequins?
- A: I overlap the sequins as much as needed to hide the foam beneath. I think the best looking ornaments hide all the foam under the sequins, ribbon, glitter, fabric, etc.
- Q: What are the cap thingies you use on the top of some of your ornaments?
- A: They are called bead caps and I find them in the Jewelry making section of my local craft shop or in bead shops.
- Q: What kind of compass you use?
- A: The compass is nothing special. I got it at the local 100 yen shop here in Japan. I had to change out the pencil it came with to a pen as pencils can’t mark foam. The pen was to big so I had to cut the plastic so it would fit into the hole. I recommend a compass and geometry kit sold on amazon on the supplies page because some of my followers have purchased it and seem happy with it. I think it’s a great value and intend on getting it myself next time I’m in the US.
- Q: What kind of pins do you use? Can I use normal pins or do I need special pins?
- A: I use sequin pins from Cartwright’s. Sometimes I use 1/4 inch pins and sometimes 3/4 inch pins. The thickness of these pins is perfect for the 15/0 seed beads (also purchased from Cartwright’s) that I use. Also, I have found that with regular longer straight pins purchased at the sewing shop, they are too long and start running into each other if I’m doing a mostly sequined ball. I do like the longer pins for the top and bottom of my ornaments. They are perfect for pining large beads and thick bows. Cost is also an issue. The smaller packs of normal pins tend to be quite a bit more expensive and for as much as I do it’s not reasonable. However, with all that being said, way back in the day before the internet I used to use regular long straight pins purchased from various sewing supply shops. They were not ideal but I made it work.
- Q: What kind of glue do you use?
- A: It depends on what I am making. When gluing sequin pins, I use a general purpose white glue. Elmers school glue is sufficient. For gluing fabric down when making a kimekomi ball, I use glue stick that is blue when wet and dries clear.
- Q: How do you make the glitter paint?
- A: The glitter paint is simple. I bought the glitter separately at a craft supply shop and mixed it with clear glue I purchased in the school supply section at the local 100 yen shop (in Japan). When I purchased the glue I didn’t know if it was going to work the way I wanted it to. I just saw that it was perfectly clear in the bottle and decided to try it. I mixed the glitter and glue together until I got a consistency I was happy with. If it’s got too much glue it will run down the sides of the ornament when drying and won’t give good coverage. If it’s got to much glitter, it will be kinda chunky and won’t be smooth on the foam. My best advice is to experiment until you get it right. You may need to use several layers, especially if you want it to be opaque. I usually use several layers so that you can’t see the foam underneath.
- Q: Why don’t you paint the ornament before you put on the sequins?
- A: I don’t like to waste anything. I hate to paint something I’m just going to cover up with sequins and ribbon later. Also, I use the mold line to make perfectly straight lines and judge where the center of the ornament is. If I can’t see the line because I’ve covered it up it’s hard to keep things symmetrical.
- Q: Why do you use glue on the pins?
- A: So the pins don’t fall out. Although, depending on storage and handling the pins might fall out anyway. It’s important to handle them with care.
- Q: Do you always use the sequin cup facing outward ?
- A: Yes. Just a habit. I prefer the way it looks.
- Q: What size sequins do you normally use?
- A: I like 5mm sequins.
- Q: Why do you like 5mm sequins?
- A: It’s mostly habit. That’s what I’ve always used.
- Q: Do you ever sell your ornaments?
- A: Yes. My shop is located on Etsy.
- Q: Do you sketch your ideas out before you start or are you simply going with the flow?
- A: I just recently started keeping a sketch book with ideas. In the past I always used to just go with whatever was in my head at the time. However. now that I’ve become more serious about it, I find that sketching my ideas out is an important part of my process.
If you have a questions please email me at alyx@ornamentdesigns.com.
