Sewing and Hand Application

There are many Swarovski products that are suitable for sewing and embroidering. These products can be easily applied either by hand, or with standard domestic or industrial sewing machine. Swarovski also offers an ideal selection of products for a variety of creative techniques by hand.

• Product Overview
• Machines and Tools
• Suppliers
• Application
• Useful Information
• Quick Assistance

Product overview

The following products are suitable for sewing by hand or machine, or for hand application techniques such as beading:

Machines and tools

The following machines, tools and aids can be used for sewing Swarovski products:

A household sewing machine offers a range of stitch types such as straight stitch, zigzag stitch and a program for sewing on buttons, and is therefore well suited to applying Swarovski products.

An industrial sewing machine is suitable for most sewing applications. However, a machine with a zigzag stitching program is necessary for some Swarovski products.

A button sewer can also be used for the application of some Swarovski Buttons.

Adapted presser feet/beading feet: standard presser feet, adapted by adding two metal plates.

By gluing on small metal plates, an adapted presser foot can be made.

For products with net-edge, a zipper foot is helpful. A button foot can be used for the application of Sew-on Articles.

Sewing machine needles sizes Nm 70–100.

Sewing thread (Nm 50 – 80); stronger synthetic thread is more suitable for sewing on items.

It is recommended that protective eyewear is worn when using a sewing machine, so as to prevent injury.

Suppliers

The following machines and tools are commonly used for sewing and hand application:

• Sewing machines
• Beading foot
• Machine needles
• Sewing threads
• Sew-on settings

If you need help choosing a suitable setup for your application, contact eCrystalHouse. We can review the Swarovski product, carrier material, sewing method, production volume, and machine requirements, then help you select and supply a practical set of compatible sewing tools and materials for sampling or production.

Application

Selecting the optimum thread

When sewing Swarovski products, particularly Sew-on Articles and Beads, synthetic multifilament threads with a thread count of Nm 50 – 80 are most suitable. Monofilament and pure cotton yarns are not recommended due to their limited abrasion resistance.

Selecting the stitch type and direction

In general, Swarovski products can sewn on using a variety of stitch types and direction.

Types of stitch

Multi-row products

Straight stitch

A stitch length should be selected that allows the stitches to fall in the spaces between the cups.

Single-row products

Zigzag stitch

The length and width of the stitch must be adjusted to suit the element being applied. The width of the stitch (B) should be 0.5 mm – 1 mm broader on both sides than the product (A) being applied. The length of the stitch (C) should be equal to about 2/3 of the width of the stitch. In some cases the tension of the upper thread must be reduced. When applying products using a zigzag stitch, the use of an beading foot or adapted presser foot is recommended.

Sew-on Articles

Button sewing program

Sew-on Articles can be applied using a button sewing program. The hole spacing must be selected in order to use the program.

Types of stitch direction

Adjusting the upper thread tension

If the upper thread tension is too tight or too loose, the resulting seam is not strong. The tension of the thread must therefore be adjusted accordingly.

Machine application

Alongside sewing by hand, the following table provides a summary of possible machine application techniques.

Application using a sewing machine

The right choice of needle, strength Nm 70–100, sewing thread and thread tension, upper and lower thread, are particularly important for applications with a sewing machine. The fabric must not become gathered and the upper and lower thread should run easily and smoothly.

Tests should be conducted on the original material before beginning production. Before sewing on Crystal Buttons with a machine, set the sewing machine to the correct hole and stitch length as well as stitch width. This prevents the crystal from being damaged during application and reduces the risk of injury.

When sewing high, multi-row products, the sewing-machine feed can be affected by a slanting presser foot. Position a height compensator beneath the presser foot so it sits parallel to the material and the fabric can feed through properly.

Application Instruction Movie

Sewing Plastic Trimmings

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Application Advice for Crystal Texture Foil Overlay when using the sewing technique:

Window technique

Benefits:

• this means that even if the product gets buckled, there is no visible gap between the carrier material and the upper surface.
• Saves on cost thanks to the ease of application (no sewing onto crystal-covered areas is required) and less crystals are used because areas are covered by the upper surface material anyway.

A chosen material, such as leather, with a cut-out in the shape of the Crystal Texture Foil Overlay motif is placed over the product. Using a sewing machine, the upper surface material can be sewn together with the Synthetic Foil Overlay.

Due to the fact that the foil overlay comes with Hotfix glue on the reverse side, the Crystal Texture Foil Overlay can be fixed onto a carrier material using the Hotfix technique before sewing the various parts together. The application parameters relating to the relevant product groups apply. The Hotfix Selectors can be found in the chapter Hotfix Application.

Sewing between two materials

Thanks to the foil overlay, the Crystal Textures can now be used between two materials (e.g. leather, fabric,...) without having to be applied to another carrier material beforehand.

“Weaving-look”

Motifs with big foil surfaces (not covered with crystals) can easily be added to carrier materials by using the sewing technique, which makes them look as though they have been woven into other materials.

Create a tube

A tube-shaped product can be created by folding the Synthetic Foil Overlay and sewing it into position. If the tube needs to be stronger and more stable, a cylinder-shaped material such as cord can be added as a core element. This technique is ideal when using a Crystal Texture Foil Overlay tube to create a border on a sleeve or to decorate a fringe on a garment, for example.

Lochrose art. 3129

An innovative product application solution has been developed in conjunction with the companies Laesser and Tajima for the industrial application of Lochrose art. 3129 with fully automatic embroidery machines.

If using a Laesser embroidery machine, the Laesser Crystal Stone Head must be used. The application is based on standard embroidery technology and allows the unique combination of first-class Schiffli embroidery yarns (e.g. SETAFIL®) and crystal applications in a single production stage.

If sewing with a Tajima embroidery machine is preferred, the Tajima Lochrose Embroidery Device is used.

Orders for the Lochrose art. 3129, as well as sample and production orders, can be placed directly with your Swarovski sales partner.

Hand application techniques

Some of the Swarovski products listed in the product overview at the beginning of this chapter can be applied by hand. This means a range of creative application techniques in addition to sewing.

Useful information

Cutting and sewing Crystal Mesh

Before cutting and sewing, the transparent film must not be removed. The film allows the individual crystals to be aligned perfectly, and provides Crystal Mesh with the stability necessary for flawless application. In case the Crystal Mesh is fixed on the fabric with Hotfix prior to sewing, the foil can be removed before starting to sew.

Cutting

1

Cut the transparent film between the rows of crystals with a knife, but do not pull them apart, otherwise the stability of the crystals will be lost.

2

After cutting the film, there is some space between the rows which allows you further processing.

3

Cut the metal mesh with a scissor along the scored line, and remove the excess link rings. The Crystal Mesh is now ready for sewing.

Sewing

When sewing Crystal Mesh, it is recommended that the film is scored along the course of the stitching beforehand (see illustration).

Application Instruction Movie

Cutting Crystal Mesh

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Quick Assistance

The following table outlines typical sewing, and hand application problems, along with possible causes and recommendations on avoiding them.

Causes and recommendations