how do you clean your dresses and where do you get that glue

[fascination]

plain and simple...how do you all clean your dresses and where do you get the glue to add stones when you lose some? thanks

[Dancebug]

I get my Gemtac at Michael's.

[Laura]

There are many brands of glue that work. My personal favorite is Gemtac, but E-6000 and some glue by a company called Aileen's that is formulated for sticking non-porus things to fabric all work. You can get them at sewing stores and arts and crafts stores. Places like JoAnn, Michaels, Beverly's, Hancock Fabrics, etc etc.

[fascination]

thanks....what about the cleaning?

[Vince A]

Dry cleaners . . . good luck finding one though . . . most won't do it.

Be expecting to replace a few stones after a cleaning.

On smaller items (because she cannot get certain fuller or larger items like her Waltz dresses in the bag) . . . my wife uses those do-it-yourself-dry cleaning items that you get at the grocery store (I forgot the name) . . . she doesn't use the recommended heat setting, nor the suggested time to clean the article.

You'll have experiment! It does work!

[Medira]

. . . my wife uses those do-it-yourself-dry cleaning items that you get at the grocery store (I forgot the name)Dryel?

[sunderi]

Traditionally, I have handwashed all of my dresses with a gentle detergent and laid them flat to dry.

That's going to have to change, though, because I recently bought a Chrisanne gown and was told that I cannot wash it by hand (the glue is evidently water soluble?) so I'll need to find a brave dry cleaner . . .

[Larinda McRaven]

Don't go the dry cleaner route unless they will gaurantee that they will cover the expenses if they ruin it. Chrisanne has a cleaner they recommend and work with, but I think they are a bit pricey.

I do hand wash my Chrisanne dresses. I just don't tell them that though :oops: I make sure that I get it in and out of the tub in just a few minutes so the glue is not submerged. And I make sure that as the dresses dry not to touch them because the glue is soft and the stones will slide or fall off. I ususally lose no more than 5 stones when I hand wash my Chrisanne dresses.

[mamboqueen]

Chrisanne's cleaner = $85/dress! :cry:

[DancerForLife]

I usually hand wash my gowns and lay them flat on the floor on towels, turning the dress over every few hours. Had great results this way - the dress didn't stretch.

If you don't soak the dress for too long most well-made dresses will not loose stones (I cannot understand why does Chrisanne use water - soluble glue).

For areas that need a bit of extra help, I spot clean with soap, once in a while bleach (white dress only).

I typically press the water out as much as I can, then try to soak the water up with a towel so drying doesn't take so long.

[fascination]

thanks to you all...I have actually been washing the gown by hand...but as you mention it has lost a few stones...particularly in the armpits which is probably due more to how copiously I sweat than to the washing...deirdre has done my gowns and she has sent me an ample amount of replacement stones with the dress ...being new to the whole scene I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing anything

[Larinda McRaven]

Chrisanne uses water soluble glue so that the stones can be soaked off in case of alterations or changes.

They also recommend/use baby wipes for spot cleaning.

[deewoman]

This is an interesting thread--especially since I've spent some hours lately gluing rhinestones onto a costume. This costume I have has some many places (it's hot pink) where the glue used previously has turned orange (the costume is still pink--but the glue is orange instead of clear! Is that what hot glue does on costumes? One of my teachers said I should use hot glue--that the stones stay on better. But I think the reason so many of the stones won't stick is there are these blobs of glue that won't come off the dress--I'm sticking glue onto glue. So I'm guessing this is why it's better to use the glues like Gem-Tac?
The costumes I've rented don't have big glue blobs.

[mummsie]

I actually have never washed any of my dresses in about 15 years of competition dancing. I simply just hang them outside to air for a few days and they are fine. Sometimes I just spot wash under the arms if I have a very bad sweat day. I always use unscented deodorant as I find if you use normal ones, they are hard to get the smell out of. I usually use Gemtac to glue the stones on but if I have been unable to sorce it for some reason, I have used craft glue. I find it not so good though. Gayle

[Laura]

deewoman, someone told me once that dry cleaning can turn certain brands of glue yellowish, so maybe that is what you are seeing?

[deewoman]

deewoman, someone told me once that dry cleaning can turn certain brands of glue yellowish, so maybe that is what you are seeing?

Maybe so. I don't know how the dress was cleaned before I had it--though the teacher I mentioned earlier (from whom I bought the dress, too), said she always hand-washed her costumes. I'm still so new to all of this--seems like the longer I dance, the less I still know about it all! :)

[Joe]

You can get clothes drying...racks. They're frames with short legs. In the frame is a plastic mesh, maybe 1/4" spacing. So you lay your clothes flat on it, and the air can get at the top and the bottom because the legs hold the frame off the floor. I've used a fan to promote drying as well.

[Larinda McRaven]

on all of your dresses Joe... or just some of them?

[sunderi]

And I make sure that as the dresses dry not to touch them because the glue is soft and the stones will slide or fall off. I ususally lose no more than 5 stones when I hand wash my Chrisanne dresses.

Do you lay them flat to dry? On a towel? That doesn't cause the stones to fall off?

[swan]

Chrisanne's cleaner = $85/dress! :cry:

I took mine into the dry cleaner & did a 'spot' clean. That worked pretty well. They worked with areas (has to be 'large' enough so that the solution won't cause 'rings', that's what the guy told me) that are more noticeably soiled.

And the cost? $20.

Now that I know $85/dress, I might as well do the whole thing. It's pricey, but considering the hassle & the danger of ruining a few thousand dollar dress? I'd pay that premium price...

Thank goodness, I can wear mine for a few more times before I have to cough up the $85 :)

BTW - would you mind PM me on the cleaner's info?

[Larinda McRaven]

Sometimes I lay them out flat. If the dress is light enough I hang it in the shower and prop up the bottom of the skirt so it is like a pup tent and let it air dry. But if the dress has lots of layers and is heavy then I lay it out flat on some towels and don't touch it until it is completely dry.

[Joe]

on all of your dresses Joe... or just some of them?
Only the ones that need complete washing. Others get hand-washed in areas that need it.

[Laura]

Designer Lyn Wallander always told me to put the dress in a large pillowcase and saftey-pin the pillowcase shut. Then thrown the whole thing in the washer with Tide. Then lay flat to dry (take it out of the pillowcase first, of course). The bag catches any stones that come off, so you can just glue the back on. And if the dress was done with E-6000, you probably won't lose any stones. Do not do this with dresses that are hand painted, are made of silk or silk components, or have feathers.

I've never tried it but Lyn swears it works.

A couple of friends of mine turn the leotard inside out from the dress and then hand wash the leotard part. Also, a solution of vinegar and water use to spot clean smelly areas with a sponge works well.