Os gustan las cosas brillantes? Entonces, este post es perfecto para ti. Cuantas veces habeis usado gemas para vuestros cosplays? Y cuanto tiempo os habéis pasado intentando encontrar la forma y el tamaño correcto. Quizás sólo necesites unos cuantos detalles o a lo mejor queréis que vuestro proyecto esté lleno de brillos. En cualquier caso, aquí os dejo todo lo que necesitáis saber sobre el strass antes de ir a comprarlo para vuestro cosplay.

1. Shape / Forma

First, you need to figure out the shape you need. The most common rhinestones are round, but you can also find other shapes like squares, ovals, hearts or anything you can imagine really.

Primero, tienes que elegir la forma que necesitas. Lo más común es el strass redondo, pero podeis tambien encontrar otras formas como cuadrados, ovalos, corazones o casi cualquier cosa que os podais imaginar.

Also, the back of your rhinestone is important, on jewellery you usually find pointed backs but generally we need flat backs for cosplay purposes. You can also find pieces mounted on metal, we will talk later about this.

La parte de atrás del strass también es importante, en joyería a menudo usan piedrecitas con la parte trasera puntiaguda pero por lo general nosotros necesitamos strass que tenga la parte trasera lisa. También podéis encontrar piezas engarzadas, hablaremos después de ellas.

2. Size / Tamaño

Second thing you need is the size. In jewellery they use a special term “ss” (stone size), the bigger the number the bigger your gem. Sometimes it is difficult to know the size you need for your project so the best thing is to check some of these comparison guides or going to the store and ask.

La segunda cosa que necesitas saber es el tamaño. En joyería usan un termino especial “ss” (stone size: tamaño de la piedra), cuanto mayor sea el numero mayor la piedra. A veces es difícil saber el tamaño que necesitas para tu proyecto, lo mejor que puedes hacer es mirar una de estas tablas comparativas o ir directamente a una tienda y preguntar.

3. Attaching method / Forma de sujeción

Next thing you need is knowing how to attach them. There are different ways to attach your rhinestones, these are the most common.

Lo siguiente que debes saber es como unirlas a tu proyecto. Hay varias maneras de engarzar vuestro strass, estas son las más comunes.

Glue / Pegamento

The cheapest rhinestones need to be glued one by one. Also, if you want them to last I recommend you to use B6000 glue which is specifically designed for them.

El strass más barato necesita que lo pegues uno a uno. Además, si queréis que os dure la fijación es recomiendo usar el pegamento B6000 que está especialmente diseñado para esto.

Hot fix / Fijación por calor

Some flatbacks come with a special glue on them that reacts to heat, you can attach them with an iron. However I recommend you a special tool called rhinestone applicator or rhinestone wand.

Algunas de las piedras con la parte de atrás plana vienen con un pegamenteo en la base que reacciona al calor, podéis usar una plancha. Sin embargo, os recomiendo un aplicador especial para strass.

Sew on / Para coser

Another method is with mounted on rhinestones. They are designed to be sewn to your garment, they will last longer but it will take longer to sew them.

Otro método es el strass engarzado. Está diseñado para ser cosido a la prenda, durará más pero tardarás más tiempo en coserlo.

4. Colour / Color

Additionaly, you can find this gems in many colours and probably they will change names depending on the company. For example, something you need to know is that clear means transparent and AB (Aurora Boreale) means that it will shine in different colours depending on the light.

Además, podéis encontrar piedras de muchos colores y probablemente su nombre cambiará dependiendo del fabricante. Por ejemplo, algunas cosas que necesitais saber es que clear significa transparente y que AB (Aurora Boreale) significa que brillará de diferentes colores dependiendo de la luz.

5. Quality / Calidad

Finally, quality matters. Of course you have heard about Swarovski. This is actually a brand (not a gem itself) they get the shiniest (and most expensive) gems. They are done with glass. Second to them is the brand Preciosa, you usually will find it as Czech glass. They are very shiny as well but a bit less expensive. Finally, the last of all are the acrylic rhinestones that you can buy pretty cheap from China or any craft store.

Finalmente, la calidad importa. Por supuesto habéis oido hablar de Swarovski. En realidad es una marca (no un tipo de gema) ellos tienen las gemas más brillantes (y caras). Están hechas de cristal. En segunda posición tenemos la marca Preciosa y los cristales checos. También son muy brillantes y un poco más baratos. Por último, tenemos las piedras acrílicas que puedes comprar bastante baratas a vendedores de China y alrededores.

Other related items / Otros artículos relacionados

So far we have talked about single items, but there is a great variety of premade items using rhinestones as a base.

Hasta ahora hemos hablado de strass como piezas individuales, pero hay una gran variedad de artículos que usan el strass como base.

For example, you can also buy rhinestones in chains, they can go from 1, 2 to 24 or more rows and will save you time if you need to put many gems together. Also, they are perfect for necklaces and bracelets.

Por ejemplo, también podéis encontrar gemas en cadenas, van de 1, 2, 24 o más filas y os ahorraran tiempo si necesitais poner muchas gemas a la vez. Además, son perfectos para collares y pulseras.

Also, appliques are very common and beautiful but pretty expensive. The most beautiful ones are usually in the bridal section. However, you can find cheaper appliques on the craft area.

También, son comunes y bonitos los apliques pero bastante caros. Los más bonitos los sueles encontrar en la sección de bodas. Sin embargo los hay más baratos en las tiendas de carnaval.

Wow, that’s a lot of sparkling things!! I hope you enjoyed and you learnt something new! And what about you? Which project used the most rhinestones for you? Was it shiny? Did I miss anything on my ultimate guide to rhinestones?

Wow, eso han sido un montón de cosas brillantes!! Espero que os haya gustado y hayáis aprendido algo nuevo! ¿Y que hay de ti? ¿Qué proyecto usó mas strass? ¿Quedó brillante? Olvidé añadir algo a la guía de strass definitiva?

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Make a clover leaf knot

The best material you can use to make this kind of knot is a satin cord. In order to make your knot you will need to follow the next steps.

First, you want to find a flat surface. Keep in mind satin cord will be slippery. You can keep this knot between your fingers as you finish each step or you can help yourself with a pin board. It will be much easier to keep the cord in place.

You start by folding the cord towards you. The you want to make a loop that goes inbetween your folded section. Now fold your cord again and thread the cord trough the top section. Making another loop and another fold fit the hold inbetween your second fold.

Now comes the trickiest part. On your last loop get the cord to pass inbetween the last fold and on top of your first fold. Then return the cord behind your leaf and thread it again through your last fold.

Once everything looks like the diagram pull gently from each leaf as you hold it tight between your fingers and you should have your Clover Leaf Knot

It wasn’t so difficult to make a clover leaf knot or was it? I hope you found this tutorial useful. If you feel like it, remember you can support me on Ko-fi, there are no subscriptions and you will help me create more cosplays and more tutorials to share with you! Also, if you are looking for patterns and cosplay related downloadables make sure to check my collection!

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Eyelets are cheap, useful and easy to attach but many people don’t know you can attach them at home. You just need the eyelets and an eyelet punch, there are different types, but these are maybe the easiest to find. The eyelet plier is itself a cheap tool. You can easily get one for less than 10£ with the eyelets included. Very often you can buy them in a pack that includes a revolving hole punch.

Los ojetes son baratos, útiles y fáciles de poner, pero mucha gente no sabe que los puedes poner en casa. Sólo necesitas los ojales y unos alicates para poner ojales. Hay diferentes tipos de ojetes, pero estos son quizás los más fáciles de encontrar. Los alicates para ojales son una herramienta barata, la puedes encontrar fácilmente por menos de 10€ con los ojales incluidos. A menudo puedes comprar un pack que también incluye unos alicates sacabocados para hacer agujeros.

How to attach eyelets step by step

Follow this steps to attach eyelets succesfully:

• Mark the spot where you want the eyelet
• Make a little slit, just big enough to get the eyelet through. You can do this with scissors but a revolving hole punch is a better option.
• Insert the eyelet. It must be tight.
• Make sure that the part with the spiky part is facing the back of the eyelet. Otherwise, the punch will get stuck and you may break the fabric.
• Press very hard until the piece feels secure.

Sigue los siguientes pasos para poner ojales:

• Haz una marca donde quieres insertar el ojal.
• Haz un pequeño corte, solo lo suficientemente grande para que pase el ojal. Puedes hacer esto con unas tijeras pero unos alicates sacabocados son mejor opción.
• Mete el ojal en el agujero. Debe quedar ajustado.
• Asegúrate de que la parte que tiene el pincho mira la parte de atrás del ojal. Si no es así, los alicates se engancharan y podrías romper la tela.
• Presiona muy fuerte hasta que la pieza quede segura.

Further notes

Occassionally you may press the wrong part of your eyelet. This will cause your eyelet to get distorted. If that is the case, use some pliers to remove the faulty piece and insert a new one.

En ocasiones es posible que presiones el ojal de forma incorrecta. Esto hará que el ojete se deforme. Si este es el caso, usa unos alicates para quitar la pieza e inserta una nueva.

Traditionally, you may want to use your eyelets in a decorative way or to insert cords. Corsets are a typical example. On the other hand, a good idea is to use them combined with clips. This will make the pieces movable but will prevent the material from getting ripped. This is the method that I used to make Asuna’s wings

Tradicionalmente, querrás usar los ojetes de forma decorativa o para insertar cordones. Los corsets son un típico ejemplo. Por otro lado, una gran idea es usar estas piezas en combinación con clips. Esto hará que la pieza tenga movimiento pero evitará que se desgarre el material. Esta técnica es la que usé para hacer las alas de Asuna.

Now that you know how to attach eyelets there are plenty of possibilites to use them. Is it going to be a corset, a belt, bracelets? Your imagination is the limit.

Ahora que ya sabéis como poner ojales tenéis muchas posibilidades para usarlos. ¿Váis a hacer un corset, un cinturón, brazaletes? Vuestra imaginación es el límite.

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Los botones chinos son algo “fácil” y algo “rápido”  de hacer si eres habilidoso claro. Con un poco de paciencia podéis hacerlo fácilmente. Podéis comprar estos botones en tiendas especializadas pero si no encontráis uno que os sirva u os apetece intentarlo aquí tenéis el como se hace.
Normalmente, estos botones se hacen con cola de ratón y se usan mucho en ropa de estilo chino.

You can alter your knot pulling one thread out (left) or making it flat (right). It will be easier if you pin it to a cork board. 

Puedes alterar el nudo tirando de un lado del cordón (izquierda) o dejandolo plano (derecha). Os resultará más fácil si lo pincháis a un tablero de corcho. 

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Otro tutorial fácil, perfecto como toque final de un vestido medieval. El hilo que usé fue en realidad una especie de cola de ratón pero más fina. Os mantendré al tanto con algunas fotos de donde está puesto pronto.

1. Corta un cuadrado de cartón con un agujero a unos dos centimetros y medio del borde superior.
2. Pon un trozo de cordón horizontalmente.
3. Si hacéis unos pequeños cortes al cartón el cordón no se moverá.
4. Enrrolla el cordón verticalmente alrededor del cartón.
5. Con otro trozo de cordón haz un nudo en el centro.
6. Usa el cordón horizontal para hacer un nudo en la parte de arriba.
7. Corta los hilos de abajo de tu borla.
8. Para terminar puedes enrollar mas cordón en el centro para que quede mejor.

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1. Gemstones

This could be a pretty accurate option, your characters are supposed to wear real gems after all. But gemstones are usually very limited in sizes and shapes. The good point is that they will naturally be the colour you are looking for but the con is tha they can be get expensive fast depending on the size. You can find them in bead shops or jewellery shops.

2. Glass cabochons

Cabochons are glass beads tha can be found on bead shops or even aquarium shops . You can find them in many sizes and shapes but the maximum size I have seen is 30x40mm. The difference with gemstones is that they are made of glass. You can find them coloured but it is easier and cheaper to get them clear and paint them. Also, very often you can find mounts for them.

To paint cabochons I recommend using nail polish, you can choose to paint the front or the back of the gem. If you decide to paint the back of the gem you can put metallic foil behind it to make it more reflective. You can even mix several colours. Also, you could use glass paint, it will last longer but it is more expensive.

3. Rhinestones

I think everyone uses this method. They are usually inexpensive and you can find them in many shapes and colours. They are not my first choice because in my opinion they are a bit irrealistic but they will save you in a pinch. Check my ultimate guide to rhinestones to know more

4. Styrofoam eggs and domes.

These you can usually found on paint shops or craft shops. You can cut them in half with an exacto knife or a hot wire cutting machine if you have one.

The problem with styrofoam is that the gem will be opaque, you will have to fake the reflection effect. I recommend using acrylic paints and varnish but white glue or Mod Podge can be as effective as varnish to get the shiny finish. Styrofoam has a big problem, some glues and paints can melt it! So never use nail polish on them! Also, remember to try your paints before applying them.

However, the pros is that they are very cheap and you can find fairly big ones. On the contrary, you will have problems with their lack of smoothness in some cases.

5 . Casting gems

This is the not so cheap option. If you want a perfect gem this is it. You can make your own moulds or buy the prefabricated ones. The material you will need is called polyester resin or clear casting epoxy. You can mix some special ink in the resin mixture or paint them as it was explained with the cabochons. The good thing is that you can make a lot and very big, but it is extremely messy and stinky.

6. Anything you can get

If none of the above works for you, what about a bit of imagination? For example, you could use kinder joy eggs as a mould or even paint them to get big oval gems. At Easter you also get lots of moulds for chocolate very cheap, you could fill them with clay. Icecubes moulds also work. And if your gem is huge, why don’t you consider dimensional adhesive? Another underrated tool is the gluegun, with a bit of practice you can get perfect gems.

It doesn’t matter how you do them as long as it works for your cosplay. And what about you? What is your craziest jewel or gem you have made for a cosplay? Let me know in the comments!

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