The month leading up to Halloween is both the best and the worst of times when it comes to thrifting. The best, because thrift stores put out vintage stuff that they’ve been holding back for the rest of the year, but the worst because they tend to jack up the prices and the thrift stores get more and more crowded with seasonal shoppers as the holiday approaches. Still, I usually manage to find some bargains and treasures before things get hectic. The other day I saw this lovely sequin collar online:

(Available here, but it appears to be sold out.)

So when I saw a sequin skirt in the Halloween section at Goodwill, I grabbed it with the intention of using it for some DIY projects. I made myself a collar pattern, then cut it out from the skirt and lining, sewed the two together, and added two pieces of ribbon.

Fancy!

A couple of notes on sewing sequins:
Don’t let your nice sewing scissors anywhere near the sequin fabric, because the sequins are essentially plastic and you’d end up dulling the scissors. Craft scissors will do the job.
Use a nice sharp needle on your machine. I’d recommend a Microtex needle, which is made for sewing through man-made materials.
After you sew the seams, trim the seam allowance as close as possible.
Watch your eyes! A sequin flew up and hit me in the eye while I was sewing on the machine. Luckily I was fine. The floor around my sewing machine is covered with sequins, though.

I think I’ve got enough of the skirt left to either re-make it into a shorter version, or attempt another project or two with the remnants. Here are another couple potential projects:


What do you think? Seen any other great uses of sequin material lately?
By the way you can buy the material online, if you’re so inclined.