How To Stick Balloons To Polyester Bodysuit?- Need Answer Before 10/22/2022

My planned costume for this year was a Zentai (an over the head bodysuit) covered in twisty balloons. I was planning to attach the balloons to the polyster bodysuit with a sticky-side-out circle of duct tape. Unfortunatley, the tape refuses to stick to the polyester bodysuit. I need a cheap, easy, portable way to get the balloons to attach to the Zentai. It need the ability to replace balloons in case they deflate or pop. The SDMB is chock full of people who know stuff. I hope somebody knows the solution to my problem.

Safety pins, piercing the balloons below the knot?

With a seam ripper, make tiny holes in the body suit and stick the tied lip of the balloons through? If the fabric is firm the hole might hold its shape well enough.

Or do that and then tie two balloons together with thin elastic under the suit, to keep them in place?

Otherwise you could probably also sew on the tied lips of the balloons, I think that rolled/reinforced but might be strong enough. I sometimes just say “staple it” but ehh…

There are fabric glues and fabric glues that stick fabric to your body, but I think it will always be difficult with balloons.

Or a fishnet bodysuit over the first bodysuit, and tie the balloons straight to fishnet?

Try double sided-carpet tape using silicone adhesive. Very sticky stuff, you’ll be peeling bits of it off your fingers for the rest of the day, and the scissors you cut it with will be clogged up with the adhesive.

First, thank you for all your suggestions.

Re safety pins- I need the balloons anchored at both ends.

Re fishnet bodysuit- I don’t know where I’d get one with the right size mesh.

Re seamripper- I’m reasonably sure the fabric would split like crazy.

Re double sided carpet tape- I live in walking distance of a Home Depot. I shall shop look for the tape there after work.

Velcro?

Somewhere I have industrial strength velcro strips with adhesive backing. But, at this point I’m pretty sure the backing won’t adhere to the polyester. Thanks, though.

ETA a friend in meatspace suggested trying clear packing tape. I happened to have some. It won’t stick at all. :frowning:

Hot-glue squares of velcro to the polyester, then stick the other halves onto balloons with the sticky backing. If you don’t have a hot glue gun, they’re cheap.

Amazon has A LOT of fishnet bodysuits - searching for it ruins your algorithm but it’s cheap and easy and surely delivered soon. Covered in balloons and being black on black, nobody will see they’re crotchless.

Hot glue might hold a bit longer, but will likely still let go if it’s a poly that doesn’t hold the other glues. It might melt the fabric a bit but it might not really bond. I’d sew on the velcro but if that’s not easy for you, staple it!

Check that the sticky velcro holds the balloons well enough though, I have my doubts. And cut the velcro in circles or it’ll pop the balloons!

Go naked and Superglue the balloons to your body.

(Or maybe Superglue the balloons to the polyester body suit?)

~VOW

Update-

Double sided Gorilla tape worked great in the store and in home tests. It failed spectacularly in the field.

At this point, it looks like I’ll be printing some new ‘Cthulhu is coming! You’re all doomed!’ literature and wearing my Cultist costume Me As Cultist Of Cthulhu - Imgur

The point of hot glue on fabric is that it should soak through to the other side. It’s not chemically bonding to the polyester, just to itself. I’ve done exactly this before for cosplay stuff.

Aww :frowning:
I was so hoping for the speed delivery of sexy fishnet suit. And then a lifetime of ads for the same on every device :joy:

Ah right, nice!

Did you even try vigorously rubbing the balloons against the carpet and then sticking them on your outfit? :grinning: