I haven't been very busy lately. We have Anime Milwaukee coming up, and I wish I had more done but I've been so lazy lately.

When I came to Chicago I wanted to write, and I'm honestly surprised that this little hobby of sewing has become such a big part of my life. I owe it to all the super nice girls (and guys) who buy my goods at conventions and on my currently inactive Etsy.

So anyway I finished a dress this week I am going to share. It isn't perfect, I had some fabric I was itching to use and I know would look cute even if it wasn't perfect. I was trying a new idea, and with a little tweaking this idea will be a fantastic one I can use again and again. I'm going to make another similar dress soon using the same pattern with different alterations and straps instead of puff sleeves.



This is Mandy and she was my model. "But Amber!" you say. "I thought you only made plus sizes!" Well this dress was an experiment, and I only had three yards which was almost not enough. As you can see the skirt isn't really Loli full, though it will accommodate a petti. Although it is good for classic Lolita, which is my fave. The dress was a basic one that I've used before, but it usually has straps instead of sleeves. I took a long, hard look at some other dresses and realized I can make puff sleeves by attaching rectangles creatively.

Unfortunately, I was a little too gung-ho about making the neckline modest, and I started the sleeves too far in, and as a result I got a strange sort of V in the back, which you can see here. For some reason I can't get blogspot to let me put another picture in and that makes me sad.

I hand-pleated the box pleats along the bottom. It was a pain, but for this dress I think it turned out way better than if I hadn't.

Two Skirts and a lot of downtroddenness

I have two completed skirts that are up for sale or will be going up for sale very soon. One is a pretty pink skirt with bows and pearls. The other is a blue one with ruffles and a bustle. I had interest in the pink skirt, but apparently something stupid I said months ago about an unrelated article of clothing has gotten me enough flak from the community over on livejournal that the buyer has since backed out. That's where the downtroddenness comes in.

Anyway on to the pictures. the blue one to the right is my newest piece. Its 100% cotton, all prewashed, with a polyester lining. Its machine washable and dry-able, just the way I like my clothes to be. But is isn't for me, its for sale. I need some final pictures on it before I can make a sales post.

Here's the back of the skirt. For once the skirt isn't too long. I have a habit of making my skirts a bit too long. This one, however, should land just at the knees or just above, which is the preferred length.

I don't want to just make Lolita clothing anymore. I have so many other clothing types I love, so many other things I want to make. But Lolita is the only place I know where to sell. Its tough. I want to make bohemian skirts out of flouncy taffeta and skirts that have less fullness but more visual interest. That's my dream.

Anyway, I also made a pink skirt that had some interest but the buyer never came through. It was sad, but I have to learn to deal with it. The issue is I lost the sale due to anonymous internet bullying rather than any lack of detail or love on my part. So here's the other skirt I made.

Its also machine washable, but you have to remove the bows before you toss it in the wash. That's the front right portion. There's also burgundy ruffles in a triangle down further. I'll post that picture later. This was supposed to be a high-waisted skirt, but turned into a longer skirt instead. There isn't much elastic, but it can be fitted with the corset ties in the back.

I had a lot of fun making this skirt, and I'm really let down that the girl who had wanted it backed out. And all because someone anonymously pointed her at something I said almost four months ago. But someone will buy iy and love it, I'm sure.





Here's the back, with corset ties and messy craft room. You can see scraps from the other skirt on the floor. The corset ties were hard to make, but they look really nice. In fact I have another skirt planned, this one also high-waisted, that will also have corset ties.

That's about all I have to write about right now. I have a handful of headdresses, bows, hair ties, and headbands I've been working on for youmacon. I hope Youma is as good this year as it was last year.

Country Lolita

I started out making a Country Lolita dress. Its not as full as I had hoped, but it fits a petti. Its more A-line.

As you can see I made some bad choices as far as placement. The zipper isn't invisible either. But I made some changes. Here's the finished product:




I extended the area of the corset lacing and moved the straps. So far its pretty good. I wish it had been sales worthy, but I have two skirts that I' m sure will be. but first, PAJAMAS!

Etsy Etsy Etsy

I have an etsy shop!

Check me out!

Only headdresses right now but I'll have more stuff soon!

B&W entry

The sew_loli community I participate in over on Livejournal is having a B&W contest. I decided to enter it, using some B&W fabric I had been planning on using for some time. The dress didn't turn out perfect, but I guess its okay. As you can see, the front isn't great. It needed something to fit the dress better in the back, pulling it closer to my waist. I also needed to make the bodice a little longer.

The back is uneven, but not as bad as the picture makes it seem. It was just at a strange angle. The bow is a little floppy.


Things I learned:
1. Bodices should be cut at least three inches longer than you intend.
2. Bustle Skirts are fun.
3. When you serge the edge of something you're going to gather, it sits fine without folding and sewing the serged hem under. It also looks fine, and in fact, many Lolita brands leave "raw" edges like that.
4. DO NOT fudge gathering.
5. Always always always have some sort of fitting besides shirring.

Overall I'd give this dress a 3/5 for look and a 5/5 for teaching me things. I learned a lot about this kind of OP. I look forward to making more like this, but with longer boddices and using the ruffler foot my mum ordered me from Amazon.

I look forward to making dresses I can sell too.

Oh no, no pictures!

I haven't been able to find my camera's USB line so I can upload pics! I don't have anything done anyway. After moving to the new house, dealing with flash flooding, spiders, unpacking, spiders, cats fighting, spiders, and the landscapers not coming and doing their job... Oh and did I mention spiders? Yeah I've been too busy to finish anything. But I have two projects near completion, one that's ready for cutting and sewing, and three I have the fabric for. I'm also crocheting one thing and knitting another.

I keep wondering if I should get into making cardigans. Apparently Lolis are into cardigans.

Etsy, Selling, and Cons

Yay! We're moved in (basically, we still have unpacking) and I'm starting my sewing again! I have two dresses, two skirts, and a handful of headdresses I want to have finished by Youmacon, which is approaching fast! My mommy got me a Ruffler foot for my machine too. This means faster sewing and no more hand gathering. I'm also doing a little writing on Gaia. I needed a little practice.