Fall Sewing Projects

Time for some sewing project catch-up! Autumn was quite productive again for me this year for Lolita sewing (it seems to be becoming a trend) with quite a few completed projects. I made two JSKs with matching hair accessories, a cape and beret set, a pair of boystyle shorts, and a sheer blouse. However, I don't have pictures yet for the shorts and blouse, so I'll save those for another post.

Read on for more pictures and construction notes.

I got some of Michael Miller's beautiful "Divine Cross" collection, and spent a lot of time sketching out the design for it. Since it's a somewhat busy print, I wanted to be able to break it up with a solid color to keep it interesting. The original sketch didn't have the trim at the top and included waist ties, but I think I'm happier with how it ended up in the final design.

The black panels are polyester chiffon, and everything is fully lined and interfaced, since the cotton is fairly lightweight. Getting the right drape can be difficult, but using a heavier lining fabric helps a lot. There is fairly minimal lace, but enough to break up the print. I'm still not 100% sold on the gold ribbon at the top, but I'm not sure what would be better--maybe just solid black?

Here you can see the bodice detail better--the top portion has ruched chiffon backed with solid black twill for structure (from the scrap bin, haha) and a princess seam flare. The basque waist is nicely pronounced, and I put lace around the waist seam to emphasize it even more. The base pattern is ゴスロリ Vol. 10 #14, though it's barely recognizable after all the alterations!

I also made a matching headdress, inspired by similar ones from BABY. I wanted something simple in design but still striking, which I think the almost bonnet-like frill on the rectangle headdress fits nicely. All of the trim matches the dress.

Here it is worn for pictures! Please excuse the blurred face, I didn't feel like doing myself up just for fit pictures. I'm really happy with the fit--the bodice has no shirring and is perfectly tailored for me. The skirt ended up a teeny bit shorter than I would usually like, but I think it fits the style well, and can always be worn with an underskirt if necessary.

The next one is an underbust JSK that I made on a whim. Have you ever had those projects that sprung up from finding the perfect fabric? I had a 60% off coupon for JoAnn's and happened across a lovely burgundy and black suiting. As soon as I saw the fabric, I knew what needed to happen.

I think I have finally perfected my underbust JSK design! On the first one I made, the bodice was too short, making it almost high-waisted. So this time I lengthened both the straps and the bodice itself, and lowered the back neckline as well. The original pattern was the vest from ゴスロリ Vol. 11.

I didn't want to add a lot of trim, so I kept the interesting elements to parts of the design--the underbust front, and corset back are the focal points. I also added shirring to the back, mostly for decoration but it also adds to the comfort. The corset back has partial boning and is fully interfaced, but is less for structure and more for visual interest.

The matching hair accessory for this one is a simple two-way bow, intended to be worn with a solid black hat but it would also work on it's own.

Sorry for the somewhat dark pictures! But you can see how the back fits very cleanly with the corset and shirring. The skirt is also very full for maximum poof!

Last but not least (for now) is a capelet and beret set that I made for the Reddit Lolita community Secret Santa exchange. I wanted to make something that would be cute, practical, and appropriate for any size.

The capelet pattern is from ゴスロリ Vol. 10, and this was surprisingly the first time I used the collar with the pattern--usually I do a hood or a separate detachable collar--and I love how it turned out! The outer fabric is a polyester blend suiting, and the inner fabric is a cuddly waffle-patterned fleece. It's trimmed with venice beading lace and finished with an antique gold clasp.

The beret is my usual pattern, made from the same outer fabric and lined with a basic static-free poly. The matching bow is on a pin back, so that it can be used on the hat or on the capelet.

I like how the capelet turned out so much that I really want to make one for myself! Too bad there's not much use for cold weather clothes where I live, or I would make them in every color...

I also made white boystyle shorts and a sheer black blouse, but haven't been able to take good pictures yet due to the weather, so look forward to those in a future post.