New sewing/needlecraft thread

[Anonymous No.10439162]

None in the catalog so let's have another thread for sewing and related crafts in the context of cosplay and jfash. Knitting, crochet, leathercraft, embroidery, tatting, beadwork, weaving, needle felting, and any other fiber or sewing arts I failed to mention are all welcome.

[Anonymous No.10439360]

I'm thinking about making an embroided skirt, but I'm not sure of anything nice enough to bother repeating all over a skirt that I can still do reliably.Any suggestions, gulls? I wear goth/aristo, btw
Why aren't embroidered dresses more popular? You'd be safe from fading prints forever.

[Anonymous No.10439419]

>>10439360
Ebroidery takes forever. Making a whole skirt would be a fools job. Maybe one bigger detail at one side (like pic related)? Or applique work?

[Anonymous No.10439426]

>>10439419
most people use machines, anon.

[Anonymous No.10439437]

>>10439426
Not that anon.. but why did I only find out that was a thing. Well now I have to get my hands on one.

[Anonymous No.10439444]

>>10439437
hand embroidery is still nice, don't get me wrong, and it's really relaxing to do when bored, but for things like >>10439360 was talking about the machine is super useful.

[Sage No.10439469]

>>10439360
It’s uncommon because it’s expensive and takes a long time. If we acknowledge that most “custom” lace is embroidered tulle, and machine made as well, that is on a ton of brand. But also that itself is a lot to do and it’s only the lace at the bottom.

Doing a whole dress wound take a lot. But knowing that it’s the same idea as custom lace, patterns used on that lace should work overall on a dress

[Anonymous No.10439477]

Started watching story of yanxi palace and now I want to get into embroidery. I used to do it in my pre-teen years with my grandma but this series inspired me to pick it up again and try things like this. What are the wooden circles called that keep the fabric in place and where do you find online patterns like pick related? I remember they were essentially paint by number but with thread.

[Anonymous No.10439479]

>>10439477
Shit wrong pic but you get the idea

[Anonymous No.10439485]

>>10439426
>>10439360
Not that anon but if you're embroidering on a large surface like a skirt it'll affect the drape of the fabric, causing to to become stiff. Screen printing will too, but to a lesser extent. This is why sublimation printing, jacquard, or burnout fabrics are favored, because it doesn't affect the drape. Anyways, if you really wanna embroider it I can't stop you and I commend you on your patience because even with a high end embroidery machine it will take a while to do a skirt

[Anonymous No.10439488]

>>10439477
you're thinking of an embroidery hoop, and for patterns, embroidery kit. Idk where you would get one like in your picture but you can get kits in craft stores, and if you search #embroideryart on insta, there's a ton of embroidery artists that sell their own kits.

Also for doing your own patterns youtube tutorials are great.

One more thing re: embroidery, I have a Japanese book with embroidery patterns/ideas in it (modern ones). Anyone interested in having me snap some photos of the pages? It's on the simple/cute side.

[Anonymous No.10439510]

>>10439488
Nice, thanks and yes! please share.

[Anonymous No.10439519]

My Inspiration made hand embroidered dress, and it looked nice

[Anonymous No.10439537]

>>10439519
fuck I love that

[Anonymous No.10439974]

What's a good combination sewing/embroidery machine? I'm looking at the Brother NV180 but it's sold out in my country.

[Anonymous No.10440000]

>>10439974

I think the babylock destiny machines are supposed to be mega expensive but nice ass embroidery machines with digital capabilities. May be another brand name but destiny and destiny 2 is the model I remember seeing a couple years ago that was like top of the line for at home machines. It is difficult to buy those machines online though, they usually only sell through specified retailers.

[Anonymous No.10440021]

Okay this is extremely autistic but please bear with me.
I have some 3-4oz chrome tan leather which is on the upper end of what's considered "garment leather" vs the heavier leather meant to be sewn in a stitching pony (my leather is too soft for that)
I have a long coat I need to make out of this leather. And I know myself and my sewing machines well and I know they will absolutely not handle it and I'll just wind up poking too many holes in it so please don't tell me to just sew it by machine (I don't have access to an industrial either).
So that leaves hand sewing. And I have the time and patience for that. But I want the final product to look like it was sewn by machine.
So what's my best option for this? Backstitch? Whatever the stitch you get with a sewing awl is called? It's too thin to saddle stitch without puckering so that's not an option.
I also am a little worried about keeping my stitches straight and even. Unlike fabric, I don't have the option to count threads. I know leatherworkers use punches for this but I've seen them and the holes would be far too big. I also don't trust myself with an overstitch wheel.
Is my best best using a pricking iron to mark it and then using a glovers needle to pre-punch the hole? They're expensive and I don't mind spending the money but I do want to make sure it's something I will use.

[Anonymous No.10440043]

>>10440021
Is it possible for you to skive the seam allowance then machine stitch? I did that for a purse I just made since I don't currently have access to the industrial machines at school.

[Anonymous No.10440047]

>>10440043
I guess skiving could help in some places but I know I need to topstitch and also go through three layers of leather in some places and that my machine won't go through that even if it's skived. Plus it's chrome tan which is notoriously harder to skiv than veg tan

[Anonymous No.10440146]

For those into embroidery, what was your first project?

[Anonymous No.10440154]

>>10440146
A scarf for cosplaying Isabella from Paradise Kiss.

[Anonymous No.10440199]

do you guys want a dump (of only the good stuff) from the lolita sewing group on fb or nah

[Anonymous No.10440203]

>>10440199
Yes please. I'd love to see some good handmade because a lot of it is just shit. Btw if the poster specified what pattern they used I would like to know

[Anonymous No.10440209]

is there some kind of sewing supply shortage right now or something? i can't even find a sewing machine for under $200 that's in stock anywhere.

[Anonymous No.10440214]

>>10440209

Sewing masks became trendy/a way to virtue signal (not that people aren't doing it to be kind too, but lots of people do acts of social good performatively) or increase income for small businesses who already sew or sell handmade goods, and people are bored inside so embroidery and sewing stuff online is taking longer to ship and running low on stock on some sites.

[Anonymous No.10440219]

>>10440214
what sites actualy have them in stock? i've only looked at amazon, walmart, joann, and michael's.

[Anonymous No.10440224]

>dump time
>gonna try to post mostly the decent ones
Sew Vet
Lolita Novice
Thinking about how to decorate this next one. It will have a ruffle along the hem for sure with will add about 2-3 inches to the bottom. I have it on an alien petticoat only because I haven’t made a bell shaped one yet. I don’t have lace yet but I def want to add some, not sure which kind yet. So now I am thinking about bows and sashes.

[Anonymous No.10440226]

Lolita lvl: beginner/Intermediate
Sewing lvl: advanced

Finally got a good picture of the jsk I made! It's still missing the lace ruffle on the bottom (it's stuck in China atm) but I'm super happy with how it turned out!! I never want to pleat chiffon again but I love the subtle detail it adds to the bodice I'd love any concrit that would help me on my next jsk adventure!

[Anonymous No.10440227]

>>10440219
try estate sales, facebook marketplace, thrift stores, and setting alerts at the shopping sites you mentioned (ive seen some lower priced machines go in stock but are OOS pretty quick)

[Anonymous No.10440228]

Lolita and Sewing Level: veteran
I'd like to show you Eleven's dress from Stranger Things I made it last year and wore it with petticoat for Halloween. I smocked it by hand

[Anonymous No.10440229]

Lolita level: Veteran
Sewing level: Intermediate
Hi everyone, just thought I'd share something I finished recently-ish before I wounded my hand. Saw last few bits of this fabric in one shop and just had to snatch it up...
I hope you all are having a wonderful Monday

[Anonymous No.10440230]

Lolita/Sewing: Veteran
I don’t post much here lately but here’s a WIP I’m working on. Did it on stream last week. Embellishments done today. Needs buttons and button holes. And swing tacks for the lining.

[Anonymous No.10440231]

Lolita level : Veteran I guess
Sewing level : intermediate
First time posting here ! I just finished this set (headpiece, skirt and bloomer are handmade) inspired by an old meta skirt. I had this old green velvet sitting in my room for so long, waiting for me to do something with it. I'm really happy with how it turned out ~

[Anonymous No.10440233]

Lolita level- Advanced
Sewing level- Pro
I just finished up a new OP for myself! Funny enough this is the most casual lolita thing I have made. Usually I go OTT, but... I wanted to try and make more 'normal' things for a change. I struggle to find OPs to fit (big boob alert) so I decided to go in this lane.
For the design, I really wanted to make something inspired off of my favorite otome game character (Jumin Han, from Mystic Messenger.) As well as making something that fits my classic style.
Pattern is self drafted, to my own body measurements. The dress is made of a airy silk twill from Mood Fabrics, and the white contrast is a heavy silk twill from Renaissance fabrics. I added elastic in the back waist for size flexibility too!
Things I would have done different... The collar is not 100% perfect. I burned the tip a bit and I am considering remaking it incase I want to take the Jumin Han pin off.
I would also gather the back yoke lace and cuff lace if I was to make the pattern again.
But overall it is really comfortable and soft... (I mean you can't beat silk for soft.) I am planning on wearing this to casual meets in the future as well as for work.

[Anonymous No.10440234]

Sewing/lolita: Intermediate
Saw some gorgeous navy x brown coords recently that inspired me to use some remnants to make this headdress~
Proud of it, but of course concrit welcome!

[Anonymous No.10440236]

Lolita: novice
Sewing: intermediate

I finished my first jsk and matching headdress! It’s my first time sewing a complete garment after I dropped out of fashion design at school But I’m really happy with how this came out!

I drafted my own bodice pattern from my AP/Baby high waist jsks. Shirring panel in back (pic will be in comments) The skirt is 3 rectangle layers of organza, chiffon, and poly lining. The chiffon ends right where the lining hem lace begins like my AP dresses. The organza ended up shorter than I wanted, I’ll pay more attention to layer lengths in the future.

Lessons learned: Have varying seam allowances to reduce bulk, organza is a headache to cut/sew with, french seam would’ve saved so much time, don’t try to sew a jsk in 2 days!

I made a few mistakes here and there, but this is good enough for my rusty sewing skills! Any concrit appreciated

[Anonymous No.10440237]

>here's raincoat lolita!
Lolita: Intermediate
Sewing: Veteran
I promise this looks better on me than my tiny mannequin, but she’s done! Well, it needs the snaps but I don’t have the tool
I posted a while ago about lolita raincoats, and took the plunge into making my own!
Image 1 was what I started out with, and image 2 is what I refined it into.
There’s still a couple things I’d have liked to have done differently, but for £15 in total materials I think it’s pretty good!

[Anonymous No.10440238]

>>10440231
Wow this is gorgeous

[Anonymous No.10440241]

Sewing level: lower intermediate
Lolita level: novice
Alteration project: The blouses I've ordered are still stuck in postal limbo but I found a normie blouse from Next with a frilled peter pan collar. I've altered it to fit better by moving the shoulders inwards by an inch and lengthening the bust darts. Then I shortened the sleeves (making new cuffs out of the harvested fabric), sewed flower trim onto the collar and added a false placket. I would like a wider satin ribbon for the bow in future but I've used what I had for now. The blouse looks cute with a JSK so I'm happy until that golden day when the postman rings the doorbell.

[Anonymous No.10440243]

Lolita: veteran
Sewing: veteran
A couple of weeks ago I finished sewing this full shirring red gingham jsk I hand drafted the pattern for out of some fabric I had laying around, thrifted red eyelet lace, and old white curtain lace! I paired it with my handmade bloomers and my decorated hat and socks I’ve posted about previously
This was my first experiment into full shirring and turns out, I really enjoy doing it!

[Anonymous No.10440244]

>>10440243
>dropped pic sorry

[Anonymous No.10440245]

Lolita level: 11 years(ish)
Sewing level: advanced intermediate?

I'm still going... yep, three more finished items!

This time, I completely took apart one of the first dresses I ever made. It was unlined, the hems weren't finished properly, the zipper was the wrong color, and on top of it all, it was asymmetrical. Unconscionable! (I'll post the original in the comments, lol.)

So here's the remade dress in all its glory! I added a few more cute details (the gimp trim) and made it waaaay more structurally sound. I've always really liked this dress, so I'm excited to wear an even better version of it. Plus, I finally made a matching headdress. I did have to make it out of scraps-- I can't get more of the original fabric, so I only had the tiny scraps left over from my first try!

Also included is some long bloomers I just finished. they're not as poofy as I'd like (should've used the next size up!), but I think they turned out looking pretty nice. The pintucks were a last-minute choice, but I definitely like it. Co-ords with peeking bloomers, here we come~

PS IT HAS POCKETSSSSSS NOW

[Anonymous No.10440248]

Lolita & sewin level: veteran
I made new top to match my blue schiffon skirt. I used my own pattern, fabrics are from old dress and laces from karnaluks. Hat and skirt are also handmade.

[Anonymous No.10440251]

Sewing level: Novice

Lolita level: Veteran

Anyone else working on small projects? I feel like I've been super productive lately and want to see what everyone else is working on too!

Note: I made the displayboard, not the pins.

[Anonymous No.10440253]

Sewing level: intermediate
Lolita level: novice
Here’s what I’ve been working on over the past few weeks. I still want another ruffle on the underskirt and some bows but I can’t resist sharing a pic of how it’s coming along

[Anonymous No.10440255]

Sewing Level: Intermediate,
Lolita Level: Intermediate
Hello!
Today I finished sewing a blouse using one of Otome no Sewing's patterns (BOOK 1) and decided to share some pictures for those who'd like a reference!
I had to make some alterations around the collar to make it fit (the pattern seemed a bit smaller than the area we need to cover around the neck) and changed the sleeves (used a ribbon instead of elastic inside it), but, other than that, nothing major.
Hope it's helpful!
Sewing Level: Intermediate,
Lolita Level: Intermediate

[Anonymous No.10440257]

Sewing novice
Lolita novice
Just finished the skirt (open to critique, it’s my first piece and I was winging it). I really want to use the last of my lace to make wrist cuffs like the ones in the photos, but I don’t know how to look up tutorials for that style. I like the “cuff of a dress shirt” look more than the super frilly kinds. Any advice on finding tutorials?

[Anonymous No.10440258]

Sewing/lolita: Intermediate
Doing some stash busting to try and lift myself out of a slump by making practice stuff with materials I have that just gather dust, like this headdress with some crummy raschel lace and weird vintage velvet scraps (just have to sew the bows on- they're pinned right now).
The frustrating thing is that I hadn't planned on this being something I liked, just something to practice the construction, but now I'm considering seeing what sort of Metamorphose-raschel-hell I can pair it with... quarantine is messing with me y'all.
Someone please help me justify tossing this or not.
But also, concrit on design incredibly welcome. I've been sewing a lot of skirts and blouses the past few months so I needed to switch gears and feel like I'm rusty on accessories that aren't just brooches. For example, are the ratios on this looking okay?
Thanks in advance
Edit- added two pics of it it worn in the comments for size reference.

[Anonymous No.10440260]

Lolita lvl: veteran
Sewing lvl: intermediate
My new hat I wanted a neutral hat that would be easy to wear with classic style and not be too showy. Also I wanted to keep it quite plain, so that I can easily add outfit matching accessories to it.
Made from recycled materials, handsewn.

[Anonymous No.10440262]

Lolita level: Newbie
Sewing level: Intermediate/Veteran
This is maybe my first post here? I am a bit intimidated.
I finished this blouse in the beginning of the year, but only now took some photos of it. I modified a pattern from one of my Gosu Rori books (mostly the sleeves, added some pintucks, and the collar).
I'm sorry for the photos, I'm absolutely awful at editing them.

[Anonymous No.10440263]

Sewing and lolita level: intermediate
Made this jsk today with a lovely gobelin fabric I inherited from my grandma
I'm already happy with it but I feel like maybe it's too plain? Would you add any other detail to it or rather rely on accessorising it later depending on the coord, maybe with a brooch?

[Anonymous No.10440264]

Sewing Level: Intermediate
Lolita Level: Veteran
I made this blouse using a pattern from Otome no Sewing #3 for the majority, then added/changed a few things here and there. The problem came when I changed the sleeves. When I went to add the elastic at the cuff, I realized the bias tape channel I had made ended up too bulky once the elastic was pulled through. At that point I was tired and just wanted to be done with the whole thing (I should know better than to continue when I'm tired), so I just pulled out the elastic and finished the sleeves without it.
Looking at it now, I'm worried that without the bit of gathering at the cuff, it looks too much like a normal blouse with just some added ruffles and lace.
Am I overthinking this and it looks just fine as a lolita blouse? If not, is there something I can do or add to make it look more lolita-ish, or should I just redo it entirely? (it's already serged, and I was only using some on-hand lace and fabric, so I've lost nothing but time on this. I haven't even done the buttons/buttonholes because of my indecision on the sleeves.)
Side note: I added a channel for the elastic because I didn't want the elastic to touch my skin directly. I did the same on the back shirring panel, but that came out just fine.

[Anonymous No.10440265]

Lolita level: 11 years?
Sewing level: upper intermediate???
I've already posted this dress here, but it wasn't quite done yet, and I hadn't made the accessories! I'm so happy with how it turned out... it's quite comfy, too.
Between my last post and now, it's actually been quite the journey. The original shirring panel on the dress was JUST too small, and I didn't notice till it was pretty much complete, so I had to take it ALL back apart and a new panel, and put the whole thing back together again! It was... awful, lol. There's your lesson to test-fit like crazy!!! And to never give up
I made the dress, the daisy pin, and the matching headbow. Well, and one of the petticoats, but you can't really see that...
Ps: sorry for the lack of blouse, the bad lighting, and the fact that I didn't get a good pic of the back ><;;

[Anonymous No.10440268]

Sewing/Lolita Level: Veteran
I had bought IW's Orion OP but it didn't fit me well (waist was way too high/short on me), so I ended up making my own version of it. IW photo attached for reference. Pattern was self drafted.

[Anonymous No.10440269]

Lolita: intermediate
Sewing: intermediate
I'm trying to work on my fabric stash (it turns out my younger self had a habit of only buying 1m of fabrics...) so I made a half elasticated skirt with a complimentary ruffle trim and she has 2 pockets!

[Anonymous No.10440270]

Lolita: intermediate
Sewing: intermediate
Ever had a project that just took forever to finish for the smallest of reasons? This skirt/blouse set was supposed to be ready to wear last summer, but it took a long time to make purely because of the buttons. I had everything else done, but all of the button options were too boring or just not quite what I was looking for. I finally found the cute whale buttons in the correct colours in the very back of a local yarn shop! I also had trouble matching the ivories for the blouse, and when I went back to the original store, they were like "oh yeah sorry that whale fabric run was yellower than usual so even we don't have the matching fabric," and I wanted to scream, lol. Fortunately I found fabric at another store so it turned out alright! I officially finished this in February, but a button popped off and I only sewed on the replacement yesterday :)

[Anonymous No.10440271]

Lolita and sewing level:veteran
New bonnet for me! there are schiffon inside brim, lots of venice lace and velvet ribbon.
Laces are from taobao, fabrics from eurokangas and pattern is my own

[Anonymous No.10440273]

>>10440271

[Anonymous No.10440275]

Lolita level: experienced
Sewing Level: Veteran
Made an apron for the first time! Not sure how i feel about the scallops personally, they dont seem to want to may right and it almost feels like the fabric looks like its bunching... (i clipped the seam allowance so that isnt the issue) but oh well the pockets were hand embroidered so I’m pretty proud of those
Edit: yes they are ironed but just want to billow and not lay flat.

[Anonymous No.10440277]

Lolita & sewin level: veteran
My latest quarantine sewing; op and bonnet.
Fabrics from eurokangas, laces from taobao, patterns are my own

[Anonymous No.10440278]

Sewing level: Newbie/Novice
Lolita level: Veteran
Hi all! I wanted to share this skirt I made with you. It's the first time that I've sewn an actual garment for lolita and given that I'm quite happy with how it turned out. There's still some cleaning up to do (a couple of loose threads) and definitely room for improvement, but it was a lot of fun It was made entirely by hand (RIP my hand after attaching this lace).
I'm not sure about the ruffles and the pattern, next time I'd probably attach a single row of ruffles when using striped fabric.

[Anonymous No.10440281]

Sewing Level: Veteran
Lolita Level: Veteran
I made a rosette "brooch holder" today! I collect a lot of pins and brooches and sometimes my pins look so plain compared to the rest of my coord. Solution? A "blank" rosette that'll display the brooch in a fancier way!
The middle of the rosette has a little bit of filler so it'll give the brooch something to hold on to. To make it more versatile, the back is a two-way clip. Pardon the messiness on the back, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do, lol.
C&C welcome, thank you!

[Anonymous No.10440290]

>>10440233
Pro indeed... I'm not familiar with the game she's talking about but this is beautiful

[Anonymous No.10440304]

>>10440281
That's ingenious. I am filled with envy.

[Anonymous No.10440379]

>>10440228
impressed by that smocking

[Anonymous No.10440380]

>>10440248
>>10440277
these are amazing

>>10440281
swiping this idea

[Anonymous No.10440415]

>>10439477
>I used to do it in my pre-teen years with my grandma
wholesome

[Anonymous No.10440416]

>>10440227
different anon, but is there a way to browse what an estate sale will have online or something? I've been wanting to go to more, but it's so hard to find any in my area by chance.

[Anonymous No.10440417]

>>10440226
Oh she's so pretty and the dress too. I'm not a lolita, but I love the look.

[[e-mail] No.10440539]

>>10440243
Ever interested in commissions to alter brand ? You did a wonderful job!

[Anonymous No.10440549]

>>10440264
this would be 10000% better if the person used decent lace...

[Anonymous No.10440726]

>>10440228
I am not really a fan of how it looks but I am so very impressed by the skill level.
>>10440231
I would buy that skirt.
>>10440237
At first I was like oh no, but then I realized it was a raincoat and I love it.

[Anonymous No.10440744]

>>10440237
Are there any other photos of this? She said raincoat so I'm wondering what material it is (doesn't look like vinyl to me)

[Anonymous No.10443405]

Does anyone have a pattern or knows any key words to find a pattern for this kind of sleeve? It seems to be pretty simple, but I don’t want to risk messing it up.

[Anonymous No.10443407]

>>10443405
Pretty sure that's a cap sleeve

[Anonymous No.10443419]

>>10443405

I can give you the keywords... it's a puff raglan sleeve, with an open or square neckline. Raglan sleeve is how you get that seamline where the sleeve connects across the top of the bodice rather than being connected to a shoulder part of the bodice.

It's not very common other than in lolita though. If you need a pattern a handful of GLBs, gosuroris and OnS have it. Plus one of the doll magazines has it sized for BJD (SD and MSD if not mistaken, it's the lolita issue with the burando stuff in it)

Alternatively you might be able to look up patterns for peasant blouses and do something about the square neckline.

[Anonymous No.10443474]

>>10443419
Thank you very much, I already searched for puff raglan, but the results showed were only puff or raglan. It confused me about what to do and didn’t know if I was searching for the correct terminology, I will see if I can find a OnS with the pattern.

[Anonymous No.10443532]

Hello, how do I measure my head to end up with 4 pieces like the pic for a mask? It comes from this video, but their patterns are paid only and they don't give any directions how to measure yourself to get such pieces https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATJMzjFYmVQ

[Anonymous No.10443608]

Is there a way to make shiny polyester lace look less shiny? I know there are tricks for synthetic wigs using vinegar and laundry detergent but I have no idea if those would work on lace.

>>10443474
OnS 9 has a pattern that looks very similar to your pic, and dress on the cover of OnS 7 looks like it’s pretty much the same thing but with longer sleeves.

[Anonymous No.10443684]

>>10443532
just pay them for it if it's five bucks or less, it's not worth the trouble.

[Anonymous No.10443686]

>>10440146
a lot of those lame cross-stitch kits from Micheals, and then eventually an Akagi fan piece because I'm incredibly embarassing

[Anonymous No.10443689]

>>10443684
$20, I mean I guess it is supposed to be from the nose to the back x2 and two head pieces of what remains, but I have no expierience

[Anonymous No.10443695]

What are the gulls recommendations for stores to buy heavier cotton from? Im looking for something similar to btssb’s fabric quality and while I’m not new to dressmaking I am fairly new to shopping for fabrics online.

[Anonymous No.10444246]

>>10443532
>>10443689
here lad. picrelated to explain the conceptual part of what you're asking, and vector version of the shapes to give you something ready-made to use as a starting point for your pattern:
https://files.catbox.moe/176iqg.pdf
>if you do print the pdf make sure to set it for "100% scale" and not "fit to page"

[Anonymous No.10444252]

>>10444246
Absolute legend, thank you very much!

[Anonymous No.10444262]

>>10444252
welcome, good luck m8

[Anonymous No.10444264]

I want to pad out the crown of a straw summer hat that's slightly too big for me but I'm not sure what kind of material to use. It needs to be voluminous and breathable but not snag my hair. I can only find materials that are 2 out of 3. Am I missing something obvious?

[Anonymous No.10444450]

>>10444264
What about a thick strip of foam? It'll have some give too so it'll fit snug on your head

[Anonymous No.10444464]

>>10440416
>>10440416
For ones found online (via Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, estate sale sites etc) there's usually a general listing of what categories of items to expect and sometimes overview pictures like attached (though these are more likely to be of high ticket items like furniture). From my experience people are fine with polite inquiries for specifics.

[Anonymous No.10444484]

>>10444264
if you're dead set on being able to one-shot this, ruffle and/or quilt more of the not-voluminous onto and into itself to make it voluminous (think poof not cram), otherwise just use it as lining and put a layer of the does-snag-hair underneath it

[Anonymous No.10444617]

Hello gulls, I recently finished a blouse from the Otome no Sewing books, and I was thinking of maybe try to design a skirt or jsk with knife pleats. I need to study a bit more but I want to ask something to the skilled gulls here. Is it possible to do knife pleats like this one but all around the skirt? I know it may look weird on the sides but I want to know if it is possible to do these without fading on the border and all around the entire skirt. Any thoughts?

[Anonymous No.10444631]

>>10440260
Fantastic outfit

[Anonymous No.10444744]

>>10444464
Thanks, senpai!

[Anonymous No.10444966]

>>10444450
I figured foam would get sweaty but I admit I haven’t actually tried it.

>>10444484
I hadn’t thought of using lining! The material of the hat itself snags my hair too sometimes so actually this makes perfect sense. Thanks for the suggestion!

>>10444617
I think those are box pleats that were additionally gathered at the top rather than knife pleats. It is possible to make a lolita skirt with pleats that stay pleated down to the hem, but you’ll have to factor that into the pattern rather than follow a regular pleated skirt pattern/tutorial. Regular pleated skirt patterns rely on the pleats coming partially undone to give the skirt volume and room for movement further down. There’s a picture floating around the internet that shows this in comparison with other lolita skirts but I can’t find it atm. One of the most recent OnS books has a skirt like you’re describing, too. I can try to find it when I’m on my laptop.

[Anonymous No.10445194]

>>10444966
>I figured foam would get sweaty but I admit I haven’t actually tried it.
Maybe you could cover the part that touches your skin with a moisture-wicking fabric like cotton?

[Anonymous No.10445196]

Anyone recognize what sort of presser foot this is/what it's intended use is? The word "concealed" is confusing me because I don't see how you could use this to install any sort of zipper, much less a concealed one. And no the seller did not provide any photos offering clues as to its purpose

[Anonymous No.10445197]

>>10445194
Nayrt but cotton doesn't wick moisture, it absorbs it. While it is pricey, the best choice for this lining specifically is silk because it will not tug on anon's hair and it will wick sweat

[Anonymous No.10445209]

>>10444966
nice, good luck with it!

>>10445196
kek that's 'cause it's written in chinglish. it's a blind hem stitch foot. if you come across one that's all metal, get it. one of the most useful foots evar imo, love that little thing

[Anonymous No.10445233]

>>10444966
Oh I was almost sure these were knife pleats, I guess I got confused since it's gathered at the top. I don't really like that it is gathered though, I want to try to make the pleats without gathering them to the bodice. Here's another example similar to that one but without gathering.
I also like box pleats so I have these two in my mind. Thanks for the clarification!
Also, by the pattern you mean that chocolate dress pattern they released recently? I noticed that one had the folds in a diagonal way to make the pleats on the border bigger than the waist. Thank you!

[Anonymous No.10445243]

>>10445197
i have a similar hat to anon's that came with a cotton lining, including around the band. spray some fabric refresher in it after wearing you're good. it's not like she'd be sweating a ton anyway. and even if she was you don't want to wick the sweat off onto her face/hair that's gross.

[Anonymous No.10445247]

>>10445233
those are definitely knife pleats. not sure what anon is talking about. knife pleats are only folded one direction where box pleats are folded both directions.

[Anonymous No.10445262]

>>10445197
Oh interesting. I didn't know there was much of a difference, but now I'll keep that in mind.

[Anonymous No.10445440]

Can anyone recommend to me the best place to buy good quality lace, is there a guide somewhere? Is it possible to purchase from Nippori shops online?

[Anonymous No.10445503]

>>10445197
silk is really insulating though and will make you hotter and sweat more. Would honestly recommend polyester lining before paying extra for real silk that will make you sweat more.

[Anonymous No.10445621]

might be a bit weird of a request, but i got an antique cameo pin recently and i think it'd make a really pretty ring, but i'm indecisive, so is there anyway i may be able to make it convertible, as in being able to remove/reattach the ring backing? magnets, maybe? if this it isn't feasible i'll still have it as a brooch.

[Anonymous No.10445645]

>>10445621
depending on where the brooch pin is attached you could add an appropriately colored silicone ring band and wear it as a 2 way since the silicone will fold down. there's a lot of tutorials on how to attach silicone and metal that you can use.

[Anonymous No.10445654]

>>10445645
the pin is attached at the very top of the brooch, horizontally, so i'd figured it should have enough room to attach a backing. thank you for the idea! a silicone ring band is genius! i found some on amazon that i think would work but i'm not sure how flexible they'd be. i could attach an eyelet hook or something on the bottom of the pin to catch the ring, maybe?

[Anonymous No.10447526]

What are some good projects that are quilted but technically not quilts? (Ex: oven mitt or pot holders)
I've been wanting to take up quilting for a while now especially since I have almost everything I need for it but I really don't need any more blankets in my house nor do I have the patience to patch together a whole quilt

[Anonymous No.10447529]

>>10440230
I love this! excellent work

[Anonymous No.10447671]

>>10447526
What about a book cover? Or an insulated bag for frozen groceries?

[Anonymous No.10447676]

>>10447526
eco bags are good! or like a bubble tea holder.

[Anonymous No.10447820]

>>10447671
I think I'll try the insulated bag, I could make a really cute lunchbox. I also have some clear vinyl I could use to make an outer bag for it for to keep it from getting grimy. Thanks for the idea anon. Will definitely post if I do it

[Anonymous No.10447873]

>>10447526
A pet bed or pet cover, a unique quilted jacket, pillowcases, tote bags, a bucket hat, curtains, throw cover, drink cozy, scraps bag

[Anonymous No.10448066]

Are those s-shaped needles worth it? I know they were originally for sewing sutures but I see some people who sew with heavy canvas (like for sailmaking) or leather/fur swearing by them and saying they'll never use any other needle again etc. I don't really understand what benefit they have over a more common straight, c-shaped, or j-shaped needle (I mostly use a straight needle with a wedge tip now to finish heavy materials by hand) and they're expensive, like $2-3 each.

[Anonymous No.10448077]

>>10448066
Well if they’re only $2-3 then I’d say it’s worth giving a shot.

[Anonymous No.10448153]

>>10448066
C-shaped needles are good if you need to sew in shape (like furniture) or thick fabric (like fur or leather) as you can sew on one side of it without making the fabric drape. I haven't used the s-shaped needles but I think you can get better grip with them as it's more like sewing with a straight needle.

[Anonymous No.10450785]

I've heard spoonflower is shit for designs with mostly dark colours and I'm currently working on a gothic print with lots of black and jewel tones. Can anyone direct me to a different custom fabric site that handles darker colours better?

[Anonymous No.10451019]

I'm picking up crochet! I bought the right thread and hook for the project (1.50mm) but it was really difficult to learn the necessary stitches with them, so I'm going back to the store tomorrow to get larger sized tools.

Blogpost aside, my ultimate goal is to make myself a pair of vintage-style crochet gloves. The pattern I'm looking at requires crocheting over the elastic. Would it be possible to skip the elastic? Pic unrelated.

[Anonymous No.10451022]

>>10451019
If elastic is unappealing to you, why not go for a button closure?

[Anonymous No.10451029]

>itching to make something for casual wear instead of cosplay (so I can wear it more than once a year)
>basically every piece I can think of I can buy for much cheaper from a store
>i'm a guy, so all the male casualwear pieces are boring and uninspiring (why make t-shirts, hoodies, shorts, and pants when I can buy em for less than material cost?)

I like sewing for cosplay because there's so many more interesting silhouettes and pieces, but with the con freeze, I've been trying to get into casualwear. Fall-wear at least has some variety (ie. different types of jackets). Summerwear is just... t-shirts, OCBDs, and shorts. Lame.

Also, are Jo-Anns just sold out everywhere? My local one had almost no solid wovens when I went about a week ago.

[Anonymous No.10451032]

>>10451029
>>i'm a guy, so all the male casualwear pieces are boring and uninspiring
Sounds like you need some inspiration. Yeah, it's true that casualwear is kind of boring for men, but I've seen some really interesting pieces being made on tiktok out of all places. Splicing t-shirts, reverse tie-dye, interesting textiles, patchwork bucket hats and shirts, screenprinting, maybe even special smocking. Try making a statement piece, I'm sure you could come up with something amazing.

>Also, are Jo-Anns just sold out everywhere?
They've been running fabric sales recently, so it probably just got cleaned out.

[Anonymous No.10451037]

>>10451029
>Also, are Jo-Anns just sold out everywhere
If your Joann's is in a highly populated area then for the most part yes, there's been a lot of demand for solid cotton wovens due to people needing material to make face coverings. The supply chain will catch up, don't settle for ugly or shitty material because you'll just regret it later

[Anonymous No.10451144]

>>10451037
I just found it hilarious they had no wovens. I usually only shop for the knits, and they tend to have an extremely limited knit selection, but a ton of woven. For the one project I was making (a jinbei), I needed woven.

[Anonymous No.10451340]

>>10451029
Maybe learn some other skill than sewing? It will help you to make more complicated costumes when the time comes. Like embroidery (do some to store-boughts shirts collar or pocket) or knit some hats etc.

[Anonymous No.10451474]

>>10451022
That's a good idea, thanks anon!

[Anonymous No.10452012]

I know you can create a pattern from existing clothing without disassembling it, but how much of a benefit (other than having a better idea of seam allowances) would I get from actually taking the time to take it apart? Basically, I found an inexpensive garment on AliExpress that's the PERFECT cut but some gross shitty material and I'm not too confident in my abilities to draft from scratch so I was planning on purchasing it to disassemble and use as a pattern. Good idea or waste of time?

[Anonymous No.10452014]

>>10452012
Best idea. The ideal idea. If it were in a great fabric you’d feel bad for cutting it up, but since. It’s shitty you’ll have no regrets. Go for it

[Anonymous No.10452301]

Is there a certain term to use for these kinds of brooches? I see them all over IG but the descriptions are always in Russian. Would really love to make something similar to these

[Anonymous No.10452304]

>>10452301
Have you tried "beadwork"? Traditionally beadwork uses little seed beads of the same size but I think this falls under that category

[Anonymous No.10452313]

>>10452304
Might on on to something now, thanks! The Russian ones seem to use a lot of padding/dimension so I didn’t know if that was considered an official sub-category or not

[Anonymous No.10452711]

I want to cross-stitch, but I don't want to put shit on my walls. Any inspo for where to place it on clothing items? Still a novice. Also thinking about trying non-cross stitch newbie flower embroidery.

[Anonymous No.10452712]

>>10452711
actually, i already have some inspo saved for the newbie flowers but not so much for cross-stitch. it has a whole other vibe to it.

[Anonymous No.10452720]

>>10452711
If accessories are okay I think bags, headbands/hair accessories, and maybe even jewelry would work (I have seen people do small cross stitch inside tiny little frames worn as a necklace)

[Anonymous No.10452753]

Any suggestions on accessories that would look good with handmade lace? I taught myself tatting over quarantine and aside from lace collars I'm drawing a blank

[Anonymous No.10452811]

>>10452720
i like those ideas. i hadn't thought of a headband! I'm not experienced enough to know how to place the design so it looks cute and fashionable not tacky and crafty. if you see any examples i can copy, please let me know.

[Anonymous No.10452851]

>>10452753
Earrings, tote bags (like as a trim for the border or handle), appliques for virtually anything, straps for tops/dresses, bracelets, pins, necklaces, hair accessories, decorative belts, etc. Honestly the sky it the limit when it comes to tatting if you've got the patience. I've seen large tatted items like shawls but that's a serious time commitment

[Anonymous No.10454082]

Where do you all get good lace trim? I'm trying to make a gothic dress and wristcuffs but all the stuff I find is shitty rachel lace.

[Anonymous No.10454215]

Can anyone recommend where to get the best dress form?

[Anonymous No.10454238]

>>10454215
Save up for one and get an industrial dress form. Even a shitty low end one from a brand like PGM is light years better than those piece of shit adjustable forms from Joann’s.

[Anonymous No.10454357]

>>10452711
Katie just posted this cute cardigan.

[Anonymous No.10454374]

>>10454215
Tbh I'm making my own because I don't see a point in paying a few hundred dollars for a form that doesn't even fit my measurements. It's not for everyone but it's certainly cheaper and will give you a better fit

[Anonymous No.10454397]

>>10454374
Most professionals have a smaller size and use padding to adjust for the correct fit.

[Anonymous No.10454408]

>>10454397
Yes I know you can pad them out I just am an ana-chan and you can't exactly make mannequins smaller

[Anonymous No.10454426]

>>10454408
I'm similarly small. You just buy a small one to begin with. Are you smaller than a dress size 2?

[Anonymous No.10454427]

>>10454357
that's adorable. thanks!

[Anonymous No.10454430]

>>10454426
But I'm not small you see, I'm actually tall for a woman at 5'8 I just do not weigh very much (about 108). I also need to tailor pants, and have just been unsatisfied with all the dress forms with legs I've seen especially with how long my inseam is. I'm pretty confident in my ability to sew my own. I know it will be a lot less sturdy but I'm willing to take that compromise

[Anonymous No.10454442]

>>10454082
I know it's a broken record at this point, but I get them from laces.taobao.com. They have really nice lace, including one with bows like the one you posted, and last time I checked they had lace suitable for gothic.

[Anonymous No.10454476]

>>10454430
I haven't tried getting the ones with legs, I'm sure that is more difficult to find with the right proportions.

For the regular dress form, I was able to vertically adjust the bust point and hip measurements with padding by a few inches. I'm 5'6" and leggy though, so I guess it all depends on where you need the adjustments.

[Anonymous No.10456740]

>Inconsistent terminology in patterns
>Using terms in patterns not explained anywhere else in the book described as "for novices."
My autism can't fucking take this shit.

[Anonymous No.10457117]

>>10456740
what do you need help with, anon? maybe if you post here we can help you out

[Anonymous No.10457130]

>>10457117
I was able to figure it out, I just get furious at people not being consistent with their pre-established terminology when writing instructions.

[Anonymous No.10457471]

I was gifted 2 meters of stretch woven fabric with a pretty nice print for a lolita skirt, but the print is sideways. The fabric stretches on the crossgrain but not on the length grain, so now I have to pick between having the pattern on its side or cutting the pieces so that they stretch lengthwise but not along their width. Can I just ignore the lengthwise stretch and treat it like a non-stretchy woven or will that mean the hem will start sagging over time?

[Anonymous No.10457489]

>>10457471
It is likely to eventually sag, but hopefully evenly so.

[Anonymous No.10457636]

Has anyone here been able to resize the otome no sew patterns or is it too much work? Is there an easy way to go about this, is there a pattern making app I can use? I was thinking of taking my measurements and working them into the pattern, but I've never done this before.

[Anonymous No.10457641]

>>10457471
maybe sewing a lining where it's attached on all sides might help? idk

[Anonymous No.10457646]

I'm in a sort of "make do with what you have" mood right now, and a lot of the main pieces I have i like the fit and cut of, but not the colors (mostly pastels) Does anyone have any experience overdying their lolita?
Most of them aren't very desirable items so I'm not concerned about losing any resale value

[Anonymous No.10457703]

>>10457646
not personally, but I've lurked long enough to see the discussions regarding those who have. the general consensus is
if the piece is 100% cotton, including the bits and bobs, you should be fine. the problem is that sometimes lace/ribbons/trims are synthetic/blend and won't take the same as the actual fabric and might look off, a la that one bodyline blouse on LM that the person tried to dye black
dyeing darker works better than bleaching+dyeing (this is intuitive) however IIRC there was an anon who dyed a main piece with a print and you could still kinda see the print on it in certain lights/if you looked hard enough
if you're dyeing synthetics, your best bet is idye poly, but your mileage might vary

[Anonymous No.10457975]

>>10450785
join me, we will buy a huge commercial epson printer that can print on fabrics and start a megalithic, century-spanning industry of fashion

[Anonymous No.10458221]

Stupid questions thread is dying so I figured I'd ask here. Where would one go to commission someone to make a skirt or JSK if you provide the fabric?

[Anonymous No.10458676]

>>10457636
You can resize any pattern with enough effort, but you have to remember some elements will be harder to modify than others. There are tutorials out there on modifying individual parts of commerical patterns you can use. You sound like a beginner to patterning so my advice to you would be to try not to fuck with armholes and sleeve caps if you can avoid it

[Anonymous No.10458703]

>>10450785

They all handle darker colours badly. It's just the dying method.

Spoonflower isn't even bad at it, it's pretty much on par with a lot of taobao if you pick the polyester fabrics (all of the natural fabrics are hit-or-miss, they're prone to the crocking, ie-colour bits falling off).

[Anonymous No.10458706]

>>10458221

My favored answer is: your local seamstress/tailor. Assuming you can find one that's competent enough to make items from scratch for different people, custom designs.

Sewing lolita isn't much different from sewing normal stuff. The big pro is having someone who can measure you in person, and you're able to discuss when you should go in for a fitting to make sure the garment actually fits you, instead of some distant seamstress sewing things by themselves and then they hand it over only to find you'd measured your butt incorrectly or something.

Biggest hurdle is the communication. Make sure you discuss things like how poofy the sleeves should be or that the skirt needs to be 3m wide or whatever.

If you really want to skip that and find a lolita seamstress, there's a couple of them on Etsy that last time I looked.

[Anonymous No.10458713]

>>10457636

Otome no Sewing does have instructions on lengthening/widening their patterns. If I have the time this weekend I'll try and get some photos and translations up.

Meantime, here's a blogger explaining how she resizes her patterns:
http://jessiedressesup.blogspot.com/2015/11/otome-no-sewing-sizing-up.html

If you need a bust adjustment, you can google "full bust adjustment" for the instructions.

[Anonymous No.10458742]

>>10458706
Sounds like a good idea! I want to draw my own print but my sewing skills are not up to par to make a whole dress so I'd rather leave it in the hands of someone who knows what they are doing. They do commissions on etsy? Huh, neat and good to know. Thanks anon.

[anon No.10458773]

>>10439162
i have a lovely pink cardigan that i got from a normie store that i want to crochet lace edging on, and wear with lolita. thoughts?

[Anonymous No.10458774]

>>10452304
>>10452313
It’s just beadwork. There is no rule for the sizing of beads and it depends on the tradition you are coming out of.

[Anonymous No.10458775]

>>10458773
As long as it fits with a petti on I don’t see why not

[anon No.10458779]

>>10458775
i think it should! i’ve seen a lot of coords where the cardigan is left open at the bottom, and i think it’s a super cute look. i’ll probably be going for that
i don’t really vibe with normie clothes in lolita, but i think with the lace it’ll look good. hell i just wanna do something in quarantine that isn’t writing an essay for school

[anon No.10458918]

>>10458779
ack turns out that the pink is too dark

[Anonymous No.10458982]

>>10457975
actually high key considering this in the next 5-10 years if I can establish a new indie brand
>>10458703
this was helpful, thank you!! I'll stick to poly and maybe order a sample pack

[Anonymous No.10459177]

>>10439162
I'm not sure if this should go in the stupid questions thread instead, but I see fitting to put this here.
I plan to hire someone to sew a dress or two for me, but I'm not sure how I'd go about the sewing patterns. I already have the fabric which is proper to make lolita dresses with, and scans of the Otome no Sewing books 1~7, but how would I go about explaining why the patterns are in Japanese to the seamstress? Where would I start? In general I'm not sure how to approach the topic to a someone who doesn't already know about lolita. There's also the problem of sizing up the design, but thankfully someone has already posted a link. If anyone has ever gone to a seamstress/tailor to get a dress made, how did it go? Was it hard explaining the process and showing off the pattern?

Speaking of, since I already own a dress would it be easier to just bring it in for measurements as a model for how I want the new dress to be made?

[Anonymous No.10459192]

>>10457130
example? lol. I don know what you mean.
but really, a novice is not a beginner.

[Anonymous No.10459199]

>>10459177
I feel like any seamstress worth their salt will be able to look at a pattern and sew it. The otome no sewing has pretty decent visual instructions and if you highlight which pieces are what on the pattern sheet I don't think it will be an issue.

[Anonymous No.10459209]

>>10459177
You can bring both your dress and a volume of OnS with a pattern similar to what you want as a way to illustrate the kind of dress you're going for. However I wouldn't expect a professional seamstress/tailor to actually use OnS as anything more than a quick reference. If they know what they're doing then they'll draft or adapt a basic block to your measurements and desired design elements, not go off a commercial pattern in a foreign language that doesn't even fit you. Keep in mind that OnS is intended for hobbyists with limited experience, not people with professional training.

[anon No.10459246]

i’m heading to goodwill today to pick up some old clothes- i want to try a Justine Chantelle-type thrift flip. i’m a newbie to sewing but i think i can figure it out with my mom’s help :D any tips?

[Anonymous No.10459251]

>>10459246
>Justine Chantelle
>nice thrift stuff
>literally just uses pieces for fabric and drafts her own patterns
hope your goodwill isn't shit. buy big stuff and have a pattern ready.

[anon No.10459261]

>>10459251
thank you! i live in a wealthy area so my goodwill is well stocked with good clothing, and i’m planning to use a pattern from Miss Carol Belle’s blog. what do you think?

[Anonymous No.10459262]

>>10459209
>>10459199
I see, thanks for the advice. I'll measure myself and pick out a OnS pattern ahead of time. I had no idea that OnS was for hobbyists, that's quite interesting. I know jack about sewing so I kinda just took a peek at the book and felt completely lost.
Also, I did some thinking about being worried that it wouldn't really look like a lolita dress, I should sketch the dress ahead of time since I know how to draw. There should be enough fabric left over to create at least one large ribbon at the front, and more ribbons on the rest of the JSK. I don't think I'll have to supply good quality lace, seems like the type of thing a seamstress/tailor would have, right?

[Anonymous No.10459264]

>>10459261
draft the pattern and make a mock up first. it will save you a lot of time and grief.

[anon No.10459265]

>>10459264
ooo okay thank you. my mom knows the basics of sewing but she’s, id say overconfident, in her abilities. i’ll pick up a couple of bedsheets while i’m at goodwill :D tysm!!

[Anonymous No.10459266]

>>10459262
by all means share the pattern image with the seamstress. it can really show how a finished garment is supposed to be.
there's good quality lace and then there's lace that's used for lolita. I wouldn't assume that the person has lace or access to lace that fits the aesthetic, even in NYC fashion district you would be hard pressed to find some of the stuff you can get from taobao. how much fabric did you buy?

[Anonymous No.10459267]

>>10459265
yeah no. knowing basics and having experience in construction and drafting are way different. not saying that you can't improve or learn, but lower your expectations and get ready to make a few ugly things before you git good

[anon No.10459272]

>>10459267
i see. it’s a good thing that i’m starting with thrifted clothes then :D
i know nothing beats experience, but im patient when it comes to making things, so hopefully my first thing will turn out at least a little okay

[Anonymous No.10459276]

For knitters out there: If you can read picture patterns get this book. Everything in it is gorgerous, though almost everything are advanced level knitting.

[Anonymous No.10459277]

>>10459276
Example

[Anonymous No.10459278]

>>10440237
>>10440744
Idk why i never checked this thread but it was super weird seeing myself lol.
I thought i'd go into some detail on how i made this incase people are wondering!
The image anon posted was my first pass, and then i refined it down to be less clownish lol
The material is actually showercurtains, I was looking for cheapish alternatives to experiment with in case it didn't go as planned, so they were basically my raincoat muslin fabric.
They're completely waterproof, and cheap, and come in a ton of colours an patterns, originally i wanted transparent but couldn't find anything I liked.
All the seams are french seamed, and if you're planning on using an umbrella and only going out in light showers this will suffice without having to use waterproofing gel on the seams (but you can if you want)
I have yet to install the plastic snaps on the front but for now i can just tie the waist ties around and keep it place

[Anonymous No.10459279]

>>10459278
as far as how many curtains I used, because I made 3 different versions of the sleeves i used more than i wanted to, but I bought 3 180cmx180cm for that purpose anyway

[Anonymous No.10459297]

>>10459278
Hey I'm the anon wondering if it was vinyl, how was sewing shower curtains like? Were they nonwoven or more like a coated woven fabric? This is an intriguing idea to me but I also know from sewing with leather that nonwovens need to be treated the same way (aka perforated as little as possible)

[Anonymous No.10459300]

Is there a way of adding stiffness to fabric without using any sort of synthetic material? Basically, I've taken up blacksmithing recently but it's a shared space so we still have to wear facial coverings. I'd like to add interfacing to a mask I made but wearing any sort of synthetic material while blacksmithing is a serious danger due to sparks. Fusible interfacing is out of the question (glue) and I'm having serious trouble finding sew in interfacing made of 100% cotton or any other natural fiber

[Anonymous No.10459306]

>>10459297
it's around the same theory. Try and perforate it as little as you can, I chose french seams to try and bulk them up a little and prevent more holes from an overlocker
it was very easy to sew, i just used a regular needle and machine foot
Shower curtains are often coated in whatever finish is used, so they're a little slippery so just use clips instead of pins if you can
Also, you want water repellent, not resistant as this will give you the best water-proofing.
If you chose VINYL curtains it'll just be like sewing plastic or leather, but if you want something more like fabric, look for polyester

[Anonymous No.10459308]

>>10459266
Should have thought about that before going on a taobao haul, oops. I knew I should have looked for some lace. The fabrics I bought hover around the 58*140cm range. I'm not too confident I bought the right size even now, I'm just banking on being a relatively short and overall small person.

[Anonymous No.10459310]

>>10459300
Really? Just use a light weight cotton. Because that's what the sew in interfacing would be.

[Anonymous No.10459312]

>>10459308
Uhhh honey no. You gotta check the pattern. That's really not gonna be enough. Most fabric is measured in meters or yards and the safe average for a lolita dress is 3m/yd

[Anonymous No.10459318]

>>10459312
Oh, I'm retarded. At least it didn't cost an arm and a leg. I'll lurk moar and buy appropriately sized fabric next time. I thought it was going to be a safe bet since the reviews had photos of people making and wearing the dress out of the fabric.

[Anonymous No.10459326]

>>10459318
yeah, but they may have ordered multiples.

[Anonymous No.10459432]

>>10459312
This is such a cute pattern. I want to try making it now

[Anonymous No.10459437]

>>10459265
>>10459272
holy shit who fucking led you here? get out.

[Anonymous No.10459492]

>>10459276
I have this book. It's really nice to look through too. I want to try some designs, but I've been crafting other things.

[Anonymous No.10459505]

>>10459278
That's amazingly creative, anon. It always astounds me how people like you can use things that no one would have thought to use and make something beautiful out of it.

[Anonymous No.10459550]

>>10459505
It was something i'd been thinking about for a while! Many a shower thought thanks to our actual shower curtain lmao

[Anonymous No.10459581]

>>10459278
>>10459550
you know that shower curtains are generally not waterproof, just water resistant. especially the kind in your photo. it will wick water better than other materials but is going to get soaked eventually.

[Anonymous No.10459613]

>>10459581
this is true, hence why I told anon to purchase water repellent as it has a heftier water threshold, but I don't think most lolitas will be traversing torrential rain without an umbrella, or at all really so it's no big deal

[Anonymous No.10459618]

>>10459613
oh i must have missed that. my b. just didn't want the frilly goodness to be ruined.

[Anonymous No.10459620]

>>10459618
no i agree! I made the coat to make sure I never got my dresses wet! But the general idea was just for showers, or short downpours hopefully!

[Anonymous No.10459623]

>>10459620
i generally don't think people really plan on being outside during downpours in any case, haha!

[Anonymous No.10459674]

>>10459318
Fabric is generally sold per unit, which means buy 1 get 1 unit, buy 2 get 2. So if it's sold per 1 m, you buy 1 you get 1 m, buy 2 get 2 m in one piece. If you saw costumers leaving reviews where they made a dress out of the fabric they didn't buy 1 unit like you did, they bought several. Just like in an irl fabric store.

[Anonymous No.10459702]

>>10459276
Thanks for the recommendation, I don't knit but my sister does and I think this would be a good gift for her

[Anonymous No.10459753]

>>10459318
Maybe you can search for designs that mesh printed fabric with solid fabric and figure out what to do with what you’ve already bought. Depending on the style of the print it could come out really cute.

[Anonymous No.10459890]

>>10440234
love this, it would go really well with that new AP map print too
>>10440253
this is cute and I love the seersucker, but the heart pocket looks off to me
>>10440270
this is really cute but I wish she attacked the bodice to the skirt better, it looks bunchy
>>10440281
gunna steal this idea >:)

[Anonymous No.10459900]

What's my best option for adding a completely concealed closure to a seam? I don't like the option of invisible zippers because there's still a visible pull.
I have a costume that requires me to wear a unitard and I wanted to add a concealed closure to the crotch so I can piss without the hassle of getting completely undressed.

[Anonymous No.10459978]

>>10459900
Can’t you make a compartment to hide the pull of the ziper? I don’t know what it’s called.

[Anonymous No.10459995]

>>10459900
use hooks like bras have.

[Anonymous No.10460153]

>>10459890
>cute but I wish she attacked the bodice to the skirt better, it looks bunchy
>>10440270
>This skirt/blouse set

What is reading

[Anonymous No.10460192]

>>10459300
Use a stiffer fabric like a midweight cotton duck or drill.

[Anonymous No.10460211]

>>10459674
I've never gone to a fabric store before and it shows, oops. Thanks for the valuable lesson.
>>10459753
True, and that is a very good idea. In some of the reviews people had also meshed the fabric with solid fabric and made it look really good. But I'm gonna have to buy lolita appropriate lace anyway, so I'm gonna buy some extras this time.

[Anonymous No.10460266]

>>10460211
>I've never gone to a fabric store before
Nayrt but a few more beginner tips about buying fabric:
Check the bolt width of any fabric you buy. This is usually printed on the end of the bolt. Patterns usually say on the envelope the yardage required for various common bolt widths. 45" and 60" are the most common but I have seen as low as 36" and as high as 72" (although these aren't very common outside of certain speciality fabrics).
I don't know what coronavirus restrictions are like where you live but if you can I would recommend buying your fabric in person if you can because sometimes the photos don't do the color or drape justice. That being said I know local fabric store options are often really shitty. A lot of online retailers will let you purchase a swatch.
Knits and wovens aren't interchangeable; using the wrong one for your garment can make it unwearable. Assuming you're only sewing lolita, you probably will never have to deal with knits though unless you're making a cutsew.
Remember the fiber content of anything you buy. Once again, usually printed on the end of the bolt. Write it down somewhere if you need to. You'll need to know this to know what heat setting to put your iron on for pressing (seriously don't skip pressing I know a lot of beginners do but pressing makes your life easier) and how to launder it. Otherwise you could end up melting or burning your fabric.
Sewing with any sort of printed or patterned fabric means you need extra yardage for pattern matching. The blog "So Sew Easy" has a great article on this called "Estimating extra fabric for pattern matching"

There's a lot more but those are what I thought was most pertinent to what you're doing. Don't let all the vocabulary in sewing discourage you, once you learn all the jargon things will make a lot more sense. And I really recommend you learn the vocabulary because most patterns will use terms like stay stitch and grade and bias and assume you know what they mean already

[Anonymous No.10460295]

I know OnS is highly recommended to follow for patterns but is it possible for someone who is experienced I’m sewing to look at the scans and draft patterns off of slopers they already own?

[Anonymous No.10460338]

>>10460295
If you're experienced I think you'll be fine, I cheat and copy patterns from previews all the time and do fine and I'm just an amateur with no real experience. I like using Illustrator for it because it's very easy to make the curves needed for pattern drafting but I also know a lot of people who use CAD programs which is probably something I'm going to move onto once I get the ropes

[Anonymous No.10460748]

>>10460338
Thank you! I wouldn’t mind ordering a few volumes but I’m impatient and want to start some projects ASAP lol

I’m just gonna do a bunch of rough sketches for ideas and sew some mockups first

[Anonymous No.10460929]

Does anyone have any magic tricks for lengthening shoulder straps if there’s no way to get extra fabric out of the dress itself? Finding matching fabric is going to be pretty difficult.

>>10460295
Absolutely. That’s what I do and I own all of the books. If you have a good set of slopers it’s probably better and quicker to adapt those than to alter an OnS pattern from scratch every time.

[Anonymous No.10460997]

>>10460929
Have you considered adding hardware such as a rectangular loop? To offset the seam allowance though I think you would need a fairly large loop

[Anonymous No.10461109]

>>10460929
if it's the kind of straps with buttons in the back you could use pic related to extend the straps, they're called button extenders

[Anonymous No.10461124]

Is there anywhere online that sells gobelin fabric similar to old school vm, florals?

[Anonymous No.10461146]

Has anyone here bought a used worn out dress for cheap with the intention to replicate it?

[Anonymous No.10461455]

>>10461146
Probably. Why do you ask?

[Anonymous No.10461498]

>>10461146
Are you planning on taking it apart to pattern or use a non-destructive method?

[Anonymous No.10461519]

>>10461124
seconding this

[Anonymous No.10461752]

>>10461455
>>10461498
Not sure yet, I'm curious to know what the best approach is, examples of it being done, just experiences with it. My skills are intermediate, was leaning towards taking it apart to pattern. Was also thinking this would be lots easier than dealing with sizing up an otome pattern seeing first hand how the garment was put together, but I'm open to suggestions and thoughts.

[Anonymous No.10461880]

>>10461752
Check out coolirpa on youtube. She's a thrift flipper who has videos on cloning your clothes (ie making patterns from them nondestructively) and flipping existing clothing by deconstructing then redesigning it. In short, you will be using a seam ripper a lot. but it could provide you with a good visual and steer you into the direction of what you want to do. Also yes, sizing up patterns can be difficult.

[Anonymous No.10461902]

>>10461146
I've bought dresses to take them apart for material and used the pieces as reference to make alterations to. I'd consider myself intermediate too. AMA.

[Anonymous No.10461917]

>>10461752
Ideal would be deconstructing it especially if there's shirring or gathering but there are many reasons why you would want to use a non-destructive method

[Anonymous No.10462011]

>>10461880
Awesome, thanks!
>>10461902
Do you any photos??
>>10461917
Was also thinking of making a block of my torso and going from there?

[Anonymous No.10462043]

>>10462011
I think making a block of your torso
to have on hand would be a good idea in general especially if you want to make a bust adjustment. If you think you can reverse engineer the dress without taking it apart then by all means go for it. It'll save you time and frustration with a seam ripper. In my experience bodices are virtually always harder to draft than skirts (unless you have some crazy complex skirt) so you could always leave the skirt intact and disassemble the bodice

[Anonymous No.10462373]

I’ve been working on this for so long. Waiting for my black grommets to come in so the skirt is a functional corset. I cannot wait, spooky season dresses are my favorite.

[Anonymous No.10462395]

>>10462373
I love spooky garments. I want to buy or make a cool spooky shirt for a Halloween zoom with my friends, but I can't nail down what I want to wear.

[Anonymous No.10462426]

>>10462395
That’s the most painful part of it all. I changed my mind several times on my current concept piece.

[Anonymous No.10463363]

I want to start sewing some clothes, but have only done smaller crafts like bags, hotpads, blankets, etc.
I'm thinking of starting with a circle skirt and some simple and mori style clothes before sewing lolita. What were your first lolita sewing projects? Did you go head first into it, or what were some good precursor designs to make? Are there any youtube channels you'd reccomend, or books?
Otome no Sewing seems a bit over my current level.
Everyone here is doing awesome.

>>10440257
I love your fabric choices, the hem looks beautiful and how you kept the direction of the fabric spot on.

>>10440248
This is pretty damn perfect and you look amazing! Well done. I adore the colors and fabrics you chose.

>>10440255
This is so lovely and delicate, I like how the ribbon looks in the sleeves too.

>>10440251
That donut beret is way too cute, I love your sewing style! Where did you find the pattern for your berets?

>>10440245
This is so pretty and classy. The headdress came out nicely too. I like how you made the crosses with lace.

>>10440244
I love the shape of the skirt! And the amount you left on the bottom to flare out/hem with lace. The hat decorations go perfectly

>>10440237
That's a great idea for a raincoat, and super cute!

>>10440236
This is so delicate and eautiful. I love your choice on the lace and how you matched it with the details (the ribbons, dots, etc.)
Stay in fashion design please!

>>10440234
I think navy/brown is my favorite combo and way underdone... this is beautiful! I love the size of it too.

>>10440233
Big boobs can be a big problem lol
The colors are all nice and balance, you did awesome on the buttons and the wrist cuffs.

>>10440231
This is beautiful, I love your choice of fabric. It looks cozy and warm. The wood buttons are a really nice touch.

>>10440230
Those pleats are perfect. The pearl string+pendant on the front too! Well done.

>>10440226
Lovely!! You're beautiful and I love the galaxy look!

[Anonymous No.10463371]

>>10463363
Those are reposts.

[Anonymous No.10463421]

>>10440230
This is just breathtaking!! Beautiful work!!

[Anonymous No.10463427]

>>10440245
I realllly like this!!! Well done!!!

[Anonymous No.10463569]

>>10463363
Rectangle skirts can be lolita and are pretty easy to make.

[Anonymous No.10464363]

I'm aware that this is a "risky" alteration and definitely not one for beginners, but if I have a normal pattern that I think would hang better cut on the bias, how much additional fabric do I need? Googling only brought back information about bias binding for quilts and one person on a forum saying if you're lucky you'll need 2x the original yardage but no definite formula like there is with converting yardage to sq footage for leather

[Anonymous No.10464365]

>>10464363
I don't think there is one formula. It depends on the pattern. If you already have the pattern, you could try marking out a rectangle on the floor to represent the fabric. Then you could arrange the pattern pieces inside it, and measure the length of fabric you need.

[Anonymous No.10464370]

>>10464365
Yeah that wasn't the answer I was hoping for but I was suspecting it might be true. The fabric I wanted to use for the final garment is silk charmeuse and I really don't want to fuck things up on an expensive fabric so I might go find some old bedsheets to cut up and lay out the pieces to get an idea for yardage. It's one of the free print-your-own patterns that Mood fabrics offers so I've got it printed out but need to sit down and cut and tape all the pieces

[Anonymous No.10464376]

>>10464370
Yeah, for something expensive like silk, it's better to be safe than sorry. I would suggest sewing a test version out of bedsheets or muslin, especially considering you are experimenting with changing the cut.

[Anonymous No.10464688]

Does anyone have any tips for hand embroidering thick fabric? Specifically, how to get it in the dang hoop. I'm working with a thick velour similar to a robe and it just keeps popping out the hoop before I can get it tight. Is it possible to do this without a hoop at all because I'm losing my mind?

[Anonymous No.10464765]

>>10464688
I once embroidered a denime jacket. When I did it, I held onto the loop and then pressed it on all the way around, gripping it as I go if that makes sense? Also I loosened the hoop all the way before trying to get it on

[Anonymous No.10464766]

>>10464688
I'm >>10464765 and also, it can be done without a hoop, you can use iron on stabilizer for the back. Kind of like what you see in that insides of embroidered hats and hoodies sometimes

[Anonymous No.10465376]

>>10463569
Thanks for the suggestion!
Ill try making one

[Anonymous No.10467491]

can u use angelus leather paint on oiled leather? and if not can u oil it after painting it with and/or with the angelus finisher?

[Anonymous No.10467494]

Just dropping in to say I've been redpilled on hand-basting. I am literally never going back to pins, I get much much better results with hand-basting. Yeah it takes longer, but really not that much longer and it saves me time later ripping out seams that came out wrong.

[Anonymous No.10467617]

>>10463363
> Are there any youtube channels you'd reccomend, or books?
I'm a beginner as well and I have been using The Reader's Digest: Complete Guide to Sewing. It's very thorough. There's plenty of books like it so you don't need to buy the exact title either. My favorite youtube channels are Evelyn Wood, Professor Pincushion, Coolirpa, and Annika Victoria. There's some more niche sewing channels for lolita, cosplay, and cottagecore if you stick around long enough too.

[Anonymous No.10467618]

>>10467491
Honestly a swatch test is probably your best answer.

[Anonymous No.10467660]

can anyone suggest a place where I can buy accurate beige broadcloth? I'd like to make an underskirt similar to the skirts meta does with pintucks and ruffles.

[Anonymous No.10467737]

>>10460295

OnS isn't recommended for its patterns, rather, it's recommended because it's basic and it's simple.

When you see newbies go it on their own without patterns, they generally go either one of two routes, either they end up with some regretsy-tier Yumi King disaster, or else they're excellent seamstresses but really new and end up with an over-designed stiff rufflemonster costume that probably took hours to make but nobody wants to look at it because it's so ugly. Or they end up with the Simplicity pattern and the results always seem to end up in the ita thread.

OnS just solves a lot of problems. The designs are basic but not ugly messes. The construction is easy, if you can read Japanese you can start with it, it's only because most people here can't that it's recommended you put together some other clothes before using OnS. You can sew entire coords, even mini wardrobes in some of the volumes. If you have a Japanese shopping service, it even tells you what fabric they used, so you can copy the outfit exactly.

Slopers are good, only thing to watch out for is keeping an eye on proportions, because lolita has a lot of extra fabric, eg- poofy skirt, puffy sleeves, puffy shorts, trapeze dresses, etc.

[Anonymous No.10467739]

Anybody have like a list of patterns? I’m just looking for a basic jsk pattern with full back shirring I can alter easily.

[Anonymous No.10467743]

>>10467660
If you're looking for color accuracy, take a color reference (in multiple different lighting or references if you can) to your local fabric store or order swatches from your favorite retailers online.

[Anonymous No.10467746]

>>10467494
Basting is bas(t)ed but I can never make it look good for the life of me, I think I baste stitches that are too long. I switched to doing perpendicular pins and not pulling them out (instead of inline and pulling them out before sewing over) when sewing and my accuracy has gone up substantially, especially on really tricky stitches like armhole:sleeve joins.

On an unrelated note, I got a shipment of wool from fabric.com (first purchase) and the quality is seriously good for the price. Very excited to make stuff with it this weekend.

[Anonymous No.10467752]

>>10467746
>wool
What are you planning on making with it? Never worked with wool myself.

[Anonymous No.10467847]

>>10467494
Absolutely agree. Basting is really underrated.
>>10467746
Have you tried basting using the following sequence: long stitch above, short stitch below, short stitch above, short stitch below, repeat? The short stitches (about 3/16" each) hold the layers together in place more securely and the long stitch in between (about 1/2") means you cover ground more quickly. You can run your needle through several stitches at a time before pulling it through so it's pretty fast to do.

[Anonymous No.10467894]

>>10467746
Also curious about what you're making with it and how much you paid per yard.

[Anonymous No.10467900]

>>10467746

I used to do the perpendicular pins, but be a bit careful as sometimes the timing will have the needle coming straight down on a pin. I've bent quite a few pins, luckily never had a sewing needle snap but it's a very real possibility, which is why I want to mention that girls who do this should be careful and maybe wear face shields if they're doing this kind of pinning.

As for hand basting vs pinning, it's like hand sewing vs machine sewing. They kind of both have their uses. One is faster, the other gives you more accuracy which you sometimes need (I sew doll dresses, some of the pattern pieces are so fiddly it's sometimes less frustrating if I just handsew it). I'd say you should try to get the hang of both, and then use whichever one best achieves your aim.

[Anonymous No.10467911]

>>10467746
>>10467900
I used to do perpendicular pins and sew over them but I was unlucky enough to strike one with a needle (which of course flew towards me after it broke) so now I don't trust them and just hand-baste everything unless it's something like leather that should be clipped together instead. I got some knockoffs of those Clover Wonder Clips off of AliExpress for way cheaper than the real thing and I LOVE them. I think they're aimed at quilters but they're nonmarking and great for nonwovens. Highly recommend if you're interested in sewing leather <~3oz by hand or machine. Having the flat side is really nice to use on the machine and imo makes them worth buying over just using clothespins or binder clips

[Anonymous No.10467919]

>>10467752
>>10467894
I copped this "wool blend coating red" which was $13.48 (plus $5 for ship) for a 60in yard (80%wool, 20% poly) it has this grid like weave on the right side, and is roughly 2mm thick (7.6oz/yd weight). It's a lot deeper red in person, just showing off the weave.

Going to be making an akihiko (p3) vest, first time working with wool as well, looks like a pain in the dick (will need to overlock all sides it seems, due to the weave). Joann had literally no wool so this was a shot in the dark. Pretty pleased with the weight so far though.

[Anonymous No.10467923]

>>10467919
That weave is called twill. I do need wool for a project and that's not a bad price for a blend but I'd rather spend more for the real thing. I noticed they have black 100% wool suiting at a really good price so I might pick that up instead. The drape looks fine for what I'm doing (coat)

[Anonymous No.10468132]

>>10467847
Different anon, but is that called pad stitching? I didn't know basting > pinning was a thing but now I'm intrigued

[Anonymous No.10468160]

>>10468132
Pad stitching is different. Basting stitches form a straight line (needle is insterted in the direction the line of stitching is travelling); pad stitching forms diagonal stitches as the needle is inserted perpendicular to the direction the line of stitching is travelling. Pad stitching has a different purpose, being used mainly in tailoring for permanent attachment of layers - it isn't later removed like basting stitches are.

[Anonymous No.10468164]

>>10467923
Interesting, I'm not used to wool. Twill usually has the many parallel lines on the right side, didn't know it looked different on wool. And yeah, the quality by just feeling it is quite nice, better than I expected. Feels very wooly.

[Anonymous No.10468201]

>>10468160
Ahhh I see, thank you for the info.

[Anonymous No.10468234]

So I'm working with Simplicity 3273, specifically the bodice A and I've noticed that the pattern doesn't lay flat when I pin it. The shoulder and side seams just don't match up from front to back without some manipulation that leaves flappy areas. I cut out my pattern pieces again on mockup fabric, tried it on, and it seems to fit just fine albeit a little gape in the back piece like it was on the pattern. Is that normal? I've tried looking for youtube pattern walk throughs or tutorials online, but have only found reviews saying how good and easy the pattern is (desu that did kind of rub salt in the wound but it is what it is).

[Anonymous No.10468263]

share your sewing retard moments
>2018
>sewing with knits for the first time
>heard you're supposed to use a rotary cutter
>buy the one rotary cutter my local store had
>happens to be extremely shitty rotary cutter
>decide rotary cutters are more trouble than they're worth and swear them off and stick to scissors
>2020
>hm maybe i should have a dedicated rotary cutter for leather
>buy cheap one off of aliexpress
>mfw it's actually insanely easy to use because it doesn't have a retarded spring loaded blade mechanism like the other one

[Anonymous No.10468268]

>>10468234
do you have a photo of the pattern you're talking about? When I do a search I'm seeing 2 different old vintage patterns.

[Anonymous No.10468278]

>>10468263
Gathered and sewed my skirt to the wrong side of the JSK bodice today.

I've also cut the middle of a blouse with my serger. I cried.

[Anonymous No.10468317]

>>10468268
My bad, I mixed the numbers up. It's 3723. I'll see if I can post a picture shortly.

[Anonymous No.10468388]

i finally found and bought my first sewing machine from goodwill today. everything works as far as i can tell but is there anything i need to do before i start using it? like do i need to grease it or anything even if it's running with no problems?

[Anonymous No.10468426]

>>10468388
Yes absolutely check through the machine and buy some triflow lubricant for gears. Whites are fantastic machines, if it's heavy as fuck then likely it's all metal gears which should last you the rest of your life if you're good to it. You should be able to find the manual online and it'll show you such spots on the machine that require oil. It's usually indicated by small holes throughout, but I haven't looked inside a white machine before. Check youtube as well.

[Anonymous No.10468435]

>>10468426
thanks for the reply. it is pretty heavy. it actually came with the manual, which i haven't looked at yet, so i'll check it out right now.

[Anonymous No.10468466]

>>10468435
That's great, that'll be a huge help. If it didn't come with extra sewing feet I would also recommend investing in a set as they'll make your life a lot easier. Sewingpartsonline.com has some nice 15 piece sets for $20 ish. It looks like your machine uses low shank feet so do a search on there for that.

[Anonymous No.10468483]

>>10468388
Gonna give you a newbie tip to help you keep your sanity: always thread the machine with the presser foot up. Otherwise the tension disks are closed and you'll have horrible birdnesting. This especially applies to older, non-computurized machines like the one you have. Don't skip any of the thread guides either, it's easy to miss the one right over the needle especially if you're new to sewing machines and don't know what you're looking at.

[Anonymous No.10468565]

where do i even begin to look for a pattern for something like this?
my sewing skill is pretty good if i have a pattern but im absolutely terrible at self drafting and wouldn't attempt it for something like pic related

[Anonymous No.10468566]

>>10468565
or this they're from depop but too small / too expensive for me :[

[Anonymous No.10468567]

>>10468566
or this..... ugh

[Anonymous No.10468616]

>>10439162

I recently thrifted some royal blue velvet fabric (about 6 yards) and have plans to make a jsk out of it; but I wanted to be able to wear it as a long and short sleeved OP too. Would it be tacking to make a detachable sleeve bolero with ny excess material to go with it? I was thinking sausage sleeve old school style since I plan to use cornet and meta jsks I like as inspo on the jsk and it may work well with that.

[Anonymous No.10468618]

>>10468616

Oops, tacky, not "tacking"

[Anonymous No.10468622]

>>10468565
Buy a cheap version of this off of AliExpress or wish or something and disassemble it

[Anonymous No.10468651]

>>10468616
i don't know about that exactly, but maybe it would be possible to make the entire top detachable?

[Anonymous No.10468655]

>>10468622
ohhh that's a good idea, thank you

[Anonymous No.10468662]

>>10468651

Thank you for the tip! I have a dress form so I'll test out a rough draft of something like in your image and see how it goes! A bolero would only ever match this one specific dress so I like your idea much better

[Anonymous No.10468830]

>>10468388
I inherited this exact machine from my grandma! I ended up obtaining a more modern machine later but seeing this reminded me of her and just made me really happy anon.
Like others said it's an extremely trusty machine and it will definitely serve you well.

[Anonymous No.10468835]

>>10468565
>where do i even begin to look for a pattern for something like this?
Start by identifying the parts of each dress.
In the first picture, I see a blouse with a bishop sleeve, long cuff (with a ruffle detail), button up top, and ruffle collar. So you should look for a button up blouse pattern that either has the bishop sleeve or two separate patterns.
As for the JSK, I see a gathered over-knee length skirt and a thick strap bodice with a lace up panel. A cut/sew pattern or standard commercial lolita pattern from Simplicity or McCall's should be able to hit all of those markers for you.
As for the ruffle trims, don't worry about having those in your pattern, they're just really really long gathered rectangles.

Once you've identified these features of the garment you want to make, start looking for the pattern that is going to give you those options. You can mix and match some bodice patterns with skirt patterns too, so don't feel obligated to find THE perfect pattern. And a last tip: if you're buying your patterns from Joann's, wait until they have the $2 sale otherwise buying the 2-3 patterns you need can run you up a pretty penny.

[Anonymous No.10469270]

>>10468263
Rotary cutters are unironically such a QOL improvement. My mom hit me with the "huh, just use scissors! always worked" but I ended up buying a kit and never looked back. Bought a set of pinking blades off Amazon for it, which upgraded the fabric cutting process massively

[Anonymous No.10469337]

>>10469270
I cut my finger so badly with a rotary cutter that was 5 years ago I still don’t touch them.

[Anonymous No.10469514]

>>10469337
Invest in some safety gloves from home depot.

[Anonymous No.10469696]

tips or techniques for sewing picrelated seam? i can't ever seem to get these right

[Anonymous No.10469701]

>>10459300
silk organza is what you want

[Anonymous No.10469718]

>>10469696

Seems straightforward, just fiddly. What part are you having trouble with?

- if it's just small and fiddly, then handsew it. More control, slower pace, less frustrating.
- remember to clip the seams before turning them
- remember to press (after sewing and turning) so it sits right

[Anonymous No.10469735]

>>10469718
right at the points where you pivot and then need to realign the fabric in the other direction to continue. you know how it bunches up? i struggle with getting the those corners to lay flat and smooth and have the stitching be neat.

[Anonymous No.10469741]

>>10469735
Different anon, but are you keeping your needle in the fabric when you pivot?

[Anonymous No.10469751]

>>10469741
i am, yes.

[Anonymous No.10469994]

>>10469735

...I don't think I've ever had that issue. At most the fabric might need a bit of tugging to get it to straighten out after being pivoted, before the presser foot is being lowered again.

Only other thing I can think of, if you're sewing pretty close to the fabric edges, sometimes the pressure does pull on the fabric. Cut bigger seam allowances so that you can sew flat fabric in peace, you can trim down the seam allowance after you're done.

Maybe post a pic of the bunching? Might be easier to spot if something else needs fixing.

[Anonymous No.10470090]

>>10469735
What kind of fabric are you using, and are you able to control the pressure of your sewing foot? Sounds like the feed dogs aren't getting the fabric through quickly enough, maybe try a walking foot? Please post some pics.

[Anonymous No.10470429]

>>10469735
Are you lifting up the presser foot when you pivot? Also if your fabric is a knit, especially a slouchier one, you may want to put tissue paper between the feed dogs and the lower layer of fabric

[Anonymous No.10470447]

Beside laces are there any other taobao shops that cater to lolita dressmaking?

[Anonymous No.10470461]

>>10470447

Someone linked some cute cotton border print fabrics from kokka in the taobao thread last week or so. I think they were all strawberry prints but I'm sure you could find others. I reccomend cotton for structure since a lot of the cute synthetic fabrics are made of the thin cheap stuff.

[Anonymous No.10470733]

>>10470447
>>10470461

Actually if you search lolita fabric ("lolita 布料 diy") you'll find a number of print-on-demand shops selling digital print fabric by the yard (there's a bunch of other shops you do have to trawl through, though)

Things to watch for:
- pay attention as some of these offer them in doll sizes, no human size, and some other offer them in both doll and human sizes. You don't want to buy the wrong size.
- Check the feedback, I've seen some rather weirdly pixelated stuff
- The usual caveats about print-on-demand (surface printed, black not dark enough) should apply, so stick to Japanese quilting companies if you don't like these.

Sorry, I don't keep a list of shops handy. Pic is from luckymiaomiao.taobao.com

[Anonymous No.10470766]

>>10470733
I saw some fabric shops on rakuten, is that generally the goto for better appropriate fabrics or is there somewhere better? I'm mostly looking for classical couch florals and gobelin if I can manage to find any, saw a couple gorgeous floral fabrics in rakuten I have my eye on but if you know anything about gobelin I'd love to hear it.

[Anonymous No.10470865]

can putting too much oil on the bobbin race and the needle pin thing cause a machine to seize up? i ask because that seems to be what happened to me because my machine seized up after oiling those parts and only resumed operating properly after i wiped the oil off really good but i want to make sure that there isn't another problem that could have caused that to happen. this is my first machine and the first time i've oiled it so i'm paranoid that i messed it up.

[Anonymous No.10471020]

>>10470766

Gonna have to say I don't have enough experience with gobelin, I'm afraid. It doesn't suit the weather I live in so I don't sew with it.

As for Rakuten, Japanese shops are more likely to carry Japanese brand fabric, so they're more likely to carry those border prints and Japanese-themed quilting cotton, which makes it easy to find lolita-appropriate border prints (Yuwa goes so far as to make sample lolita dresses out of them, and some shops do label them as lolita fabric, so it's even easier to find).

As for florals though, they're just too varied to make any useful blanket judgment. A good deal of florals on Rakuten are "US imports", so you probably want to check the brandname and see if you can find it locally rather than pay to have it shipped from Japan. There's a handful that are from Japanese brands -- Yuwa, Quiltgate. Plus, Cath Kidston seems easier to find on Rakuten for some reason.

One thing I really like about Japanese/taobao fabric online stores, they take much better photos of the fabric, there's often multiple photos, with one showing it scrunched up so it's much easier to see the thickness of the fabric and how it drapes. So it's much easier to shop on Rakuten, then check the brandname and see if it's something you can find locally, and only order it off Rakuten if you can't find it elsewhere.

[Anonymous No.10471088]

>>10471020
Awesome, thank you so much for your input.

[Anonymous No.10471149]

Does anyone know where VM gets their braid from?

[Anonymous No.10471174]

>>10471149
Pretty sure it's Mokuba.

[Anonymous No.10471178]

>>10470865
Ive had a machine that was freshly oiled where I could wipe it away with my fingers but it never caused bunching. Check to see if all of the bobbin parts are correctly in place, your bobbin is facing the correct way, tension and feed dogs in the right places and needle properly fitted in. I’ve had my fair share of bobbin troubles and sometimes you just have to redo literally everything to fix it.

[Anonymous No.10471195]

>>10470865
Did you change the actual bobbin? I learned recently the hard way that bobbins are not as universal as I thought...

[Anonymous No.10471351]

>>10471178
it wasn't bunching; the whole thing was just stopping with no obvious cause to be found. it hasn't done it since yesterday even after doing practice stitches for a few hours. it did stop moving for a moment today but that could have been due to user error and a small turn of the wheel got it moving again.
>>10471195
no, it's the bobbin that came with it.

[Anonymous No.10471371]

Anyone ever have trouble removing the screws on the throat plate? I got my machine seconhand and this is the first time I've tried to get in there, but one of the screws won't come out even with WD-40. Anything else I can try before taking it in? I'm looking at a better screwdriver since all of mine are a bit too fat or don't fit into the tight spot.

[Anonymous No.10471390]

I'm looking for cute loliable crochet patterns, especially cardigans. Any rec, please?

I always find cute knitting patterns instead and I'm terrible at knitting.

[Anonymous No.10471456]

>>10471371
Is it possible that that one screw is stripped? If so, you could try the rubber band trick to give the screwdriver a bit more friction while turning.

[Anonymous No.10471491]

>>10471456
No clue, but I'll give that a try! Thank you for the suggestion.

[Anonymous No.10471504]

>>10469994
>>10470090
>>10470429
>...I don't think I've ever had that issue.
good, hopefully whatever i'm doing wrong will be obvious
>At most the fabric might need a bit of tugging to get it to straighten out after being pivoted, before the presser foot is being lowered again.
>get it to straighten out
that's where i'm getting tripped up. by hand goes marginally better than by machine but neither ends up satisfactory
>Maybe post a pic of the bunching?
sure, 1/2
>What kind of fabric are you using,
rayon challis for the toile i was working on, cotton poplin for the pics because the challis has a godawful busy print
>and are you able to control the pressure of your sewing foot?
nope
>Are you lifting up the presser foot when you pivot?
yes

[Anonymous No.10471505]

>>10471504
2/2

[Anonymous No.10471534]

>>10471390
you could search for some crochet lace patterns and attach that to other items if you wanted!

[Anonymous No.10471609]

>>10471371
Could try using a blow dryer to heat it up first, if you have a rubber mallet you can try tapping the side of your machine to bump it. If this doesn't work maybe look into purchasing liquid wrench, just don't get it on the rest of the machine as it can damage the finish.

[Anonymous No.10471933]

>>10471609
Thank you! That sounds like a wise idea. I'm not sure if I'm willing to abuse my machine with a mallet, but I will try the blow dryer. I wonder if the WD-40 just wasn't able to get in there and lube things up since the seal is so tight. I was trying to shoot it in from below but no dice. If what you suggested doesn't work, I'll take a look into a liquid wrench or maybe just taking it into the shop.

[Anonymous No.10472331]

>>10471174
I can't find an exact match so far, but thanks for the rec!

[Anonymous No.10472375]

>>10471505
The fabric is bunching as you turn it because until the internal corners are clipped there isn't enough stretch in the fabric itself to lay flat. Not sure how helpful it is for your project, but looking for quilting tutorials on y seams has good info in general for getting sharp points on that shape of seam since it comes up in a fair number of blocks.

[Anonymous No.10472376]

Used to think embroidery was easy mode, but now that I need to embroider a simple b, I realize how difficult it is to get straight lines.

[Anonymous No.10472379]

>>10472376
Cancel that; getting nice radial embroidery (in the "o" part of the b) is even harder. Big props to embroiderers, its a lot harder than it looks.

[Anonymous No.10472528]

>>10472376
Instead of a single line to figure out where to embroider, use 2 lines for the stick part and a circle inside a circle for the o part. When you embroider, bring the needle up slightly before the first line and bring it down slightly after the second line.

For the radial embroidery, make use of using the same hole multiple times. So bring it up, put it down in one spot, bring it up through the same hole you brought it up in before, then place it down a little further than the last one. It'll help you get the emboridery to go on an angle needed for curves and corners.

[Anonymous No.10473331]

>>10472375
thank you so much. the y seams thing did the trick.

[Anonymous No.10481229]

>>10439162
John 11:25-26 kjv

Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:

And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

[Anonymous No.10481345]

>>10481229
>shoot any babbys lately?
you must go