A little bit about me!

I have trouble thinking of ideas for blog posts. So I suppose the most easiest thing to talk about is me!

So what can I tell you about?????? I will talk about computer games.

Yes I am a gamer and I live with a partner who is also a dedicated gamer as well. We don't spend all our spare time playing computer games, oh no that would be borderline madness but lets just stay that we have spent a whole weekend playing a game and only stopping if need be. However we haven't done this for a long time.

Anyway one of the things that we both love to play are flash games. Little games that you play on the internet to waste time (or to avoid doing proper work). Now for all you oldies out there you will remember point and click games. Games where you will spend all your time clicking the screen to pick up unusual objects and then using them in manners which would leave you wondering "why did I do that!".

What do you think about them?

Edited - 05/07/2022

Unfortunately most flash games have now disappeared which is a shame :(

Hello I'm back!

Wow it has been over a year since I blogged!

Oh that is terrible of me but I have a good reason and that is I have reopened my etsy store!

But this time my creativity has taken me toward the world of jewellery or specifically earrings.

Why you may ask?

Well simply put it, I wanted people to wear tsumami zaiku every day and I thought this would be a great way to do so.

I experimented on different designs to find out what was possible and when I finally felt happy, I created my first design.

Pink Blossom on silver hoops with tiny pink pearls.

The wire for the hoop is made from wire wrapped with fine silver thread which I made myself as this is not readily available in UK however it is very therapeutic.  As for the flower and the leaves, they are folded from hand dyed habutae silk. 

I liked the design very much so I made another one in blue.

Making a Dress - Wa-lolita wraparound JSK

Inspiration

So it is time I tackled my much wanted dress.  A wa-lolita dress that wraps around like a kimono.

This has been on my to-do list since I started to wear lolita over 4 years ago and really wanted to do it because it combined two of my favourite styles.  However it is a tricky style to pull off as it could look ridiculous if done wrong.

Therefore I spent a long time deciding on what element I wanted to show off on my dress and here was my conclusion.

1. Collar
2. Wrap around.

These two elements for me were the important elements that define a kimono.  Unfortunately I can not transfer the silhouette of a kimono outfit because that is a tube shape where lolita is more puffy so out with that.

Design

Now I have the elements I wanted to include, time to start start drafting.

Getting the collar was a bit tricky and additional darts were needed around the bust area to stop the top from gaping.

Not looking bad.

And now drafting the collar.

Construction

As always I started with the lining as if I made a mistake at least I can hide it.

And as always I forgot to take photos of the rest of the bodice as I was eager to complete to see what it looked like.

I finished the bodice Sunday evening when it dawned on me that I should add a mon on the back collar!

Therefore the following morning that is what I did.

Yep it is a little kitty!

Now to get the skirt sorted.

Checking the skirt was the right length.

Oh it is not a plain hem.  I had brought some broderie anglaise on a whim thinking it will definitely be useful and finally it was.  I did have some lovely cream/white trim but I wanted to keep it black.

Time to begin the skirt gathering.

Finished

And here it is.

I have to say I am quite pleased with it. 

The collar turned out just as I planned.

Especially the back!  Just like a kimono collar it stands away from the neck.

Originally I was going to add a couple of buttons to hold it closed but I changed my mind at the last moment and took some inspiration from my haori/michiyuki and added these cute ties.

And another picture of my mon as it is so sweet.  Maybe I should add a bow and make it hellokitty.

Of course pockets.  How can a girl live without them.

Conclusion

I am very happy with this project and I would love to make this in real kimono fabric so I have something to look forward too.

I wanted to see how this would look with some of my haori/michiyuki.

With a lace haori.

My current favourite michiyuki.

And my all time favourite haori.

The biggest problem I have found is that they do not sit very well over my bell shape skirt which is a shame but this means that if I didn't wear a petticoat then these outfits would be perfect for work!

I definitely need to make a waist length haori so looks like another project needs to be added to my to-do list!

Crafting and Sewing Review 2017

Hello all.

Things have been very busy since I last posted in October 2017 and unfortunately my blogging slipped.

However it is a new year and I will try my best to keep you up to date.

But before I do, I thought it would be be nice to summarise my year.

March 2017 - Lolita Apron Dress

April 2017 - Lolita Sack OP/Coat

May 2017 - Modern Jeogori and Hanbok

July 2017 - Qi-Lolita Overdress

August 2017 - Song Trousers, Hanfu top and Jacket plus Simple White Underskirt

September 2017 - Simple Black Underskirt, Sakura JSK

October 2017 - Stumpwork sakura and Wet Felting coin purse

One mini #coin #purse 👛 made from #felt. Although it is very fiddly to make I do enjoy making tiny things.

A post shared by Kitty Kanzashi (@kittykanzashi) on Sep 30, 2017 at 4:54am PDT

November 2017 - More Wet Felting Coin purse

I think I will call this my galaxy purse.

A post shared by Kitty Kanzashi (@kittykanzashi) on Oct 2, 2017 at 11:44am PDT

December 2017 - Lolita Striped Brown JSK

Not too bad considering since I only sew on the weekends.

I think will continue to complete a sewing or crafting project per a month so as it is now January, I think it is time to look at my to do list and make another dress!

Making a dress - Brown striped JSK

Christmas holiday is a time for relaxing and stuffing myself silly with food however it is also a good time to sew!

A long time ago I made this lovely blue apron dress which I regularly wear for work as it is so cute and I thought it was time to make make another one but a bit more jsk-like.  Which means I fully lined it and sewed up the back of the skirt so I don't have to worry about wearing a underskirt any more.

So I dug out my old pattern from my shelf and started to prep my fabric.

Normally I would wash all my fabrics but I am once again using kimono fabric and unfortunately I forgot to jot down the fibre used to make this bolt so I decided against washing it and just steamed iron it to death.  I will be using a synthetic lining and from the crisp feel of the kimono fabric I have a feeling it is not natural so hopefully if I do need to wash it, it will not shrink.

This bolt came with a label but alas I don't know what it says so if you do let me know!

I started off with the lining as I had a lot of the material so if I made any mistakes I can make alterations.

And now to measure and cut my kimono bolt.  Which is always nerve racking....

So once I got over my hesitation I had the outer fabric cut and then I suddenly had a bodice.

With buttonholes!

Of course the next thing to tackle are the ruffles.

But I knuckled down and after an solid morning work I have it all sewed, gathered and attached to the skirt.

Then attached the skirt to the bodice and then attaching the lining to the skirt at the waist.

 This had to be done by hand which didn't take to long but there was a lot of fabric.

Finished

And here it is.

Yep that is one big bow!

I even dipped into my lace collection and added some detail to the bodice.

And the pockets as well as I thought they needed a little pick me up.

Oh and of course some more lace along the bottom.  This was the lace that I brought back in April 2017 when I went to Hong Kong.  

And I had to find some matching buttons for this jsk.  I went for something brass like since the dress is brown.

Conclusion

This project went relatively smoothly and with the overlocker certain things were a lot easier because I didn't have to worry about fraying.

I still have some material left so I might be able to squeeze a matching bolero jacket so fingers cross!