Floral Kusudama Kanzashi - Pastel Pink and White

A wonderful floral kusudama kanzashi which is perfect for the summer days. 

*** Kanzashi Description ***

* Colour - pastel pink and white.
* Size - 7cm (diameter) by 3cm (height).
* Mount - alligator clip.
* Suitable for all hairtypes and hairstyles.
* Suitable for Vegan.
* Customisable.

Kusudama kanzashi are just a delight to make and this one is no exception. Do not be fool by this elaborate floral kanzashi, this kanzashi is as light as a feather so you do not have to worry about it pulling on your hair or slipping out while you are wearing it. In fact you can wear this kanzashi all day without any incident.

If you are interested a customising your kanzashi colour then please send me a convo and I am sure I can help you.

You can buy this kanzashi here https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/153705479/floral-kusudama-kanzashi-pastel-pink-and?ref=shop_home_active

Making a Dress - Black Lolita Dress (supplement)

So my dress is complete but it is missing something??

That is it, a shirt/top to wear with the dress.  Now I have a couple of shirts which could work.

However they are long sleeved shirts which is great at the moment but what if the weather gets warmer.  And with the current weather that I have been experiencing I would like something a bit shorter.

So the solution has to be a dickey.  Yes they look a bit silly on their own but with a dress or a jumper it is great.

Here is what I planned.

A little peter pan collar dickey.

And using the same white cotton lawn from my regency dress I made the dickey.

I also made a couple of accessories to jazz up the dress.  One is a big bow with a rose on it and the other one is a origami butterfly.  They are attached to snap clips so they can attached onto the dress as you see or if I have a frilly shirt then I could just use them as hair accessories.

Kanzashi Fabric Flower - Set of 2 Hairclip - Bright yellow

All this sunshine that I am experiencing I think these lovely yellow hairclips are perfect.

---Kanzashi Description---

* One of a kind
* Colour - yellow
* Size - 4cm (wide) by 3 cm (height) by 1cm (depth)
* Mount - 3cm alligator clip
* Suitable for all hairtypes and hairstyles

These dainty little yellow hairclips are perfect for any age so long as you love flowers. 

---Other information---

If you have questions about this kanzashi, please feel free to contact me, I am happy help you

Like this kanzashi then why not visit the rest of my store http://www.etsy.com/shop/kittykanzashi 

Currently I am accepting custom orders for all sort of accessories (like fascinators, hairbands, brooches, etc) so why not send me an email kittykanzashi@gmail.com to discuss what you would like.

Lolita Sewing Mook - Spring and Summer 2012

So I have been waiting patiently for these little beauties!

There use to be a lolita sewing mook called Gosu Rori which released biannually but then in 2012 it stopped!  Oh the horror for me because buying these mooks are not easy and second hand ones sell for quite a bit especially if they still have the patterns.

Anyway while browsing We SewLoli on livejournal I discovered that a new sewing mook had just begun so I brought the ones that have been released and after three long weeks I have them.

These are brilliant!  Not only they tell you how to make the clothes but they also help you coord them.  Anyway here are some snap shots of the Spring and Summer 2012 edition.

The front cover looks really pretty and has dress styles that I would love to try my hand on.

Then it tell you how to coord the pieces.

Which is really good for a beginner like me.

Again you see another page showing you the pieces that you can make and coord.

Personally I want to make one of these skirt because it is pretty!!!!

And the instructions for some of the clothing is very clear!

Bring on the fabric and sewing machine.

Making a Dress - Black Lolita Dress

So I made this cute lolita inspired 50's dress back in January 2013.

You can read all about it in the following link.

http://kittykanzashi.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/making-dress-50s-inspired-lolita-dress.html

Well one dress is not enough and it time to make another one.


Inspiration

I thought I would try my hand at a one piece.  Some like this!

Innocent World Doll Chiffon OP 2010

Innocent World Harmonica OP 2010

I am planning on having a front fitted bodice but the back shirred.

Why am I doing this?  Well I am not very good with zips so this dress will need to stretch enough so I can pull it over my head and shoulders.  I know that is very lazy but think how comfy it will be!

What I can't decide is the type of skirt, should it be tiered like the Doll Chiffon or just gathered like Harmonica?  Clearly one is more easier and uses more fabric then the other so maybe this time I should go for the easier one because this is the first one piece I am making.  Anyway I can always make a separate skirt or apron to go over it.

Fabric

Well remember the 10 metres of white lawn I brought for my regency dress?  With a packet of black dye I have now turned it into the perfect black material for this dress.  Something nice and light for the summer but in black!

Design Process

Well this was a lot of frustration, pondering and indecision.  The bodice was easy enough but the sleeves gave me the most trouble.  I wanted them to be puffy like the pictures above but should which ones.  Normally I like cap sleeves (Harmonica OP) because they are very flattering for my arms but this time I would like something a little bit longer but only a little bit.  So taking inspiration from my regency dress I went with the Doll Chiffon style.

This is the only picture of my toile with the proto sleeve.  Due to my excitment in solving my sleeve dilemma I forgot to take a photo of the final toile.

Construction

Well this was fun!

It started off really well,  I got the pieces cut and made the bodice.  In my attempt to conceal all the raw edges, I think I went about it in completely the wrong way however I did my best to resolve the issue and managed to get the bodice completed in one day.

Then came day two and it was time to put on the skirt!  I should have left the shirring towards the end because it made attaching the skirt far more challenging then it should have been.  Oh well you live and learn.

Front

Back

Side

Not bad amount of poffiness I think and I couldn't help but to try on the dress to see what it was like.

Quite cute I think and it goes well with one of my little jackets which is good as I hate item of clothing that do not match with anything else in my wardrobe.

Not sure if I could wear it too work with the current petticoat but it is doable!

That just leaves adding some trim which was day 3 and day 4 task.

Yep a lot of trim!  I started off with a 4 metre fabric tube and after smocking the entire length I ended up with just over 2 metres to handsew onto the bottom hem of the skirt.  Which was a bit back breaking but I like it.

Front

Back

So what I have learnt from making this dress?  

1. Do not put in elastic until it is necessary.
2. Make sure you measure twice!
3. Dye any other colour apart from black.
4. Use elastic with a bit more stretch.

I am sure there is more but I can't think of them on the top of my head.  Now where shall I wear this?