14 Monday Sep 2020
Posted in Patterns
Just a quick little project I set to make. A nice reader requested the Thumbelina coord recently, and I thought I would spend some time on a Saturday playing with it in CLO.
This is what the coordinate looks like with the JSK, under skirt, and cutsew put together.
I started this time by drafting the size S from Otome no Sewing 11, which I discovered is a Size 6 on my size chart. So S, M, and L in ONS is 6, 8, 10. Hooray for knowing things!
09 Wednesday Sep 2020
Posted in Uncategorized
Whew! Oh my goodness, my brain parts . . . but I did it! I managed to put together the first pattern available now! Here I present – The Claudia Blouse!
So a few things about this blouse pattern. I feel that, naturally, this took a little while due to the learning curve of trying to figure out the best formatting for all the sizes, the lines, the spacing – making sure the grade worked where it needed to, and matching up notches (yes, it has notches and seam allowance). I also made sure to test fit each of the sizes on my avatar models of the included sizes. Here’s the size chart. The purple sections are Inches, the white is metric (centimeters).
Yeah. That’s right. I said it. I hate tiled patterns. BUT, that being said, I still included a tiled version in the digital file. I also included the standard paper sizes for wide format printing, if you want to outsource the printing.
So yes, you can print this thing at home on standard Letter size. But you can also outsource the printing, if you have available printing services for things like blueprints in your area (I like to use Staples, here in the US).
US: The two pages are different sizes, and they’re in separate PDFs. They are 36×48 and 24×36, respectively.
Europe: Two pages, both A0 paper size.
And of course, the tiled print.
The digital pattern is available at my Square shop!
I currently have 8 copies of printed patterns, folded into 6×9 envelopes. So, yay!
The listing for the printed pattern is here!
No, I didn’t forget the instructions. I wanted to get this first round of patterns out and available first. Currently, I’m weighing my options as to the best way to supply instructions for the pattern. Vectoring images is taking more time than I would like, so I may do a couple of things:
Video instruction is nice because it’s visual and you can see real-time construction technique. I will be doing a full demo of this pattern that will be made available on YouTube.
Photo instruction is another way I might quickly be able to render some instructions, which can be done at the same time as I record the video. If you buy this pattern, you will receive a copy of the instructions once they’ve been put together.
You are all welcome to contact me and ask me questions, as well. Please don’t hesitate to do so!
I’m currently streaming the first iteration of this blouse on my Twitch channel, if you want to join us to watch and ask questions. The final video demo will not be streamed, however, and will be recorded separately.
02 Wednesday Sep 2020
Posted in Uncategorized
Heya, peeps!
So, in recent news, I have acquired a fantastic program called CLO3D. This program allows me to digitize patterns from Otome no Sewing, GOSU RORI, AND Gothic & Lolita Bibles like never before.
Special thanks and shoutout to my amazing donors and patrons for allowing me to purchase an annual license for this program.
Top Donor: SewDesuNe (Choly Knight) – she is an amazing pattern maker in her own right for adorable plushies, so I urge you to check out her site here!
Many of whom are also my patrons on Patreon, as well. 2nd and 3rd tier patrons will be receiving free digital patterns periodically, with 3rd tier patrons receiving a deep discount for printed versions. Neat huh!?
Now, there are a lot of books to get through, here, so I don’t expect to be able to digitize all of them any time soon. However, there are select patterns that I would be able to focus on. For instance, the Rosa Bianca JSK from GLB 47 (and others).
Not only am I able to digitize the patterns, but I can also grade the single-sized patterns found in the GLB magazines. My goal is to not only preserve these patterns that would otherwise be lost to time, due to the discontinuation of the magazine itself, but also to make these patterns more available and accessible to all body types.
You may have noticed that I am missing many issues of GLB in my collection, if you’ve ever perused my list of patterns section. Well, it turns out I don’t necessarily need the pattern sheet within the magazine. I can scan the page with the layout of the pattern pieces in high res, and using one reference line (usually a center back or center front line from the pattern in question) I can match the proportions to the rest and trace the pattern in true size.
So, if you have any of the GLB issues 1 – 29, a scanner, and a little time – you could help out the project with this method. Please contact me if you’re interested!
10 Monday Aug 2020
Posted in Uncategorized
The last Gothic & Lolita Bible magazine released. It was a bittersweet day when it arrived in the mail. That might be part of the reason it took me this long to get around to scanning the patterns in it. But we have them, and here’s what’s inside this issue:
21 Tuesday Jul 2020
Posted in Uncategorized
UPDATE: These are the fabrics I have available if you wanted to commission a garment instead of purchasing the fabric itself.
Check out my new online Store!
Alright, so this has been a long time coming but . . . it is time. I’ll be posting the photos here to announce the sale, but the shop will be updated in the coming weeks.
If you wish to inquire about any of the fabrics before the shop is live, you are welcome to contact me for prices and quantities.
The first four I really wanted to talk about are very special, out of print Lecien fabrics from Japan. I don’t have much left of the Cinderella in pink, as it was a very popular print for my commissions. But the others I have quite a bit of yardage left.
These four prints are the Girls Story series by Lecien, and I’m looking to sell them at $14/yard.
Over the years I’ve collected several other prints as well, and some work well for Lolita fashion.
Some odds and ends, solids and other oddballs. This collection has a lot of jersey knits, sweater knits, all-over lace, some peachskin and moleskin as well. And I have . . . a lot.
21 Tuesday Jul 2020
Posted in Uncategorized
15 Wednesday Jul 2020
Posted in Uncategorized
15 Wednesday Jul 2020
Posted in Uncategorized
This is yesterday’s full stream – going over everything in as much detail as I could remember to give for those of you who are completely new to using commercial patterns. I answer questions given to me by participants in the chat, as well.
Construction will be taking place today for part two, so if you’d like to join us, come over to Twitch.
Event: 12:30pm MDT (click here to find the time for your time zone)
09 Thursday Jul 2020
Posted in Uncategorized
By popular demand, and an apparent need, I am scheduling a tutorial next week — July 14th, Tuesday — for absolute beginners to both sewing and Lolita Fashion. This will be live on my Twitch channel.
I have purchased this pattern in both available size ranges and will be tracing size 14 — leaving the pattern uncut to be able to use the pattern in all available graded sizes.
The sample on the front of the envelope reads more like a costume, and this is pretty much agreed upon by most of the Lolita community familiar with Simplicity and their attempts to recreate our beloved fashion. Rick rack and raschel lace are mostly big no-nos in the fashion itself, and I would advise against using these for trim.
That said, finding appropriate trim can be difficult in big local stores like Joann’s and Hobby Lobby (in the US). The best I’ve been able to find have been places like Etsy, eBay, and Aliexpress. Try the former two options first.
Laces and trims you’ll want to look for include: venice, cluny, eyelet, mesh lace, net lace, galloon eyelet, embroidered lace, chemical lace, water soluble lace.
We will be focusing primarily on the jumperskirt, not the blouse. If there is enough interest, we could do a separate tutorial for the blouse as well.
There are some questionable things about this pattern that I feel obliged to mention. Controversy surrounding Simplicity and their methods, which involved buying products during a Rufflecon event (from indie sellers and designers) with the intention of deconstruction for creation of patterns. The original designers (for the accessories, or even the pink macaron fabric used in the sample) were not credited.
The macaron fabric print is designed by Ambur Hubbard (espressobug) on Spoonflower, and can be purchased there. I highly encourage everyone to support this brilliant artist.
I’ve chosen to use this pattern due to its accessibility and range of sizes. Not everyone has the wherewithal to use Otome no Sewing patterns, and I want to be sure that everyone coming into this hobby has a fair chance to learn. We’re starting where we all started — at the very beginning. This is how my mother was taught, this is how I was taught, and this is how I will teach you.
Have patience, and take it one step at a time. There are no shortcuts, but there might be a few interesting tricks to learn. ❤
06 Monday Jul 2020
Posted in Uncategorized
So this dropped today, available to my patrons of 2nd and 3rd tiers. More installments coming within the week. The full tutorial has complete instruction as I explain everything in as much detail as possible.
This month: Otome no Sewing Book 14, page 84 (Strawberry Chocolate JSK) — Instructions Here.
A shorter version will be released for free on YouTube within the month.
Thank you to everyone who supports me and what I do!
