I made a handmade Loℓιтα dress!

Level--Easy

I recently attended Portcon, a local Maine anime and gaming convention. Saturday looked as if it would be a perfect day to wear Lolita, but what would I wear?! Since I wear Lolita on a more frequent basis, it is nice to have a dress for a special occasion. Due to timing, funds, and the desire to try something new I decided to put my skills ambition to the test! In less than one week I would construct a Lolita dress to debut at the convention. 

Challenge accepted!

You can view this original blog post here!

My sewing skills are an absolute beginner. I have begun to construct small sewing projects for my home and for my doll Hitomi, but nothing of a considerable undertaking or size. For my first clothing project, I felt that an "instant dress" would be a great place to start!

After I browsed what my local Jo Ann fabrics had to offer, I purchased a pretty shirred material with a floral pattern. I loved that this pattern features multiple shades of pink as well as yellow, a rare but beloved color in Lolita! The range of color would allow for me to use many of my preexisting accessories. The best part is that the material was on sale. The best part was that all of the required materials for the dress, thread and straps were under $20! 

All I would need to do to complete this dress would be to shorten the bottom dress hem, attach the material together and to make dress straps.

Easy, no?

Before the assembly of the dress could take place, I needed to adjust the skirt to a more Lolita appropriate length. I carefully measured another one of my dresses for my desired length and added an additional inch. This would allow for me to appropriately shorten the dress to my preferred length and give appropriate space for the hem. I then cut the dress, measured the bottom and sewed the bottom to create a secure and even hem.

My Steps

1. Use a measuring tape to find your desired length of the overall dress.
2. Use a cutting board to ensure your cut is as smooth and even as possible.
3. Use a measuring tape to make the new hem (1/2").
4. Secure the two separate materials with ball point pins (right).
5. Line up the hem left to the foot of the sewing machine. This allows for a crisp and even guide for your thread (left).
6. Reverse the foot once you reach the end and continue to the edge to secure the stitching.

Now that the bottom of the dress is even and secure, it is time to join the two loose sections together! The shirring on this dress allows for a lot of space. I purchased one yard and even had a generous amount left over! I wrapped the dress around myself and secured the dress temporarily with a binder clip. I then measured to create a hem (1/2") so the edge of the dress would be straight and even. Once this was completed I secured the top through the bottom with head pins. I lined up the hem left to the foot of the sewing machine.to create the hem and then I sewed the two free pieces together.

My Steps

1. Wrap the material around yourself to find your dress width. Make sure to take advantage of the shirring, but do not stretch it too much. It needs to have a comfortable ratio of give.
2. Clip temporarily to show where you need to attach the fabric.
3. Cut off any excess fabric.
4. Use a measuring tape to create a hem (1/4").
5. Secure the two separate materials with head pins (right) to create the hem.
6. Lay the hem piece atop of the uneven cut material. 
7. Pin these two pieces together to ensure both pieces will stay together when sewing.
8. Line up the hem left to the foot of the sewing machine. This allows for a crisp and even guide for your thread (left).
9. Reverse the foot once you reach the end and continue to the edge to secure the stitching.

 This dress needed straps. Since I had only two days to complete my dress, I chose to use ribbon for the straps rather than create elastic straps. Not only was it a time saver and less expensive, the overall addition was of pink was extremely sweet! With a 1" ribbon I temporarily clipped a binder clip for the front and back of where I would like to attach the ribbons to the dress. I measured to find the desired length for all four strips  rather than make two complete pieces, I added four so I would be able to tie two pieces together and make more adjustable straps. I followed the same principal to create the dress hem to protect from fraying and add some additional support.

My Steps

1. Clip place holds to the dress to ensure you attach the ribbon to the correct place.
2. Use a measuring tape to find your desired length of the ribbons.
3. Use a measuring tape to make the new hem (1/4") on the bottom of all four ribbons.
4. Line up the hem of all ribbons to the left of the foot of the sewing machine.
5. Reverse the foot once you reach the end and continue to the edge to secure the stitching.
6. Attach the strips to the top of the dress in the designated places.

Final Touches

Now for the final touches! I recently purchased rose hairpins from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright. While I could add a simple ribbon, I was able to stitch a hair clip to my dress successfully! This way I could incorporate a brand piece that ties in masterfully with my coordinate, but safely remove it for future use with another coordinate. I just love how well the roses accompanied the roses on the dress print! 

Now the dress is complete!

Coordinate Run Down

Dress ❤ Handmade ( me )

Blouse ❤ Bunny House

Head Bow ❤ Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

Hair Clips ❤ Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

Shoes ❤ Bodyline

Rings ❤ Handmade ( me, SpoonfulofCats )

Frilled Ankle Socks ❤ Target

Wrist Cuffs ❤ Handmade

Bag ❤ BCBG

I am very happy with the way my first dress came out. I was touched that so many people at the convention liked my coordinate! Since this experience was so positive, I will be sure to create more dresses to add to my wardrobe again soon. Next time I will be sure to make a Do-It-Yourself Dress tutorial with step-by-step instructions and photographs for anyone else who is interested in a handmade Lolita dress!

Thanks for reading and remember to Stay Frilly!