Lines: Neptune's Domain

The Sweet Matryoshka line and Sweet Acorn Jewlery line are now officially retired.

Which means I really need to get to work on my next line: Neptune's Domain!

The art for the line is completed, I just need to digitize it and make up the samples.

Here's a cobbled together sneak preview:

I will be embroidering these with my machine onto the skirts, one "motif" to either side of the front of the skirt.

The first release will be a skirt and/or vest done in a solid color in a very similar style to the Admiral Pirate set.

The embroidery and trimmings will be done in white or off white.  I've already picked navy, black, and brown as color choices.  What other colors seem right for the design?

A reminder

Tomorrow is the last day for the Sweet Matryoshka line and Sweet Acorn Jewelry line!

I want to thank everyone who has ordered so far; making this so successful!

Sewing: Fairy Formal Dress

The design sketch

 This past week or so I've had a bit of breathing room in between completing orders and waiting for fabric to come in for the next ones.  So I of course have decided to sew something!

Not anything practical mind you, not even a lolita sun dress, or mori skirt.  Rather I decided to make a chiffon fairy princess dress.

I find it rather amusing that when I'm not wearing some combination of mori/ lolita/ ect, or historical costume; I apparently want to dress like an extra from Midsummer's Nights Dream.

It's inspired partly by a vintage 70's dress that I saw while blog surfing, and a Moite jumperskirt.

Here is a mock up of the bodice with some icky blue fabric that was donated to the school.

It was surprisingly easy for how complicated the Moite jumperskirt looked.  Just 4 peices of fabric for the "braid".

I ended up using pink.  I would have prefered a mauve-y purple or seafoam color, but pink was what I could get on sale; which was important because of how much fabric I needed.

The skirt consists of a cotton circle skirt with 3 rectangular chiffon skirts layered over it.  The thing is huge!!  Here it is laid out on a table with my glasses and layering "cheat sheet" .  I wanted to do 4 chiffon skirts, but I just ran out of fabric.

Looking back I wish I had used organza instead of chiffon, as the layers just don't have the undulating body the 70's dress does.  Organza seemed like it would be too stiff though, I've never tried to work with it draped like this.  Maybe I needed something between a chiffon or organza?

I think it turned out nice anyway though!

I have to admit that the criss-cross detail and cotton candy pink color made me feel like I was making a dress for a grown up "Lady Lovely Locks"!  I guess thats not a bad thing; she does seem to have style.

I'm planning on wearing it tomorrow to the school's formal dance.  I want to coordinate it with some simple gold tone jewelry to try to make the color more elegant and refined. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all turns out.

Daily Outfits: Daily Mori

Although I have a great affection for lolita, I usually wear mori or natural-kei as my daily wear.  It's somewhat ironic that lolita just isn't a clothing style that is easy to sew lolita clothing in.

I do very much enjoy wearing the foresty styles too!  Here are some of my favorites from this past month; before it got so  humid and hot!

I've been trying to chronicle this outfit for over a year.  The layers and thinness of some of the fabrics makes it wearable for only a short amount of time in the spring or fall.

This coord on lookbook with clothing list

Detail of my necklace and hair comb.  No thats not Innocent World, but rather a very similar necklace I found at a costume jewelry shop and glued to the comb.

A more ethereal take on the Maid Marion type coord I wore before.  Same scarf too, worn in a different way.  Modeling my new (to me) purse.  

This coord on lookbook with clothing list

My poor frameless glasses are dieing, so I've been wearing these which are transitions.  They don't make for the best photos though!

A more Otome take.  The scrunched socks with the boots and lace leggings makes me feel like an old school bishōjo manga.    The dress was actually the first lolita jumperskirt I ever made (from thrift store curtains), which still is amazingly wearable even though it's unlined with unfinished seams! 

This coord on lookbook with clothing list

The knit collar was made for me as a present from my good friend Molly.  The cuckoo clock pin I inherited fairly recently from my Grandmother.  

Looking at these photos makes me think I really need to come up with new poses!

I wonder how many Lolita's also wear mori/natural-kei as their more day to day clothing?

Tutorial: Straw Bonnet

The winners of the EGL Hair Accessory contest have been announced!  Congratulations to the winners.  

So here is my entry, broken up into 3 images.  Click on them to full veiw.

For a first attempt I am pretty happy with it.  I do want to make another if I can find another hat to take apart; and maybe play with the brim shape and how the crown sits on my head.  

Tutorial: Chiffon Underskirt & Sash

Please excuse the bit of radio silence there, I've been a bit busy with Sweet Matryoshka orders and working on my next line.

Here is the promised tutorial for a Chiffon Underskirt and Sash:

Sneaking a better photo of this coord in!

Daily Outfit: Teens Exhibition

Last Wednesday I went to an exhibition at Drexel University of clothing from the Teens (1910-1919).  I took advantage of both the beautiful weather and occasion to dress up a bit.  I've been wanting to wear this coord from the  10 item 7 outfit challenge, and it finally got warm enough to.

We stopped at Terrain on the way home; it's a hipster garden store run by the same company that owns Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters.   Very pretty and worth the stop, but everything is really insanely expensive!

This is my favorite outfit I've worn with this jsk so far.  It's rather Otome I think.

This coord on Lookbook.

The exhibition was really wonderful.  16 outfits in all, with tons of wonderful details.  The teens are one of the fashion eras that I am not as familiar with, but I found tons of inspiration.

I took lots of photos; no flash allowed of course, so it was a bit of a challenge to get good photos.

Sweet Matryoshka Skirt Release

The skirts are released!

Like I mentioned in the previous post, they come in both a standard lolita length and the currently very popular tea length!  They also have matching accessories available.

The Sweet Acorn Jewelry line has also been released.

The Sweet Matryoshka line will be available until June 1rst, when it will be retired to make way for the next one!

Daily Outfit: Easter

As someone with a love of vintage hats and a small but hopefully growing collection how could I pass up the chance to don a appropriately Easter 'bonnet".

Please excuse the mirror photos, I usually try not to use them, but we had 12 people for Easter dinner, and I didn't have my tripod; so these will have to suffice.

My most appropriate vintage hat is a difficult to match spring green.  I really like it even though it could probably be mistaken for half a head of lettuce instead of a hat.

I chose a 50's inspired dress I made quite a few years ago to go with it.  It's actually made out of an old bed sheet I saved from the rag pile.  It has such cute tiny green polka-dots all over it.

Like most of the things I made years ago, this dress no longer really fits.  So hence the cardigan even though it was really really warm!

I think my favorite thing about this outfit is that other then the petticoat (which you can't see) nothing is new.  The pin and hat are vintage,  the shoes and cardigan are thrifted, the dress is made by me, and the pearls were strung by my Mother.   It was a sort of exciting thing to realize.

For those wondering these photos were taken at my Mother's vanity table; it's so lovely!  If you squint you can see a littler version of me in the frame in the first photo.

Detail of the top of the dress and my hat.

This Coord on Lookbook

Since the dress doesn't fit me anymore, and I still have some of the sheet left, I'm planning on remaking it when I have the time.

I want to keep the 50's feel with the full circle skirt, but add some additional sailor lolita charm.

I am editing the images for the Sweet Matryoshka skirt release and hope to release them either tomorrow or Thursday.   I also have quite a few irons in the fire for this blog: tutorials and recipes.  As usual, please let me know if you have a specific request!

Recipe: Candied Violets

Happy Easter!  Surrexit Dominus vere, Alleluia!

I hope you all are having a wonderful Easter so far.

Since my front yard is currently awash in violets I thought I'd repost this tutorial from my website.  Candied Violets are the perfect way to capture spring in a dainty sweet.