Share tips, tricks, and your current projects, too.Anyone have good examples of handmade OPs & JSKs? I see a lot of potentially good designs ruined by shitty prints, giant ugly ruffles, and terrible color schemes.Don't even get me started on Etsy lolita.What ruins it for you? What should people quit doing with handmade stuff? Post photos & concrit all of it.
I think the brown dress is a MM replica that the owner bought (and did not make herself).Petit four/fleur https://lolibrary.org/items/mary-magdalene-petit-fleurs-opIt's possible the owner is using the replica as a test piece to try out some sewing skills or ideas.My biggest problem with the lolita sewing community (in general, over several platforms) is that even if they have sewing skills, which they mostly don't, they have terrible taste. The dresses they design often just don't work for lolita, or they will use tacky novelty fabrics. The only time I thought it was fun was the Guy Fieri themed coord. Another big problem is how much of a hugbox a lot if not all of these spaces are. A couple of years ago I was in some lolita sewing group on fb, one of the two major groups, and even though concrit was allowed by default everyone felt like it would be assholish if they gave concrit. The "only asspats please" vibe got so bad that people were too scared to give concrit even though the poster had asked for it. To make sure it wasn't just me I asked another lolita with decent sewing skills and she opened up about how annoying she thinks it is.Someone with next to zero sewing skills got into the advanced group on fb and soon she was the only one posting there. I understand it's also because people were moving away from fb, but if you can't trust the mod to have any consistency I would rather just leave. The sewing groups on fb are still active with multiple posts per week afaik, so it's not due to a lack of interest.I would consider checking out the sewing groups regularly again if you could give unsolicited but very polite and helpful (shit sandwich method) concrit without being seen as an asshole. Basically they have to stop being a hug box.
>What should people quit doing with handmade stuff? Post photos & concrit all of it.I think this is a waste of time. Nearly 100% of the stuff posted in the sewing groups has something wrong with it. There are only a handful that make stuff that is lolita, looks good and is well made. We would be here all day lol.But if you're willing to post some projects here I'll chime in.
>>10935802same anon; I was only thinking about the fb groups. It's possible the cream of the crop (as well as some trash) moved to discord.
As long as people are doing it for themselves, I have no qualms with handmade. It's more of a "trust the process" thing rather than limiting yourself to look only at the final result. Sewing is a hobby parallel to Lolita, and it takes time to hone your skills of you're not professionally trained. That's why I enjoy seeing even the monstrous creations that often pop up as they mean that someone is, at least, trying. With time they might get better and that's the best part of every craft hobby our there. Wish more people would partake in sewing their own pieces as a hobby.
>>10935802I'm a moron who decided to vend at a convention in November. Decided to sell handmade lolita pieces there. Some might be kinda shit to appeal to normies (small con, small town), but I'm making a few full coords to display as proper pieces of lolita.Only WIPs right now, but I'm still drafting patterns. I'll post when they're more finished!
>>10935826Oh yeah: here's some of the good print fabrics I grabbed.The blue gingham lemon is my favorite! But it was the last bit left. Not even 2 yards. I'll make it work, though!
>>10935829> Not even 2 yards. I'll make it work, though!Unless your a very experienced seamstress I doubt you’ll be able to make that work. You could get away with a few skirts but you sound very ambitious for some joann fabrics and a dream.
>>10935829The lemon fabric is my favGood luck with your endeavours anon
>>10935838>Unless your a very experienced seamstressI am.That aside:>me at the beginning of this project: "scallops sound cute!">me nearing the end: "Pretty sure I fucking hate scallops now."
>>10935821every terrible piece you pump out teaches you something about garment construction. you gotta make some abominations before you can start making pretty things.
>>10935821>I have no qualms with handmadeSomething being handmade doesn't make me like or dislike it any more than brand. I don't judge it on whether it's hand made or not.Brand construction quality is nothing special the large majority of the time. If you're sewing at home you can do better than that, you don't have to cut corners or limit yourself to a certain level of quality.>That's why I enjoy seeing even the monstrous creations that often pop up as they mean that someone is, at least, tryingIf someone is trying and is willing to learn then I'm definitely supportive of that. My problem with those monstrous creations is that -there's too many of them in the fb groups, -they're not necessarily representing progress, and -most of the people in the group are beginners. Even worse, -a lot of people don't progress past the ugly beginner phase regardless of how many years they do it. Possible causes; they have incredibly low standards regarding construction, they like the tacky garbage they make.There was someone in one of the sewing fb groups who claimed to be sewing for 15. None of what she posted in the lolita sewing groups was lolita even using the widest sense of the term. Her finished projects had a lot of problems regarding construction. Stuff was just wonky as hell. She picked the brightest most tacky fabrics for them too.
>>10935826I'm looking forward to it. I expect you will be in a time crunch and my suggestions are -choose pieces that do not have a lot of steps -if all else fails take what you finished with you and display them as samples. >>10935829the donut print won't work for any lolita pieces. It's too bright and busy and has that novelty fabric aesthetic that is usually (rightly so) associated with low quality.For the lemon print I suggest looking at how lolita brands use a very similar fabric.using 2 yards is going to be difficult. Depends on the width too. If it's standard width (140cm ish) you might be able to get a full skirt out of it.
>>10935799>The only time I thought it was fun was the Guy Fieri themed coord.Pic?I agree with you. Western lolita in general, but especially the ones who want to make their own stuff, have the worst and most bizarre taste. It makes me wonder where they even saw lolita fashion and what they think it is.
Reposting this gem
>>10935829The donut print is atrocious and makes me question you.
>>10935881someone here once said they treat lolita like a nerd costume instead of an actual fashion.That's why they do star wars lolita, tardis lolita, tacky barbie prints, tacky disney prints.
>>10935881
>>10935850>I am.>those scallops
>>10935889I got a bunch of fabric for general J-fashion items, too. Smaller pieces like regular skirts & shorts.Question me. I make poor decisions often! Grabbed it thinking "it might work? maybe?" Either way, we'll see.Normies won't be able tell the difference anyhow.
>>10935967It's not gonna work, there's no "try and see". It's a terrible fabric for lolita. You're right that normies won't care though>>10935899That sounds exactly spot on. New lolitas in the western comm always seem to want to do a costume or themed coord with it like it's just another type of cosplay.
I enjoy seeing people's creations, but I'm too old to use tiktok or other video-based media and I don't have Facebook / Instagram, so I generally read blogs and tumblrs. Too bad they're slowly dying, just like me. >>10935976>like it's just another type of cosplaywell, for some it is exactly that. I feel that it's a common threshold lolitas with weeb backgrounds have to cross before actually establishing themselves into the hobby. It's unfortunate that many of them never actually cross it.
>>10935977You don't really see this in Europe or Asia though. They just wear it normally. It's mainly Americans with the comic con costume mentality.
>>10935976If you're new to sewing lolita, it's probably best to start out with solid fabric until you know what you're doing. I think newbies just get too ambitious, but a mid solid project will look way better than a mid project on a god awful print.
>>10935857Absolutely! Anyone who even attempts to make stuff has my respect, even if it kinda sucks.People who ignore concrit and call whatever they churn out "lolita" simply because it has ruffles, lace, and/or bows on it, well.. no sympathy from me.
>>10935988I think it generally comes from a place of immaturity and "fun" seeking above all else (which is kind of a dumb American trait). They make the novelty popcorn print dress because they want to have a laugh about wearing the ridiculous popcorn lolita dress. They don't have any respect for the fashion itself.
>>10935997I have red velveteen in my sewing bin. This is so tempting to dupe.
>>10936054There she is, I was going to post her. Has she been active lately?The stuff she makes looks great and it's nice to see someone who isn't diy-ing sweet. But I'm a bit skeptical about the time frame she says it takes her to make stuff. She made a very elaborate and embellished blouse with ruffles, pintucks, gathered lace, etc, iirc. And claimed she made it in one evening. That's extremely doubtful unless she had everything cut, pregathered the lace, marked and interfaced her pattern pieces before starting and even then it's still unlikely considering she still had to make rolled hems and do the gathering. The other explanation is that the inside of her blouse isn't as neatly finished as it should be. But with her eye for aesthetics I doubt that's the case.
>>10935988>You don't really see this in Europe or Asia thoughAccurate. I don't know anyone who does this in my comm and neighboring comms, or even outside of my country. And we do have cringe weebs with terrible taste. They just buy super sweet Chinese brands. The cosplayers don't mix it either afaik.>>10935995It's that they're in our spaces but don't seem to respect the fashion, that's what annoys me. I can understand people who like lolita but don't spend a lot of money and effort on it. But those people don't like actual lolita, they like lolita versions of their favorite characters and shows. They don't want to talk about new releases, coordinating, etc, everything lolitas are interested in.I'm not mad that they don't go to meets. It's like they have at least enough sense not to do that.They gather in the online sewing groups, which is one of the things I dislike about the sewing groups.
>>10936118This shit really needs to be treated as it's own thing. It looks nothing like lolita and has nothing to do with it
>>10935988I’m in a European comm and we have our fair share of handmade cosplay itas (and even more Taobao cosplay itas) but the worst offenders tend to be cosplayers who’ve decided that the lolita comm is too elitist for them. I have a relative who’s a cosplayer with a big cosplay/nerd friend group who I occasionally hang out with, and they’re always working on fandom ‘lolita coords’ featuring circle skirts with all-over novelty print quilting cotton and mini top hats. Like >>10936191 said, it’s very much its own thing, yet they’re convinced it’s lolita. They know I wear lolita but think I’m the one who’s not doing it properly because I wear toned down classic lmao.A rare few of them straddle the line between quilting cotton Tardis ‘lolita’ and more generic floral quilting cotton lolita and are smart enough to only post the more conventional ones to the lolita comm and keep the overtly fandom stuff to fandom spaces.One woman keeps referring to herself as a professional award-winning seamstress because she won some cosplay competition but the only time her handmade lolita actually looks okay is when she copies ONS designs exactly and uses solid fabrics. Whenever they try to be creative or ‘original’, it quickly goes downhill.I’m not sure why these people keep insisting on calling their stuff lolita and being involved with the lolita community, to be honest. IMO they’d be much happier if they just admitted to being cosplayers who like making fandom-themed vaguely anime ‘lolita’-inspired outfits instead of copying a specific character’s costume. There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s just not lolita fashion.
