Last part of the GosuRori Dress Project: when things doesn't turn out as according to the plan

Two posts ago, I showed my progress of drafting a dress pattern from an issue of Gosu Rori and then making it larger. A week ago, I decided it was time to start with the project. I had bought both a test fabric, as well as the fabric I intended to make it with.

 And at the beginning, everything seemed to be working. The bodice was fitting comfortably on... but...

The fit wasn't for me. Lol. It's an adorable style, but I guess the sack dress style doesn't fit my body type or length. I felt like a huge tent when I tried to fit the dress onto me, so I ended up scraping it, unfortunately.

However, it wasn't a waste. Instead, I used the skirt portion of the dress, (which consisted of 3 rectangles) and made a fully shirred, rectangle skirt. However, using just the red, plain fabric felt a bit boring, so I added a border by using an old (quite ugly) curtain I thrifted around 2-3 years ago. I did the border by measuring every pieces' width and before sewing everything together into a long rectangle, I sew the border piece to each rectangle piece. I did this because the length of the dotted fabric was very limited and I needed to cut out more pieces for the border, than just one long continuous strip of fabric. 

After that, I cut out the waistband for the skirt, gathered the skirt, and then sew it together. I also sew two canals in the waistband, since I only had a very, very thin elastic band and I also think this type of fully elastic waistband looks prettier than using a wider elastic.

So, with the skirt ready and having a few more scraps of the red fabric, I decided I needed to make a head bow together to this cute, yet simple skirt. Just like the skirt, it's made up of rectangles and I have to say, sometimes creating something simple is a relief, especially when it turns out just as you imagined it. I also used some English lace and a dotted silk ribbon to make the headbow "pop" and that it's also matching the skirt.

And in the end, while things didn't go as according to the intended plan, I'm so happy with what I made! The skirt is simple, yet cute and will work for more casual looks or otome. The headbow is something I'm soooo, soooo happy with. I just need to purchase a diadem for it, since I don't have one right now.

Unboxing: Moi-Meme-Moitié - 2021 Winter Special Set

So, back in December, I pre-ordered Moi-Meme-Moitié's lucky pack. Or, special set, as they called it. The set included not just a new dress (that they apparently will release later in 2021) and a face mask, but up to two "secret" items from Moitié's past collection. For someone who recently started to buy and collect items from Moitié, it was the perfect lucky pack to get, and on December 18th, I ended up ordering it from Wunderwelt.

I've always liked ordering from Wunderwelt, both from their second-hand store and for new items. However, this time, ordering the lucky pack was slightly infuriating. The site crashed as soon as I attempted to place my order, which is an issue Wunderwelt is known for and something they are trying to work on and at the end of last year, they even sent out a survey for their customers, asking what their experience have been with the site crashing during launches as these. But I successfully reached the end of the order. It then took around a month for me to receive the payment for shipping and then 2 more weeks for it to reach Sweden and go through customs.

And I have to say, I'm really happy with the set I received. The dress came in two different colors of lace, One in black, and one in white and you didn't have the option to decide which one you wanted to order (which kind of sucked, if you were drawn more to one of them). I didn't have a specific that I wanted more than the other, but I was initially drawn to the white lace, and I was audible shocked when I saw it since I have mostly seen people receiving the dress with black lace.

Except for the dress and mask (that I'm looking forward to wearing when I take the bus for work), I also received a pair of socks and a pillowcase! It seemed that you either received a pair of socks or a pair of gloves (of the ones I have seen sharing their set). Then, the pillowcase. It's perhaps not the funniest item to receive from a fashion brand, but I was actually really, really happy! I saw someone receive a phone case and while I think they offer cute cases, I have heard these cases are for iPhone, and I, unfortunately, don't own an iPhone, nor will I own one in the future.

The socks I received.

The socks are the Logo Embroidery OTKs with blue embroidery. In my own opinion, I would have preferred white embroidery, since it would fit the dress better. But I need to say that I truly love Moitié's sock. I own two other pairs and they seem to be in this same material. They aren't just comfy, but very stretchy and LONG. As someone that's cursed with both long and meaty legs, they actually fit over my knees. The pillowcase I received is printed with blue roses and with white roses and text.

The pillowcase I received.

So, in conclusion, I'm really happy with this set. The dress also fits me, but I really need to change the elastic in the arm opening and maybe around the waist. It sits way too tight around my arms and while it fits around my high waist/under bust, I tend to want some more room to make it feel more comfortable. I'm unsure when they will actually release this dress for sale, but hopefully soon.

Did anyone else buy the 2021 Winter Special Set and if so, were you happy with it?

GosuRori Dress Project Part I: Attempting at grading a GosuRori pattern - Progress & Reflections

Finally, my first proper blog post. And I ended up deciding that I will dedicate it to my next big, sewing project. And the first step for me is usually picking a commercially made pattern or making my own. For this project, it's a mix of both and I will explain why later in this post.

1. What is GosuRori?

The first issue of GosuRori.

Or more correctly, what was GosuRori? The mook started publishing somewhere in the early-mid 2000s and stopped somewhere in the early 2010s. GosuRori was a sewing magazine that was aimed at Lolita fashion (though the content included a variety of Japanese Street Fashion styles), that showcased new designs for every number and for every number, you got a pattern and instruction on how to make it. If you are familiar with Otome no Sewing, it's very similar.

Perhaps the main difference is because GosuRori is older, it's far more interesting (in my opinion) to look back and see how the Lolita style has evolved from the early 2000s to the present day. However, I'm planning to get my hands on Otome no Sewing as well, and hopefully, a future project will include something from that mook.

2. The project: The design

Usually, when I start a new project, I tend to first draw a design, just to have something for reference of what I'm trying to recreate. I need to mention that I'm very much an amateur when it comes to sewing. I don't have a formal education and I'm basically self-taught by reading other blogs and watching sewing tutorials on youtube. But in this case, the design I found from GosuRori looked so cute and I really want to attempt to recreate it.

The dress I'm attempting to make is from GosuRori Vol.4. As you can see in the picture, it's one dress with two different design options. One looks sweeter, while the other looks more gothic/punk. I happen to be more drawn to the design on the right, yet I have to say, the bows on the left are adorable and I'm still debating which one to make. When I'm sewing for myself, I often end up changing the design several times until I feel content, and I'm having this distinct feeling it could happen for this project as well.

As for the pattern, when buying the mook (unless you find it second hand) it includes a paper pattern, in which you trace the pattern onto another paper and then cut it out. However, I do not own this volume. I have tried finding someone selling it, but I have yet to find it second hand. I have also looked to see if any of my other volumes of GosuRori include a pattern similar to this dress, but unfortunately, none does.

But after some deep google searching, I finally found a scan of the instructions of the pattern. What's really good with GosuRori is that they actually include measurements for all the patterns, which makes it easy for someone to recreate if you don't own the patterns or, in this case, change the size. And while everything is in Japanese and you (including me) maybe can't read it, if you have attempted to make your own patterns before or are experienced, you can understand most of it by just studying the illustrations for a bit or use Google Lens to translate the page if needed.

As you can see by the quality, it's not the best. But if you zoom in, you can distinguish the numbers, and it's very clear what patterns pieces you need and how you later need to cut them out on the fabric. I would claim this dress resemble a "sack dress", but has canals for shirring on the bodice, which results that it will be more fitted over the bust. I think it's such an interesting and unique, yet simple design and it's probably why I'm so drawn to it.

3.1. Drafting and grading the pattern: The Calculation

GosuRori's Size Chart. Credit to: Feòrag NicBhrìde

After finding this page, I decided my first step in this project would be drafting the pattern. And while we are at it, another inconvenience I have with GosuRori is the sizing. The sizes are S, M, L, LL and while it may sound like a variety of sizes, they are still pretty small. I happen to be not just tall (171 cm), I usually wear an L to XL. That's why I need to grade the pattern, which means you either make a pattern (usually commercially made pattern) smaller or larger.

In this case, it's going to be larger. I attempted to follow this tutorial from the blog itch-to-stitch.com, which explains the math behind it as well as how to either grade up or down.

But, since I don't own the pattern, I couldn't just trace the pattern and then do the adjustment, so I had to do it from scratch. I ended up drafting the largest size (LL) as a template and then grading it up according to my measurements. I started with the bodice and skirt since that's the largest piece of the pattern. I have to admit that I'm slightly unsure if I did it correctly or if I did the wrong calculation. But to explain it a little, I calculated how many sizes I needed to grade up by looking at GosuRori's size chart and with my own measurements, see how many sizes I would need to size up. I used the itch-to-stitch.com guide (as I have already mentioned) to figure out what the size chart would look if GosuRori would have larger sizes. 

S: Bust: 76 Waist: 60 

M: Bust: 82 Waist: 64 

L: Bust: 88 Waist: 70  

LL: Bust: 94 Waist: 76  

LLL: Bust: 100 Waist: 82 

LLLL Bust: 106 Waist: 88 

LLLLL Bust: 112 Waist: 94 

As you can see, the size chart for the GosuRori doesn't increase its size equally. I did however look at the differences between the sizes L and LL and I noticed there is a 6 cm difference between the waist and the bust portion. I, therefore, used that as a way to calculate the size up to three sizes, and with my own measurements, I happen to be the largest of the three, and, therefore, I need to grade the pattern three sizes up.

3.2. Drafting and grading the pattern: The end result

The Front Bodice & Front Skirt

The Back Bodice and Back Skirt

So, with that in mind, that's what I was thinking when I looked at the measurements on the scan. What I needed to think was that I needed to make the pattern 3 sizes larger and since most of the measurements had only been increased with 0,5 cm each, I increased the pattern by only 1,5 cm. The end result turned out like this and while I'm content with the result, I'm still going to do a mockup and do any adjustment if needed. I'm unsure if you can tell, I accidentally cut the pattern slightly wrong, because I thought, since I'm tall, that I would need a longer bodice for a better fit.

I'm still unsure if that's the desirable cut I want for this project. I'm still kind of in the stage where I haven't decided what fabric or even color I will work with. But I feel that will be a topic for a separate post.

I didn't include seam allowances for this, which I feel it's something I will add after I have done a mockup and done anymore changes. You can't really see it in the pictures (because it was pretty late when I did this) but I increased the side darts on the front bodice since I have a large bust and I thought the dart looked very, very small for it to work on my body. 

In conclusion, I feel happy with what I recreated and hopefully, I can update the next part in the coming weeks.

A "Proper" Introduction of the Writer of this Blog

Who am I? - A summary

When it comes to introductions, whether it's in real life or in cyberspace, I tend to always struggle and stumble. I often find it hard to know where to start and really, where to end. But in an attempt to write a short summary of this blog, this little place will be about me, my interest in learning how to sew and craft, but also my love for lolita fashion and Japanese Street Fashion.

My name is Jessica, though online I go under the name Morri and I will refer mostly to that name in this blog from now on. It's not that I don't like my given name, but rather I prefer a layer (though, a very thin layer) of privacy and I'm also used that friends online call me or refer me to that name. I'm, at the day I'm writing this, 27 years old, I've been trying to learn how to sew for around 2 years and I've been wearing lolita fashion for 3 years. However, my interest in lolita fashion started far earlier than that.

The Writer - Everything you need to know & my "long" relationship and history with lolita fashion

My Spooky Macarons JSK - Lady Sloth

I was 12 years old and I recently had been introduced to alternative fashion. At the time, what drew me in was the popular emo and scene fashion that were popular back in the mid to late 2000s. I believe we all remember bands like My Chemical Romance, Fall out Boys, and Panic! at the Disco that popularized the music, as well as the fashion. However, while I did enjoy some MCR, that wasn't the music that truly drew me in. In all honesty, it was Green Day and their album "American Idiot." Anyone recalling the music back then, I feel that's the album I recalled started my interest in rock music but also wearing band t-shirts together with ripped jeans and A LOT of black eyeliner.

American Idiot was released in 2004, so when I was 12 years old, it was 2006. Around this time, I started to grow an interest in Japanese media, and especially Japanese music and specifically Visual Kei. The first band I remember listening to was Malice Mizer, which lead to an obsession (like many teenagers tend to have) with the band and especially the guitarist Mana.

Shirring Princess JSK - Btssb

In the year 2021, Mana-Sama is perhaps most active in the lolita fashion scene with their own fashion brand, that they still are the front figure of, Moi-Meme-Moitié. While it took me 12 years to reach the point to invest time and money in fashion, this was my first introduction to it. I remember I wanted and dreamed of wearing lolita back then, but not only is it pricey, but my parents said loudly "no", considering at the time, it was slightly harder (especially for a 12-year-old) to purchase and import the clothes.

So, the years passed and so did I have experimented with a variety of different styles and fashion. My hair has been a variety of different colors and I have gone from wearing all black to all miss-matchy colored clothes. But even though I enjoyed the fashion I was wearing in periods, I always looked back at Lolita and I felt drawn to the frills, the poofy skirts, and the elaborate lace. I knew it was a fashion style I dreamed of, a fashion style I knew I would enjoy seeing myself in and it was first when I first got my hands on a skirt from Alice and the Pirates that I felt complete.

Since then, I have purchased A LOT of lolita items. My wardrobe has kept expanding, as well as changing and today, I would say I'm mostly drawn to Gothic Lolita with some Old School inspired things. My favorite lolita brands are Baby, the Stars Shine Bright & Alice and the Pirates, Moi-Meme-Moitié, and Metamorphose. I'm also one who enjoys supporting and wearing Western Indie Brands, some of my favorites being Lady Sloth, Violet Fane, and Summer Tales Boutique. 

The Anatomy Lesson JSK - Summer Tales Boutique

And I've kept growing my wardrobe, so have my appreciation for the artistry behind it. I feel a lot of people who wear lolita are creative, both in creating coords, as well as creating their own pieces. This has inspired me to pursue creating my own clothes and accessories, though...

How I learned to sew, and how I'm still learning

A casual black dress with a bat wing-shaped collar, inspired by gothic & lolita fashion I've made.

I've always liked sewing, but as a child, I had zero patience for it. Now, when I'm older, I have taken the basic skills I know and attempted to create my own pieces of clothing. Some have turned out fine, while others... less fine.

At the end of the day, I take every project as a learning experience. I'm learning by using patterns I have bought or found online, and then watching clips or reading blog posts about techniques or how to do certain things. I feel I learn by watching someone do it, and then I attempt to "mimic" what they are doing. In 2021, this will be the second year I'm continuing this creative journey, and this year, my plan is to learn more about how to create my own patterns and I would love to sew more blouses/tops, as well as different hair accessories, specifically bonnets, and hats.

An attempt at a classic JSK silhouette

In conclusion, why start a blog in 2021?

So, after attempting to introduce myself, this blog, and what I will post on it, a blog perhaps feels old-fashioned and not the way to do it when we have Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and TikTok in the year 2021?

However, in recent past months, I have felt frustrated with the never-ending issue with social media. The way "the algorithm" makes the feed feel messier and messier than before just puts out all the fun it used to have and when I feel I'm more fed ads or what's popular, than seeing updates from my friends and family makes the idea of something that's supposed to be a media for being "social" less... user friendly?

Anyway, where I'm getting to is that I want a place where I can keep all of my sewing projects in one place and (attempt) to organize my posts in a more convenient way. I feel I tend to forget to keep up with Instagram, and while I do enjoy Twitter a lot, I feel it gets very disorganized easily. That's why I decided to create this blog and, hopefully, have time to update it with unboxing lolita items & outfits, as well as sharing my (many) sewing projects.