Almost Done!
March 26, 2010Two weeks ago, I started stiching a striped sheath dress for my dolls. Halfway through the dress, I realized that it doesn’t look too good (I made a mistake with my ‘pattern’). So I ditched the first dress and made a new one.
I went for a sundress/tube dress because its easy to make. I didn’t a pattern since you only need pieces of rectangle cloth to construct this one.
I ruffled the striped cloth a little to give it a bit of fluff then attached it to the black top piece. But when I tried it on the doll, the dress shape looked too weird! I had to do extra stitches on the dress, then added a strip of satin ribbon in the middle - puffy dress problem solved! The satin ribbon also hid imperfections along my stitches.
Most doll dresses use velcro for closures. I hate using velcro, it sticks to cloth and damages my doll’s hair. So I opted for the hard way and made a tiny, tiny corset-type closure at the back.
(Almost-finished product):
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Kotex Luxe Pads
March 25, 2010Two weeks ago, I blogged about having a good Saturday. Gaea arrived in the mail, plus boyfriend and I watched Alice in Wonderland. I forgot to mention that another (surprise) package came in the mail that day.
I didn’t order anything other than Gaea, so I was surprised when another mailman arrived. Apparently, its my prize for joining Liz’s ‘contest’ over at Project Vanity. I waited for this package for almost a month that I almost thought it’ll never come.
I’ve been using thick cotton pads since high school. Bulky? Yes. Uncomfortable? Yes. Ugh. Though I did try using thin pads, I never got used to them. They feel too ‘invisble’ for me. Thats the whole point, I know, but I like the sense of ’security’ thick pads give me (because I know its there, teehee~). But, its never too late to convert to thin pads!
Dear Kotex, your packaging is cute!
Kotex introduced a new version of their usual ultra thin pads. I haven’t read the package, but I heard they’re thinner and absorbs liquid better. This should keep me pretty happy on ‘bad days’. I will try this Kotex sorcery once the red fairy gives me a visit.
Need Fabric? Go to Ukay!
March 11, 2010Other than clothes, ukay ukay shops are perfect fabric sources. Its cheap, plus you get an assortment of fabric types and prints. A lot of shops have bargain bins racks filled with super cheap outdated/oversized clothes. Now you don’t have to buy a whole yard of fabric for your small sewing projects.
I needed some shirt fabric for my doll clothes project, so I headed to a nearby ukay shop here in Ortigas to scour through bargain bins. Fifteen minutes later, I got three shirts in my preferred fabric for only 40 pesos.
I’m planning to make a simple dress for my dolls plus socks and some other accessories, so cotton jersey (if I got the name right) is the best fabric option since it doesn’t fray and is easy to handstitch. Its also stretchy enough to ‘hug’ the doll’s body.
Since I’m only sewing a tiny dress, its best to take out a piece of fabric from a sleeve since one end is already hemmed - a good advice I got from sewing blogs. I’m currently stitching up the sides, after that I’ll fit it on my doll. If I get the size right, I’ll start to work on the collar, then sleeves, and voila, a cute striped dress for my doll!
Another good source of fabric are small accessories. Like these cellphone cases.
I got these from one of those 10 peso stores. Not bad considering I only need a few inches of fur. I’m planning to make a fur shawl for the dolls, and maybe a fur wig for Gaea if ever I figure out how to make one. Ideas, ideas~ (NOTE: I am against the use of animal fur, so use faux fur, ok?)
Here’s my mini sewing kit. It contains two needles, some pearls, 12 inches on lace, my cloth, and a sewing chalk (the orange ones). Back in college, I used to carry around a small medicine box to carry my materials. Now I’m too lazy to carry around an extra box so I keep my to-go sewing materials small enough to fit inside my bag.
I’ll post photos of the dresses soon.
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In other news, I’ve been using Globe Broadband Tattoo to upload my photos. Now I can upload my photos at home.
Saturday was a good day: Alice in Wonderland
March 10, 2010The boyfriend asked me out on a movie date last Saturday to watch Alice in Wonderland. I liked the movie a lot! I love how demanding (and cute) the Red Queen is. I also love their outfits - I want Alice’s red dress (the one the Red Queen gave her). There are several negative reviews about the movie (and I agreed with most of the reviews), but I enjoyed it nevertheless.
Since its Alice in Wonderland, I couldn’t resist dressing up a little.
This is actually a sundress worn as a skirt. I love how this outfit looks so lolita yet very normal at the same time. It could’ve looked better and more loli if I wore a long sleeved ruffled top, but its too hot so I opted for the short-sleeved one. Also, I didn’t finish the fascinator I mentioned a few posts ago, so I ditched wearing a headress for the photo.
I just love the simple embroidery on the hem of the skirt.
I think I mentioned this before: I need a new petticoat. The one I’m using is not puffy enough to create a bell-shaped skirt. Maybe I’ll ask our seamstress to make me one after I get my pending costumes from her.
We watched the movie at Robinsons Manila. We were thinking about watching it in 3D, but my poor eyes can’t handle watching 3D for more than an hour. Robinsons Manila needs to improve their airconditioning system. The moviehouse isn’t packed yet its not cold enough.
Outfit: Simple white top, tiangge; black sundress, Ortigas ukay; petticoat, custom made; thigh-high socks, Divisoria; black platform boots, Monumento ukay.
Saturday was a good day: Sisters
I always look forward to Saturdays. I get to wake up late, do sewing projects, and go out to buy sewing/rabbit supplies or do errands. I also get to spend time with the boyfriend since we can’t meet on weekdays (bah mid-shift schedule).
Last Saturday was a bit more special though. The doll (yes, a doll!) package I ordered from Ms. Winnie Rose Reyes arrived on our doorstep. Yay! I have to admit, I was pretty nervous about this delivery through Air21 thing. There were several horror stories about their services and I was worried that they wouldn’t find our house. Fortunately, the package arrived safely - and on time!
Of course Lilith was there to see the ‘unveiling’ of her sister.
Happy Doll Threads is Ms. Winnie’s online shop for Pullip, Dal, Blythe, and Taeyang accessories. I believe she also sells made-to-order plushies, plus some other art related products. I ran into Ms. Winnie’s Wordpress blog and Multiply Account a few weeks ago after lurking through Pullip Pilipinas. I found out that she’s selling a Volks Neo EB doll at a discounted price, so I happily jumped in and made the order.
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Uninspired
March 3, 2010
The picture above shows how I usually dress for work - shirt+pants+brown sandals. Very uninspiring. Though this shirt is a wee bit special since its asymmetrical. One side is loose and the other side looks like a normal shirt… - I have no idea how to describe this. Its pretty neat though, a little design modification on a shirt goes a long way. Also, I got this shirt from a tiangge for only 50 pesos.
In speaking of modification, things have been pretty frustrating with my sewing machine. I’ve been reading sewing blogs and I want to try out their t-shirt modification projects. But, It seems like I have to wait longer since those high-speed bobbin cases won’t fit my Riccar sewing machine. And I can’t find anything smaller anywhere. Sheesh. Now it looks like a piece of junk beside my cabinet, along with the brand new transformer I bought for the darn thing. Oh well. Back to handstitching stuff while looking for the right bobbin case.
In other news, I’ve been working on a new fascinator. Its been a while since I last made one, and I kind of need a new one for my new gothic-lolita ensemble. Right now I’m in the process of ruffling a 1/4 inch ribbon to hide the seams. After that, I’ll attach the ruffled tulle, then add more details. I hope I can finish it by Saturday so I can wear it when we go watch Alice in Wonderland.Yay!
