Last day to enter the pattern giveaway!

I'll be picking a winner tomorrow so make sure you enter today if you want to win!

Lolita coat pattern giveaway - Enter here


If you are in the mood for giveaways you might also want to enter this one:
Gothic lolita calendar giveaway over at Ribbonlicious.

Good luck!

Faux fur removable coat collar

I've been busy this weekend with some top secret projects but I did have time for a teeny little bit of sewing...

Continuing with the winter theme I thought I'd do a fur collar for my coat. It's faux fur on the top and pink wool underneath. I made a couple of 'pockets' at the front to tuck the real collar into so it's totally removable.

I think it could do with a bigger better ribbon. That one just happened to be handy.

And what do you think of that brooch? It's kinda big but it's all sparkly and a bit vintage. I had hoped that it might make the whole thing look a bit less sweet and more elegant/classic. Maybe a more classy ribbon would do the trick.

Warm spiced apple drink recipe

Seems like a lot of people's favourite part of winter is that feeling you get when you can finally be toasty warm and cuddled up with a hot drink!

This is one of my favourite spots for a hot chocolate, especially while out shopping. I don't drink coffee so I'm a big fan of hot chocolate.

Last winter I visited a friend on a feezing cold day and she had made a warm spiced apple drink which was just as delicious, not to mention a lot healthier. So I thought I'd share the recipe - it's really easy.

All you need is a litre of apple juice, a cinnamon stick, 3 whole cloves , a couple of strips of orange zest and a pinch of ground allspice.

Pop all the ingredients in a pan and simmer very gently for around half and hour. Make sure to remove the spices before serving in warmed glasses or mugs. Enjoy!

Lolita pattern giveaway!

It really doesn't seem like that long, but today is the two year anniversary of this blog! I've learned a lot in that time about Lolita fashion and sewing; and yes, I'm still learning.

I've been thinking back and one of the most annoying things I found when I started making Lolita clothes was the lack of patterns available. I found the ones in gosu rori hard to figure out - especially as they weren't quite my size. So, as any long time readers will know, I started out adjusting commercial patterns with varying levels of success.

More recently I've been drafting my own patterns, which is so much better and I love it!

Now, to celebrate two fun years of Gothic Lolita Sewing and Other Amusements I'd like to make a paper pattern for one of you. Since its winter round here I thought a coat would be a nice idea. It would be in your size (UK 8-24) and I'll include some construction notes so you know how to put it together. And I'll post it anywhere in world.

So if you are interested in my little giveaway - here are the rules:
1. you must be a follower (but you can sign up now if you have been reading!)
2. leave a comment on this post and tell me your favourite thing about winter!
♥♥♥One of my favourite things is seeing the Christmas trees all covered in tiny sparkly lights with pretty baubles and decorations. Gorgeous.♥♥♥
3. you can't enter with an anonymous comment as I won't know who you are. ha ha.
4. please leave a link if you write about it on your own blog! Not everyone has their own so you don't have to make a post to enter or anything.

I'll be picking a winner at random on the first day of December, good luck!

Maniac nurse costume

I hope you all had a spook-tacular Halloween! Ours was very special and the trick-or-treaters we had all looked amazing in their costumes!

Last year I dressed up as a spooky broken doll and the year before that I was evil Alice so this year I decided to change it up a bit and be... a brutal maniac nurse covered in blood.

I put it together pretty quickly, in just a few hours, so it's not lined or anything. I used the pattern from my coat so I could wear it over my clothes and to get that double breasted look.
The blood splatters are on separate patches and tacked on so it can easier get more or less bloody.

What were you for halloween?

Happy Halloween!

One of my favourite holidays is upon us and I felt compelled to make a spooky costume to greet our trick-or-treaters.
Pictures tomorrow!

Mwaah hahah hhah ha!

New project: Pink lolita coat

It's that time of year again when we start thinking about winter coats. I know I've got a perfectly good coat from last year, but it's not really a lolita shape... I think this is a perfectly good excuse to have another go at making a lolita style winter coat. I might actually finish this one!

So here is a quick 'in progress' shot. I drafted the pattern myself - its quite similar to a dress block but it has a little less waist shaping and is a bit bigger so you can fit a nice warm cardigan underneath. It's going to have a double breasted front. (Though I think I've got it fastening the wrong way in the photo!) The main parts are sewn together but the collar and hem are just pinned so far.

Overdress/waistcoat - finished

This week I've finished the waistcoat that goes with my three tier skirt. I changed the design a bit so it's a bit more like a tailcoat - except it's still a skirt at the back.
I've also got a blouse that matches! No I didn't make that one, its actually from Baby. I think I still need to make a tie or something to go with it, maybe a very thin bow?
Anyway, I'm pleased with the way it looks, though it's not especially flattering on. I might make another one at some point and make the front extend down further. I'd like to make it from better fabric, maybe something a bit thicker and also put some lacing at the back as the mid section seems to be really calling out for it on this picture.

Shopping: Ghost Love Jewelry

I was actually looking for something else entirely when I came across Ghost Love on Etsy.
I was really taken by their jewellery and their cool logo. A lot of the designs combine gothic and victorian themes with a bit of steampunk; but are still classy and not too costume-y.
I think the hair clips are just lovely. I don't know what they are like in real life yet, but here are a few of my favourites from their shop:

Overdress/waistcoat - In progress

I've started work on the waistcoat style overdress that goes with the tiered skirt I made.

It looks a bit iffy at the moment but its not sewn together or anything. I'm having a go at draping on the dress form rather than drawing a flat pattern. I've not tried making something this way before and I'm not sure the shape is quite there yet; the gap at the front of the skirt looks a bit funny.

The other problem is the length. I thought it would be good if the waistcoat was shorter than the skirt but I think I'll add a ruffle to the bottom make them a bit more even.

I'd like to find some better fabric but I am going to use these buttons - they are the same as the ones on this waistcoat.

I'm starting to think about making a blouse to match too, maybe with a big neck bow.