Technical Issues

This is a quick post to ask my readers and commenters if they have received replies to the comments left on any of my blog posts? I replied to every comment I received via email, which is one of the features of Intense Debate commenting system, but I don't think they are showing up? Please let me know if you ever received my replies! I wouldn't want people to think that I am ignoring them! ;)

Sharing some Sewing, and Possibly Selling

Yesterday was a productive day! I spent most of the day in my sewing room and finished a JSK from start to finish





Sorry for my silly facial expression!

I have been thinking of making these JSKs to sell for my line, Carousel Cafe Fashion. The design is simple and looks great with border prints or all-over prints. It can be worn as Lolita, or as a pretty sundress, fitting in perfectly with my Brand Concept of "daily wear". They are fully lined and machine washable. The base price would be US$100, and details can be added such as a ruffle on the bottom (+US$3), adding lace (price depends on the type of lace (~+US$15 for hem), or adding a waist bow (US$5). The price can also lower if you choose a cheaper type of fabric (no print, or non-Japanese import)

This is only available in size M right now, though I can probably adjust the pattern for size S and L. XS and XL would have to wait, though!

After I make the apple print version I will see if I feel good about selling these

I also would like to sell basic bloomers for US$10, or a 7-Day Pack for US$58 (20% off). They would be the simple, budget bloomers I gave a tutorial on (yes, I know it is not smart to teach people how to make things you want to sell, but everybody deserves to learn!). They would all be print fabrics. I do not think I would be able to offer specific prints, but I could offer "Light Prints" and "Dark Prints" packs. The fabric I used in my tutorial would be a "Light Print". I have some more fabric, so I can make a few more pairs to show, and maybe a few to sell to see how well received they are

Any suggestions or comments are very welcome!

Nothing is Original...

I had a brilliant idea for bloomers. In Chinese, bloomers are called "lantern pants" or "pumpkin pants". It is the season of Halloween. I thought of the pumpkin trash bags I used to see around Halloween time like these:



You see where I am going with this? I wanted to make Jack-o-Lantern bloomers! How cute would that be? I had the idea I could make some orange bloomers and applique yellow face pieces onto the back to make some cute Halloween bloomers for sale!

Then I found out that Gloomth makes pumpkin bloomers already

Well, it was a good idea while it lasted! Being that Gloomth is also an independent designer, I would prefer not to compete with her. If you are in the mood for some Halloween fun hidden under your petticoat, Gloomth has got you covered (literally)!

First Day of School!

"First day of school! First day of school! Oh boy oh boy oh boy!"
~Nemo


Yesterday was my first day of school! I was more nervous than excited I suppose. It was also dreary and rainy the whole day
I did not manage to get a snap of my outfit before heading out and getting soaked, but it was essentially this outfit with a pink cardi instead of the crochet white one:



Let's pretend it was sunny! I am very photogenic...

I wear this skirt often because it is comfortable (elastic waist) with no ribbons or bustles or anything that might wardrobe malfunction, which would be an awful first impression!

The school was huge. Multiple buildings, all several stories tall with skyways and elevators and a billion students! A real university
I have only ever attended community colleges, so of course, I got lost! It did not improve my mood when I realized that I had worn through the bottom of my white mary janes and my feet ended up soaked for several hours I will need to buy new shoes soon! Maybe white RHS...? I have been wanting to buy Rocking Horse Shoes ever since I first started Lolita fashion!

But I digress. My class is very small, only 8 students, 2 of whom did not show up for the first day of class! I am taking Flat Fashion Drawing (technical flats) and all my classmates seem very nice and friendly. The teacher is also funny and friendly, and was very understanding of my substandard Chinese skills I can understand enough to follow along in class, though!

Hopefully I will be able to learn to do technical flats PROPERLY and be able to show some of my designs I have for my clothing line!

Lolita in Secret challenged me; Lolita Pet Peeves!

Lolita in Secret is having a blogger challenge to name your top five Lolita pet peeves!

Here are mine, which actually changes often!

1)Itchy petticoats! I cannot stand the little scratchy scratchy feeling! And since it is under the skirt I cannot just scratch it. Have to act like there is nothing wrong

2)People who cannot take concrit! When nicely worded, concrit helps each of us grow and learn. It is not a personal attack, and you do not need to go crazy defending yourself or accusing the criticizer of being an elitist, a bully, full of herself, etc. It ESPECIALLY bothers me when it comes to artists! If you are a seamstress, make deco jewelry, draw, paint, etc. concrit is a really good thing! If you are not willing to listen, you are not willing to learn, and that is not a good thing at all!

3)Too much fluff! It is not so much that I have a problem with the poof (I love it!), but I am afraid that I will be an inconvenience to somebody else...

4)Needing "more, more, more!" I like the attention to detail and the extravagance of deco lolita, but I don't like how it seems to have raised the bar for all other styles, especially casual lolita. When I first started in Lolita fashion, casual lolita meant a lolita skirt worn with or without a light petticoat, and a cute t-shirt. Maybe knee socks, maybe not, and some cute shoes. The first time I saw somebody post "You can't call that casual lolita if you are not even wearing a petticoat or at least a blouse" I was pretty shocked. That crosses over into proper Lolita, in my opinion! I still like the plain, simple style of Sweet Lolita I first fell in love with, and I like my casual lolita to be, well, casual!

5)Quality over Quantity! I like cheap basics and accessories. But I don't like it when people who don't understand quality of material or construction try to review or promote a product that is substandard for the price they paid. Or try to pass off glaring mistakes or huge flaws as "but it's handmade, and I like it so you should too"

Whew, that actually took a really long time for me to come up with! What are your pet peeves?