PSA for other folk not in the "normal" size ranges- DIY shirring is not nearly as daunting as it seems!
Part one of two: Making Replacement Shirring to Expand the Bodice of a JSK (or other styles/dresses, this is not limited to the realm of lolita fashion!)
A few things to note:
I am not a professional seamstress, and I'm probably doing some steps in an asinine, backwards manner, but hey- they work for me... 😬👍🏻
I have never written a tutorial on any of my sewing projects before now, I wish you luck lol
I didn't think to photograph some stages of the process such as taking out the existing shirring, but once I thought about it I did grab these while working on the new one to the best of my ability. I'll try to at least describe anything not pictured.
I am not an expert in lolita fashion. I've fawned over it for over a decade, a newbie to wearing it personally. I still have many things to learn!
This is actually my very first (be it indie) brand jsk (!!!), recieved in one of Soufflesong's recent lucky packs- what I think is an older design for the Rossellt Roses print, the bodice is a different design from the current one available.
I selected XL, the highest size available for them at the time, knowing that the items would still be a few inches shy of fitting comfortably.
Tools and materials: dress to alter, matching, nice quality, comfortable feeling fabric, elastic, matching colored sewing thread, seam ripper, ruler, a non-staining, fabric safe, washable sewing pencil or chalk, sewing pins, safety pins, and a sewing machine!
So first, using a seam ripper -carefully- remove the existing shirring or back panel! Save this fabric, I'm making accessories with my scraps, you can too! :3
Your replacement fabric needs to be cut twice the height of the piece you removed (folding this piece in half while we work creates a sleek and professional looking interior, beautiful top edge, and the easiest elastic casing you'll ever sew), adding any extra seam allowance that you prefer (I typically work with 1cm), and the width should be the measurement of the existing piece you removed + the shortage from the dress fitting properly + a bit more for gathering (I estimated an extra 10cm or so), and another two seam allowances for the sides. In the image above the fabric is already folded in half, the fold at the top where indicated.
The next step is to measure and mark where the casings will be. For this step I measured the spacing for the existing casing on the old panel, translating this to the new fabric. You can also choose to decide on the spacing yourself. Make sure that the channels are wide enough to accommodate the elastic you've picked up (I am using 1/4" elastic, making 1cm channels), and not too wide where your elastic can go swimming and do somersaults.
After lightly marking the lines across, pin the fabric to keep the back piece (from folding it in half earlier) secured in place as you sew all of your casings.
Cut the necessary amount of elastic strips- I typically measure elastic in scenarios such as this by cutting a length that, when gently stretched almost to it's full extent, will reach from one end of the channel to the other.
Put small safety pins through the ends- we're using these lil friends to feed the elastic through! You can get crafty and pull them through with a long wire or something of the sort from there, but at least having something attached to the ends helps to shimmy them across from the outside of the fabric.
Once you have an end of the elastic pulled to the edge of fabric, secure it in place with a couple of quick stitches so you can pull it through to the other side to do the same.
Continue until all pieces are worked in with both ends sewn in place.
Hopefully I can write up the rest soon! Part two will also have the tag "shirring tutorial", so it can be found later.
💖🧵 serothivia
