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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

#lolita

theartistformerlyknownasb

My dad told me a story recently about how he was in Boy Scouts or something and they went on a hike and were each given a rifle and one single bullet to practice shooting with (idk, it was the 70s or whatever). One of his friends, whom I’ll refer to as Steel Balls for reasons that will soon become clear, beckons my dad to a part of the woods and points to a giant hornets nest up in a tree. SB announces that he’s going to shoot it, waits for my dad to take cover (as one should in this situation), and fires off his only round into the nest. Sure enough, a swarm of pissed off hornets descend upon SB, who stands stoically and perfectly still at the base of the tree. Dad maintains that, despite their buzzing right around him, none of the hornets stung his friend, and they soon calmed down and returned to their newly renovated nest. SB turns back to face my dad and imparts this chunk of wisdom: “That’s the secret to dealing with hornets, Jim. They don’t know humans make rifle shots; they don’t know where the noise came from. You gotta stand still and don’t move, and they won’t chase you. If you run, they know you’re guilty.” Apparently dad was so awed he gave up his single bullet so SB could shoot the nest a second time, with the same results.

Long story short: hornets can sense guilt and there are people in the world who have tested this theory.

striders

literally every skin and hair care professional in the world: hot showers are really damaging!!!

me, stepping out of the shower into a bathroom filled floor to ceiling with steam, my skin glowing neon pink after i’ve scrubbed every inch of my body raw under boiling water: Interesting!