Crafty Cat » Fashion

My first crochet hat

clair — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:48:40 +0000

It is attempt 1.5 because the first one failed due to the lack of available yarn. My fault for not buying enough ~_~ Anyway, I ended up making a different hat instead of the one in the pattern because I think I screwed up how a series of steps was supposed to be like.

the hat – a work in progress picture

top view of the hat (when worn)

top view of the hat (upclose)

side view of the hat

me wearing my own hat

So despite me screwing up with the instructions — that or my stitches are that bad — it turned out ok, as far as I am concerned as it’s something I could wear anyway. My first project! Yay!

Jonette’s lovely creations: skirt, petti, scarves

clair — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 11:57:16 +0000

I’ve asked my crafting buddy, Jonette, to make me some scarves (because she can knit!), a petti and 2 skirts. I already got my scarves and my striped skirt from her but I haven’t taken pictures yet because I am a shamelessly lazy cat ;_; And I don’t have my own digital camera. So let me show you her work. Good thing she posted a lot of pictures on Facebook

red x grey scarf with checkerboard-like texture

The first scarf really looked so cute even in the pictures. I was excited as she was telling me of its progress. This scarf is not only cute; it is also warm and soft. The yarn she used was good. I could wear this on the days that I wear black or grey. (My usual colorsXD)

Cotton Candy Cumulus

This is the second scarf and it’s really awesome because of how soft it is. I love the yarn she used because of the colors that suddenly just show up, like bits of the powder used in making cotton candy. And the texture does remind me of cumulus clouds! I really must take close-up/detail shots of this scarf she made for me. See? Isn’t she awesome?

puffy petticoat!

This is still with Jonette so she could use it as reference for the second skirt she’s making me. After all, if this petti is going underneath the skirt, she might as well know how it would look like with it! I tried it on when we met up a couple of weekends ago and it was nice and puffy! I love it It’s a bit loose on me but there are always pins to help me wear it haha. I think she mentioned adjusting it. But seriously, it’s nice and puffy

lulu - the skirt inspired by the VM regimental stripe skirt

This is the first skirt she gave to me. I saw the pictures of the cloth she saw in Divisoria and I just loved the stripes on this one so much that I had to simply ask her to make me this nice skirt. I don’t regret it one bit because it fits comfortably on me.

Jonette is really dedicated to her craft and I am so happy that she indulged me with my requests. If you think that she’s really awesome, please drop by her blog, The Hobby Horse and show some love.

PS: All photos on this blog entry are from Jonette’s Facebook albums and blog.
Lulu – first skirt commission
First scarf commencement
Cotton Candy Cumulus

My Sewing Projects

clair — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:42:11 +0000

Here are some things I want to make.

In Progress:

Chibitalia skirt – Start date: 08 August 2009

Done:

Wishlist:

Chibitalia blouse
Chibitalia apron
a reversible bag
a flared skirt
a wrap-around skirt
drawstring pants
drive-in pants/thai pants
pajamas
curtains for my room
pillowcases
change the collars on my tees
plushies

Promod: My New Favorite Shop

clair — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 13:26:51 +0000

I’ve always liked looking at the display of Promod, Trucco and Warehouse in Greenbelt 5. (I work in Legazpi Village and it’s really that often that I get to pass by this mall.) Anyhow, I know that Promod has a lot of pretty items when I went inside the Trinoma branch but it was the time I accompanied a friend. This time I went there because I knew there is a sale and I was looking for a basic black top with long sleeves. Aside from the sale items, I checked out their accessories. I really like them! The items I would possibly go back for:

I saw in the catalog that they have a necklace with scissors pendant. This is something I’d really love to have.

So far, their accessories aren’t cheap but they are not too expensive either. Some of them even look like they could be used for steampunk, Victorian and lolita fashion aside from the regular streetwear that’s why I really like them. Their sale period in Greenbelt 5 is supposed to end on the 15th. I hope we get our salaries early by one day so I could go back for an item or two.

Shopping for Lolita Fashion in the Philippines

clair — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 06:41:59 +0000

There are no brands here in the Philippines so local lolitas must be resourceful. Some of them who have been making clothes and accessories for themselves seem to have opened online shops, knowing that there are kindred spirits who share their interests. I’ve bought some products from some of them already and I’m glad to have their products because they are not only pretty, they are well-made. There are also clothes being sold in malls and vintage stores that look victorian enough for lolita fashion so that you could coordinate them well and be happy with what you get within reach.

Shopping on Multiply

a commissioned skirt. from OneFreeKiss.

If you got Multiply.com you could search for lolita fashion and you will see different sites and shops that talk about it and/or sell stuff. From skirts, to socks, to hats, headdresses and other accessories, you’d see a whole range of lolita styles too. One of my favorite shops is One Free Kiss by Catherine De Jesus. Her hats are lovely and she does commissions too. Most of her wares are gothic lolita and I swear that they are awesome. She designs them and you really know that you’re not wearing just something that everyone has. Though most of her clothes are really made for petite girls, she has some plus size friendly skirts too. If ever, you could commission her for a skirt too. For shoes, I see a lot on Gothic Vanity Store and I was able to buy my black rocking horse shoes from there. That shop enables you to preorder stuff that you can’t really buy here. Some items come from Bodyline and Montreal, as well as GLP. Other shops of note are Lolita Virus (for cute jewelry), Baby Moon (also for hats — they have cake hats!), Lolita Lovelace and Reason de Vivre. These are just a small sample of the awesome online shops we have by local lolitas.

Mall Shopping

It takes a trained eye and some patience to buy pieces from the mall. Some shops like Kashieca, Bench, Kamiseta, Apple & Eve seem to have cutsews, skirts, blouses, boleros and cardigans that can be coordinated in a lolita way. I just saw a black bolero in Kashieca that reminded me of Metamorphose’s bolero with ribbons. If you find it during a sale, then all the more awesome and that will really fit your budget. (Speaking of sale items, I saw cute ballet flats at Zara and it could be cute with a lolita ensemble! It comes in purple and red, plus it has dainty ribbons.) And it’s even more fun trying them on before buying!

Vintage Store Hunting

This requires luck. But I swear, some vintage stores have lolita shoes, complete with bows and ribbons and chunky heels which are totally not stripper-like. There are some store with nice boots that could be worn ala-punk lolita. I now regret not buying those cute flats with the metal skull and rose decoration. Those were really cheap and cute. But I read somewhere that Quiapo’s vintage stores does have lolita blouses and skirts. Not plus size friendly, but still something interesting especially for the younger and petite lolitas from our country.

Crafting Buddy: Jonette

clair — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 13:49:39 +0000

These days I’ve been busy crafting at home. I guess that’s because the weather is not friendly enough for going out and taking pictures. I am sad that I can’t bring out my cameras much these days. But now that I have a sewing machine at home, I am more inspired to try out sewing and as you can see, I already did that I sewed my first skirt using flocked cotton cloth.

Since last year, I’ve been chatting a lot with Oui and Jonette about Lolita fashion. I love talking about it with them because our ages aren’t too far apart. We’re also not exactly the small and petite kind of women so we have similar dilemmas when it comes to wearing Lolita fashion. Throughout those times, I’ve gotten really interested in sewing my own clothes. However, I just started learning how to sew with a sewing machine a couple of weeks ago so that’s not possible at the moment. Jonette has been sewing and has been influential in this hobby of mine. She has sewn some really cute skirts already and she even made a tricorn hat for a party she went to.

I was glad that Jonette agreed to make me super scarves (a funky one and a cute one), skirts (one inspired by the Regimental Stripes skirt of Victorian Maiden) and a petticoat. I really believe in her crafting skills because she’s got a creative mind and hands that never seem to stop practicing. When we chat, she shares her ideas a lot. And she even taught me a way to sew a gathered skirt. (I thought I might mess it up so I did something simpler for my first skirt.) She’s also nice and is very generous in giving hints, as well sharing links via Plurk. I love the way she thinks: she doesn’t believe in being selfish about her knowledge and skills. And for me, that’s awesome.

Jonette has her own dreams and I want to support her as a friend, even if we mainly just talk online. She is a crafting buddy and a confidante and a source of inspiration.

Addicted to Poupee

clair — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 06:30:27 +0000

Yes, I’ve become addicted to Poupee Girl, this social community based in Japan. You could upload pictures of your cute clothes and accessories and you’ve got people commenting on how nice they are, etc. The user with the most number of votes (re: cuteness) would win ribbons which count as currency in the community.

It’s like having a doll of your own but this is all based online. You buy new clothes, shoes, accessories and dress up your poupee. You could even give gifts to other poupee. And if they use the stuff you give them, you could easily see that in the graphics on the poupee’s home.

I’ve been going around the Poupee website to check out new items posted by other girls. Each comment I make on their items gives me 1 ribbon and it’s so addicting just looking at their items. Some users have hand-made goods too and that’s one reason why I love looking there. It gives me ideas on what personal projects I could do. Especially when it comes to lolita and gothic items, that is.

As you could see on my blog, I have my poupee girl/avatar on the sidebar. I usually dress her up in the evenings or when I am bored during the day time. Haha. I have an outlet for my ‘kikay’ side on Poupee.

Tiangge shopping

clair — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 09:11:39 +0000

There’s always a bazaar beside Smart Tower every payday. I’ve been buying clothes from there almost every month since April and I love the clothes I’ve been buying. I got some cheap blouses for 150 each, shirts at 90 each (because of the buy one, take one deals). I am not a small woman so it’s harder for me to find cute and cheap clothes I really like and I am so happy to go to that bazaar often enough.

This week I went twice with different companions. Thursday, it was Pepper. I got two new shirts from there. Last night, it was Ja. We got hoodies of the same style but different prints. I fit well in the XL size. Yay! We girls were so giddy last night because of the cheap finds!

To show how giddy we were, we had photos taken when we got back to the office:

(Thanks to Ealden for the original upload! :D)

Working on some bows and wrist cuffs

clair — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 10:23:16 +0000

I am making bows for my headbands I already finished a bow but I haven’t figured out how I should wrap the headband with the ribbon I used. I think I should deconstruct one of the headbands I bought at the tiangge so I could have an idea. -_-;

As for wrist cuffs, it’s a bit harder. Designing one isn’t so difficult especially when it comes to something relatively simple. But… It’s not so easy looking for good lace ;_;

Will post pictures another time

Mangaholix 2008

clair — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 16:03:27 +0000

I was in Mangaholix last night after meeting my friend Renee in Bo’s Coffee. (We fangirled over L’arc en Ciel before I checked out the cosplays and stuff inside the convention hall! Hah!) Even Rie (my Pinky) was fangirling before the con…

Anyhow, on to the pictures from Mangaholix. I only got pictures of people walking around and those who were having photo-ops with people using awesome DSLRs.

Not that much pictures. In any case I must add that I loved a particular Lolita outfit:

I am not sure if her dress is branded but it looks it. Anyhow, I was too shy to ask. I just had to take her picture even if her headpiece was already off her head. I think the rose just made her look even prettier.

Other high points of the event: Urbandub had 4 songs. They played towards the announcement of winners. Awesome! I got the autographs of Lalay and Gabby of Urbandub. Ureshii~! I wish JM was there because he’s the one who enjoys their music than myself.

I’d like to cosplay again one of these days. Waah~! I had fun in Mangaholix and will love to go to another con one of these days.