Welcome to Gaia! ::

In terms of the skirt length, that's up to you. Most times, having it RIGHT above the knee is better since a) it fits a petticoat better, b) it's just classier.

The style of the skirt you're showing me would work for ero lolita fairly well, but the details seem a bit off and too sweet. I'd recommend either making it an inch or two longer, or making a pair of equally decorative bloomers to give it the illusion of extra length. Sometimes, a shorter skirt works. It depends on your figure, really.

If you've got long legs, in the end, it'll be fine most of the time.

For shiny fabrics, it's hit or miss. Some people use satin brocades for wa or qi, but I find it a bit tacky personally. If I were you, I'd use the brocade for accents rather than a whole outfit [ie: make a wa lolita outfit in a solid color that matches the brocade, then use it to make the obi, a handbag and accessories for your hair]. It can be used on a whole outfit, but it's tough to pull it off, since it really is so BRIGHT. It can be done, it just rarely comes out right. So. Save it for now and wait until you've got a few more projects under your belt, is my suggestion. (:

Finally, lining has a few purposes. Cryrin is probably better to ask about these sort of things, really. She has way more experience, but. I'll give it a go. XD

For one, lining adds an extra amount of "safety" to the outer fabric, so to speak. It protects it from your petticoat and some of the sweating you may do. Another point is that it adds a bit of extra structure, since the layers support one another. It can also protect and reinforce your seams, and gives you a base on which to attach zippers or shirring. These factors can change the outer appearance, especially if you're using a light colored fabric.

It's not strictly necessary to do it, but it does help.

[first outfit] After drawing the pattern and buying the fabric I realize it's quite... unattractive. But, hey, it would be good for a lazy day inside or going to a non-Loli friend's house. [black fabric]

[second outfit] It's actually, i guess, a sort of jacket over a rather plain OP. I think it's very pretty but the fabric in the picture is hideous. [stunning navy-blue fabric]

I apologize for the yellow lighting of the room and the poor pictures but my camera has a broken screen so I have no flash. Don't ask how the two are related - it's too complicated to explain.

Oh, and I eventually want to make this one.

Just in time since I got most my question answered. I'll ask Cryrin for the rest until you get your 'net back.

Thank you so much~

I hope you enjoy your new home. Take pictures? Hehe, that is, if it's Lolitaesque.

Most of the original photos look like they're made out of a cotton fabric with a kimono-esque print to them, as opposed to brocade. It certainly can't hurt you to try it out with brocade, but if anything seems a bit on the shiny side, I really like Spuntino's suggestion of using the brocade for accents and a cotton (or high quality cotton sateen, to help tie in a little of the polished look of the brocade, without being over the top shine) for the main top and skirt.

Back to the question of lining which Spuntino originally directed towards me-- it's really up to you if you want to line a garment, or not. Lining and interlining help the garment to lay much more smoothly on the body and can add strength, stability, and a longer life to the piece of clothing. Skirts are more flowy because the outer layer isn't clinging to skin or the netting on a petticoat, and it also helps to eliminate possible lines from undergarments-- such as the waist of your petticoat or bloomers, if they sit too close to the waist of your dress/skirt.
It's not a requirement for something to still be considered good quality and nicely finished, but it's an extra step that can take it from good quality to great quality. I'm personally a freak for high quality, so I love to work with lining, and I've been working on some even more specialized tailoring techniques like incorporating interlining between the layers for extra stability.
My best recommendation for sewing tips is THREADS magazine-- the sew_loli community on Livejournal has a list of tips here that THREADS has put online-- including information about lining, how to choose the right one for the garment, under/interlining, and methods for adding them. And other very useful sewing tips that work for general sewing and for lolita (like how to do scalloped hems!). ^_^

Hope this helps and feel free to pass any other questions by me that you have!

I'll try to be broad and cover everything I can think of for anyone else that ends up reading this, as well as provide links in case someone is unfamiliar with terms and/or wants to see examples.


The use of lace is very garment and style specific, in my opinion. The best to use are, of course, cotton lace (cluny or eyelet), venise lace (typically rayon, but available in cotton for a insanely high price) or net lace (generally rayon).
Venise can be used for almost any style. Because you're able to find more unique shapes in the lace than what you usually find in cluny, like bows or roses, I've seen it work with sweet garments, classical garments, or gothic.
Eyelet lace is 9/10 only really suitable for sweet outfits.
Cluny works best with sweet, but can be used here and there with gothic when dyed black. It doesn't seem to fit well for classical styles, unless it's very minimal, like a thin row along a bottom hem, and/or dyed the same color as the garment.
Net lace, which is generally only seen in ivory or white, and best suited for classical outfits (like so). However, some of the custom lace that Moi meme Moitie has created could be considered net lace, that they've dyed in the factory to accent/match their garments-- so using it with gothic styles isn't out of the question, it's just incredibly difficult when sewing at home where you can't really dye it.

Now that I've covered the standards of what the best types of lace are, I'll touch on quality in general. It's not a complete 100% requirement to use those types of lace. The main keys to using cheaper synthetics are to use it in moderation, and definately nothing too wide. It's best to shy away from contrasting colors, and definately touch and feel the lace to make sure that it's not SUPER scratchy-- there are softer synthetics out there.
I would also like to point out that there are more problems with the cheaper synthetics than it just not looking as nice as other types. Such as the problem of it tending to curl up if it's washed, and it melts under an iron. Even if it's subtle and looks nice along a hemline, it's going to make it incredibly hard to iron that hemline flat if you need to later on.

The higher quality materials that you use on a garment IS going to make a difference and give you a garment that looks better and lasts longer. You do not have to use them, but I would personally suggest it. There are brands that still use synthetics, such as Metamorphose, but most are shying away from them, and even Meta is using a little more cotton raschel and torchon lace (Cluny) than they used to.



This is a little long, so I'll start a new comment for the lining question. smile

I don't think I'll ever understand the application of the different laces.

But the 'stamped' look of the poly-laces... is that called raschel? I'm unsure about what to call it, really, which is hanging me up on a lot of my questions. But, so it can be used in moderation which becomes a big matter of opinion. It's nothing to be learned but to think about it and personal choice.

So I guess I should... hit-and-miss with which laces to put where?

But I stick with a more Gothic Lolita look of black-fabric, white-lace and some garments call for thick lace. The only thick lace I can find is eyelet lace (which personally I don't like. No reason, just don't like it) and the poly-'stamped' lace. Say, for example, the hem of a dress? I made a complete OP with using highly-shiny poly lace (that DIDN'T melt contradicting what everyone says! Instead of melting it because flattened, and all those yards of ruffling were for naught) and I'm afraid to wear it again because apparently the lace is bad quality so it'll look costume-y.

MAI HERO.

Cluny lace is the two-word answer to all my Lolita lace problems! I see, I see. That basically answers my questions for the time being. In the meantime... Walmart, you say? I must trek that land of unspoken perils!

Judging by my mental picture of spuntino's verbal petti tutorial, it should look like a tu-tu. But this most certainly does not. And all the petticoats I see all look like this one? Differences?

Not just in structure and assembly (which I'd like to know how) but in how it differs in its job/shaping a skirt.