A pink lolita-style dress

My daughter, S, loves the Japanese sweet lolita style and wished for a frilly pink lolita dress. Well, I love ruffles and bows so I, of course, said yes. In fact, I had been devastated when she grew out of her princess phase! We found pretty gingham seersucker cotton and added some solid pink as a contrast. This was also a perfect opportunity to use up all those bits of embroidered cotton trims I have collected.

Sewing a dress with this many details took some time but I love the way it turned out. There was also the added difficulty in interpreting Japanese instructions. I have got used to the historical sewing methods so anything machine-made still feels quick.

Everyone loves dresses with pockets and I thought S also deserved those as well. I don’t really know how I was supposed to cut the hem anyway, so I added side seams and hid the pockets there.

My daughter wanted me to make the lolita dress a bit roomy so that she could wear it the next year as well. The belt gathers up all the extra at the waist, so it is not that visible that there is some extra room. I also left wide seam allowances at the side seams where I can let out the dress if needed.

The only thing that I don’t really like in this lolita dress is the collar which is a bit too big. My daughter agrees with me and we may still try taking it in. The other option is to remove it completely. Or then we ignore it and get used to it the way it is.

I have sewed a lot in June and July but I have been too busy to post anything here. Now I have some days to sort through all the pictures and see what I can post. So, subscribe to see what my summer wardrobe looks like this year! Happy sewing!

Katja