Hello lovelies!!  I mentioned the wide headband that I made in my bell-sleeved dress post, so here is my tutorial detailing how to make one yourself!!

The headband is shown here almost completely hidden under this giant bow.  Adding details to this headband is VERY EASY!!!  I have suggestions for potential details at the end of the tutorial!

Now, let’s begin the tutorial!!

Drawing your Headband Shape
Here, you can see how messily I’ve scribbled a rough pattern shape onto the wrong side of the fabric.  I didn’t even use a marking pencil, just a mechanical pencil that was nearby LOL.

Anyway, the shape is 24 inches long.  At its widest point in the middle, it is 6 inches wide.  It’s going to be folded in half, so a 6 inch wide shape here will make a finished headband that is 3 inches wide.  When I tried it on later, I actually found 3 inches to be cloooose to being too wide.  For future headbands, I think that I will make them 4 inches wide at this step, resulting in a 2 inch wide headband.

The shape tapers in at the ends to about 2 inches wide – this is the part that’s going to be underneath and at the back of your head, and it’s where the elastic is going to be fed through.  It’s not really necessary to taper the shape in like that, though, and in fact, since I said that future headbands that I make will be slightly narrower, I probably won’t taper the ends at all, and just use a long, simple rectangular piece.

You’ll also notice a small X drawn in the center of the piece – that’s to remind myself which side is the wrong side!

Cut and Fold in Half
I used pinking shears to cut mine, which keeps little thread pieces from falling out everywhere, but this is my own preference and you can certainly use regular fabric scissors.

Fold it in half longways, with the WRONG side out, and pin in place.

Sewing
DON’T sew the narrow ends – just sew along the long side, close to the edge.  Be sure to backstitch, because you will need that reinforcement there when turning it inside out later!

Well, that one straight stitch was pretty much the whole project.  We’re almost finished at this point lol.  All that’s left is turning it right side out and putting a tiny piece of elastic in at the bottom!

Turning Right Side Out
The beginning of this step is the only hard part, because the ends are so narrow.  I have a wooden dowel nearby my sewing supplies that helps me push fabric through, like pictured here.  Any pointy-but-blunt object will work, like the end of a pen.

Almost Done Turning
Much easier at this point.

Fold and Press
With your right-side-out headband, fold it in a way so that the seam is at the bottom center, then iron it so that it’s pressed nice and flat.  The fact that you can see small puckers in the fabric along my seam means that the tension on my machine was too tight.  Don’t be like me.  Don’t make my mistakes.

Pinning Elastic in Place
Simply cut 3 inches of elastic.  What we’re going to do is feed it into the narrow ends, about 3 inches deep.  Hold the ends with pins while you’re working.  A lot of the fabric is going to get pushed together and gathered around those three inches.  That’s what you want, so that it stretches properly and holds on to your head~

Fold the rough ends of those edges under, too, so that they look finished.  Mine is still messy.  It’s okay to be messy.  It’s good for you.  Very therapeutic.

Stitch Over Elastic
These stitches are over the ends of the elastic that are inside the headband.  Go over them several times, backstitching to make sure they are each held securely.

Go over the middle, too, to close up the opening!  Messiness is A-OK.

And you are finished!!  Try it on to make sure it’s comfortably snug~

And these headbands are highly customizable!!

• You can leave yours blank like mine so that you can pin detachable bows or brooches onto it for mixy-matchy accessories!!
• Sew ribbon or lace down the center, longways, for contrast!
• Or cris-cross ribbon over it for that Lolita headdress look, especially in combination with the next suggestion:
• Sew lace along the front and back edges!!
• Or just one edge – mix it up!
• Make a ruffle from fabric and sew that along one edge – you could make a psuedo-bonnet!
• BOWS!!!  Big bows at the center or to one side or the other, small bows on either side, THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS.
• Attach long ribbons (or long-tailed ribbon bows) near where the headband rests near your ears so that they trail over your shoulders and hair~
• Drape strings of pearls so that they hang off of it for a pretty mermaid look!

I could keep listing things for ever and ever. o_o  I bet you can come up with things too!!

Hello!! (^o^)/  For the past few days this week, I have been working on sewing this dress!  It has wide bell sleeves, like a peasant top, and I decided to make it out of solid pink fabric and a beautiful pink rose print fabric, which made it look like a garden party dress~  I’M SO IN LOVE WITH IT!!

It is not a Lolita dress because the skirt is not long or full enough, however I am considering adding a wide ruffle trim to the bottom of it to add several inches (although even then it still will not be full enough to accommodate a petticoat).

I also made a wide headband out of the pink fabric, which is elasticized at the back, and a big bow from the rose fabric, which is attached with a pin on the back so it can be removed from the headband and pinned elsewhere.

(I’m not wearing makeup in this picture – usually I put at least eyeliner on but for these I was too lazy! oAo)

Now for my progress shots!!

Read the rest of this entry »

There are a lot of words to describe the styles that these shoes could work for – hime gyaru, sweet hime, casual hime, roma gyaru, hime kaji…  There are likely countless others whose names I haven’t even heard.

But!!  Regardless, here are some sweet pink shoes (and other colors, too!) decorated with dainty bows and comfortable, chunky heels.

Flowery Scalloped Wedge Heels

Omg, those 3D flowers all over the heel (and bows along the back)
are THE CUTEST THING I HAVE SEEN IN MY LIFE!!

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Dainty Bow Wedge Heels

The tiny criss-crossing stitches and bows around the heel are
these shoes’ charm point!!  And of course the bows on the toes, too!

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Floral Chiffon Bow Wedge Sandals

The fabric on these sandals actually comes in a LOT of designs –
just clickthrough to the product page to see all of them!
My favorites are the florals, though!  There are these pink ones,
and pink floral on a black background, and a lovely floral
with a princess blue background as well~

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Velvety Bow Wedges

Every time I see brown and pink together,
I think of milky chocolately flavors~
The velvet texture of the bows on these is reinforcing that visual!

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Dear My Love Lace Scallop Ankle Boots

I was so pleasantly surprised to find DreamV shoes!
The scalloped ruffle around the ankles of these boots
are such a cute, classy look~

Because feet should be feared.

Flower Cake Princess Sandals

Look at this.  I wouldn’t be able to walk in this, and I don’t mean from clumsiness.
I mean these are works of art, and you do not walk in them for the same reason
you do not walk in antique porcelain teacups.

They come in more colors that you can see through the link –
a lovely antique ivory and robin’s egg blue.

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BUNNY HEELS

Those are bunnies.
As heels.  On shoes.
Pink bunnies on polka dot shoes.
All of humanity has led up to this.

More colors through the link.

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Woodland Deer Heels

If bunny heels weren’t enough, here is a woodland deer variation.
The other colors for this one are REALLY cute, it was hard
to narrow it down to just one to show off here,
but pink always prevails.

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Bunny Pumps

Speaking of bunny heels, here’s another variation of the same theme.
Comes in black and white as well.

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Rose & Sequin Wedge Sandals

Roses on toeses always look himegyaru to me~
The sequins on the wedges give this one some extra flashy color.