Next month

I'm so excited for the up-coming month. I'll be starting on two new costumes and will be doing some touch up details to our Trinity Blood cosplays. One thing I must fix is our rosaries. I'm guessing they just got too hot and some parts of the paint were bubbling up. My rosary prop that had resin on it was okay expect the top that slipped out. I'll covering both in resin as well as doing some detail work to them. Another thing I need to fix is the armor plates. I want to make them strong, more firm so I might try to remake them and use Mod Podge to sand them down.

I'm really torn on the costumes. I sort of want to make something bigger, more known like Seth but I know my skills aren't quite there yet. It's driving me nuts. Hopefully Alice's dress gives me a chance to improve my skills.

I'll be doing at least one tutorial although I do not yet know which it will be about. It might just be something small like Oz's hat. Or something....I don't know.

Baby, The stars shine Bright Starlit Star JSK review (Pictures)

It's been a long and stressful road to getting this dress and when I woke up this morning and saw that box sitting on my desk I was so excited I didn't really care about all the stuff we went through to get it. But when I opened the box and took out the dress I realized quickly that not only had the sent me the WRONG color but it was much too small and the sizing they gave is not true. So here is my short review on a dress I'll never be wearing. 

Starlit Sky stock picture. 

This is the color I ordered.

This is the one they gave me. 

The magical box I've been waiting pins and needles for. Sadly it was a great disappointment. Packing was top notch. Everything was neat and orderly, safe and sound. 

The famous pink tissue paper!

The BABY pink shopping bag. With the dress peeking out from underneath.

WhiteXblack not NavyXwhite like we ordered. Huge disappointment. But I love the design so I told myself I'd overlook the color.  

The dress looked small right off the bat. There is no way a woman with a 104 chest could fit into this thing. I'm 105 and the can normally fit into 103 but this wouldn't even zip. I didn't bother trying there was a huge gap.

The fabric is soft and nicely made. It's light weight perfect for spring and summer. There is a bow on front (I believe you can remove it) The top part is darling! It has pearl and star shaped buttons with lots of lovely lace. It isn't cheap lace either.

Bottom. Lots of lace and layers. Very pretty. Would look great with a full petticoat underneath.

The only see through part is at the very bottom. The dress is extremely short. I'm 5/2 and 1/2. This dress came up above my knees. Very short for a lolita dress.

The stars are black, not navy. So I knew we didn't mix up the order. The fabric has a nice shine to it because of the little strips of silver sewn into it. Very cute and summery.

Close up of the top.

I love the lace they used. Very soft. I love this dress. I'm just sad that it was the wrong color and size. But I think its better it isn't the navy or I would have been heartbroken.

Cute bows sewn onto each side where the skirt picks up. Very cute!

The dress is lined. Its a thin lining but it isn't seen through. So it does its job. Its a very light weight dress. I wish I could have worn it since its so perfect for summer.

Close up of the collar. I adore this part of the dress so much. It's super cute. And those buttons! I'm in love with those. Everything was sewn on very well. No lose threads, no lose buttons. Well made. Good job BABY.

The back. Partial shirring. Corset ties and removable ties.

The side bow.

The full back.

The ties are removable and have cute little star buttons holding them on. I love those buttons!

Lace lines the top.

Strap is very cute. Has matching lace.

The top is lined with satin. Satin isn't as easily stained  by sweat so it's a bright idea to line the top and underarm area with it. Plus it will make the dress smooth and cool.

Packed away. I'm hoping I can find it a new owner or trade it. I still love BABY's brand but most likely wont be buying from their online site again for clothing.











Dates:

Bought dress: First week of March Can't remember

Payment info received: March 26th (We literary just arrived in Seattle for the con!)

Paid in full: April 1st

Shipped: April 10th

Arrived:April 13th

BABY store bought from: Japan


Communication: 4/5

We didn't find out until later that they were short on staff and had a TON of orders from the sale and were backed up. In the end they were great. But it would have been nice to been told that so we didn't keep emailing them. Keep us updated!

Product quality/sizing: 3/5

Wrong color, size listed isn't true to size. Fabric and construction of the dress is perfect. No lose threads, no lose buttons, no lace falling off. It was well made.

Shipping: 5/5

Great! It shipped out April 10th with tracking. Accepted at Japan's post at 6:23 pm, processed at 10:22 pm and shipped by 11:33 pm! That's great service, super fast. It arrived in the US at April 12th 12:19 AM in San Francisco and was in Oregon by the 13th.

Packing: 5/5



Overall, it's a lovely dress. For other plus sized lolitas I would suggest getting the JSKs that are above your size. The bigger the better. If its a little roomy that's better than being too tight and getting a package in the mail (After waiting a full month for it). So make sure you pay close attention to the size. I should have gotten a different dress but I thought the bust would be big enough. It wasn't. I still love BABY so don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the company. They really should make different sizes. They'd have a ton more people willing to buy. But that's not up to me.

I'm currently selling/ trading the dress. Hopefully it finds a new owner soon. It's too pretty to be sitting in a box. Maybe I'll be lucky and find myself a dress I can wear and enjoy too.




You find the listing for this JSK on egl sales here http://egl-comm-sales.livejournal.com/21011878.html#t371032486

Who knew?

Finding a tutorial with full step by step instructions for a rabbit plushie could be so dang hard. Sure, you can find a million (Most of the same) for tiny keychain sized rabbits but nothing for a medium sized rabbit. Its driving me nuts! I decided to just wing it and try different things on my own. I've gone through two heads and two different bodies. So many things went wrong! Once I got a good head I made a body but once they were connected...everything went wrong so I've started over.

One, I didn't know how to connect the two pieces.

Two, the body turned out smaller, even through I had made sure it wasn't. Guess I was wrong...again.

Three, the back looked sloppy.

So this time when I made a pattern I made sure the head and body were already connected so all I have to do is cut an opening for the ears, arms and legs later on. I found out about doing it this way from   http://www.allcrafts.net/pdfs/Bunny.pdf

This was the ONLY page I found with east to understand step by step instructions. I'll be uploading pictures later tonight. For now I'm focusing on sewing the body shut.

Night all! And thanks for viewing. I've gotten so many views lately. I think it may be time for a tutorial or something fun to say thanks for all the views.

Upcoming review BTSSB JSK

Got the good news today. My BABY, the stars shine bright JSK (Starlit sky) has been shipped out! As some know I will be reviewing things other than cosplay and lolita is one of those topics. Lolita is NOT cosplay. I'll be reviewing the JSK later on once I get it. Can't wait!

Will of the Abyss's rabbit

Starting my first project soon. Most likely tomorrow or when I finish making the patterns. I've decided to make this rabbit for our new Pandora Hearts cosplay for late summer. Although I cannot yet start on the costumes I thought I might as well as start on a prop just for fun. I'll also be making a B-rabbit plushie for my fiance who's going as Oz to hold. I'll be holding Will's rabbit although I have a feeling our Will will steal it from me. XD

I've been trying to decide about which eyes to do...

Normal little eyes.
Makes the bunny quite cute!

Or do this version.













The second version would be a lot more fun to make. Those eyes would be hand stitched as I've seen other people do. I think this version would be more recognized as being the rabbit from Pandora Hearts. I'm still thinking it over though and haven't made a firm choice in the matter.


Here are the ref pictures I'm going off of.

                                                                            Back

                                                          Full front. Shows the size well.

                                                                     Close up of the face.

                                                         I wont be doing the blood stains.


I do have blue fabric I got for Emily but since Sharon and Break are retired for now, I'll be using it for this bunny. I'll have to dye a portion of it for the cape but that should be fun. I'm currently making the patterns so I wont start until later this week. This bunny wont take too much effort but will be something I haven't done before so it'll be fun to try and make it.
                                                 

The only things I need now are a thin ribbon for the bottom of the rabbit's white cloth and a larger version of the same color ribbon for the large bow on front. And a large bow for the bow. Other than that I have everything else. 

Pandora Hearts 2013

I've been thinking a lot lately about what outfit I'm going to replace my old Pandora Hearts cosplay. Since I have to make TWO costumes, one for me and one for my fiance I have to think about a LOT. I've been worried about can I get these done on time. It took me about fourth and half months to finish our Trinity Blood costumes but of course those were my first pieces. I may wind up with only three months to finish a dress and petticoat for Alice and a coat and waistcoat for Oz. That is if we do those outfits. I'm almost 100% sure I do not want to bring back Sharon. If I do I would have to make her a new outfit. But her outfits are much more detailed and would cost a little bit more. We're ready for a break from Sharon and Break for now. Since we are in a panel we have to bring some Pandora Hearts characters.

I've been wanting to do this outfit. Its an awesome blue dress, very full with a underskirt that shows in the front. I'm thinking about doing the top part as a corset since I have a pattern for corsets.

The sleeves will be a bit tricky if I do use a corset but I'm ready for the challenge. The details are pretty basic, lots of gathering. 

I'm excited to do this outfit because I get to try a few new things, such as making a matching choker and the corset. Plus I'll be able to wear purple contacts!!!

Oz's outfit on the other hand is a bit more tricky...mainly because my fiance hasn't decided on which one he wants to do yet! Ugh...boys! He has however picked two outfits he likes. This red outfit is more known. I love it. The color and ruffles and those roses! All it would be a blast to make. But could be a bit troublesome to finish up. 

I would have to make a coat (very long coat) and lots of ruffles, a waist coat and matching hat. Not too much to do in less I decide I want to make the roses too...

I'm really excited to work with new fabrics, colors and new details like ruffles and corsets. I'm not sure when I'll be starting on them but I will start on the props soon. Since I have most of the supplies. It'll be super exciting to share with you, my readers about my new pieces. So stayed tuned. I'll be sharing a lot more information about how I create them when the time comes.

Kumori-con is a bit early this year, as was Sakura-con. So there isn't much time in between both cons. But I'm ready for it! So far Kumori-con plans are really set. But we wont be having  roommates this time, sadly. We'll be bringing....

~xxxHolic (Yuuko and Watanuki) this will be their debut
~Trinity Blood (Caterina and Abel)
~Pandora Hearts (Alice and Oz)

Maybe FullMetal Alchemist's Trisha and Hohenheim too depending if I have a job.

What's to come

1. A Baby, the Stars Shine Bright review.

My fiance pitched in on the JSK I bought for my twenty first birthday. We just paid and it should be here soon. I've started writing up the post but wont be able to finish it until we get the package. So this may not be posted until the end of the month.


2. Tutorials.

I keep saying I want to do a tutorial about making a prop. So since I'll be making three soon I'm going to do a tutorial or "This is how I made this" type of thing. I like try new methods of making props and luckily I have a dad who is very good with making props so I'll be sure to share how I make the three props. I'll be making...

B-rabbit backpack! This will be my fiance's Oz cosplay for Kumori-con. He's so excited to be cosplaying Oz because of the short wig and the playful character. He says it'll be a nice break from playing as well....Break.

I plan on making this backpack as close to the picture as I can. Although I may or may not make it a working backpack. Depends on time. The straps will be metal or beaded strands as shown.

Will of the Abyss's white rabbit. This one will be pretty simple. I'll be making a full rabbit plushie with body so the fabric doesn't flop around awkward. I have a feeling the head would be too heavy if I didn't.

Oz's b-rabbit scythe. Yes, not Alice's. Oz is B-rabbit so he'll be playing with it. I mainly just want to make it so people know who we are. Plus it'll be fun and easy to make.














~More costumes!
~a video? Maybe....