Tuesday 7 January 2014

DIY Candy Cupcake Dress

 Dress is DIY | shoes are no longer for sale | socks are from markets | bag is old and no longer for sale

I know I say this a lot. But this dress is now my most favourite dress, firstly because I made it and I'm bloody proud of it (it even has top-stitching!), and secondly, because of the fabric! Not only does it feature pretzels, cupcakes and ice-cream (food clothes are probably my favourite kind of clothes at the moment), but I also got the fabric when I was in Japan so it's very, very special! I'm relieved that I didn't stuff it up and waste the fabric, because it was rather irreplaceable.

Buying fabric in Japan was such a... process. I very nearly got too confused and gave up, but Luci and I struggled on with our Japanese and just hoped that we hadn't accidentally ordered 20 metres of the most expensive fabric. The "shop" section of Japanese fabric stores just display small swatches of all the available fabrics (and ohhh boy, they are the prettiest fabrics that you ever did see). You choose one, point it out to a shop attendant, and they cut off a small square of it for you. You then give this small square to the counter, tell them how much you want, and they give you a number. You wait around for 5 minutes and... *SHOOMP!* Your fabric arrives via this complex system of tubes from somewhere way way above or below (we couldn't figure it out) the shop, where all the fabric must be stored. So futuristic.

In case you're wondering how I constructed this dress, it's really similar to how I made the smock dress, except that I made the bodice smaller and more fitted, and attached the bodice to a circle skirt instead of a gathered skirt. Then, I simply used a dress zipper which goes all the way through the bodice and the circle skirt. Easy! (I am planning on doing a youtube tutorial on this exact dress very very soon - hopefully - if that was just confusing, and you want to wait for that!)
UPDATE: If you're looking for how to make this exact dress, then go here to my youtube tutorial!

I hope that you're all having a great day. I'm about to meet up with my friends for a very late-Christmas dinner, which means, of course, pavlova! Yuuuum yum!







Bloglovin' | Facebook | Twitter |  Instagram | Chictopia | Lookbook | Tumblr

25 comments:

  1. That is so amazing and cute. I can only imagine how cute the fabric is in Japan!! I really want to attempt a skirt and see if I could take on something like this.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Super kawaii! I'm dying to visit Japan. You lucky lucky girl.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LOVE!!!! Can't wait for the YouTube tutorial! I have some fabric that I love too much to throw away - this would be the perfect project for it!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Not only is this my favorite dress you've made so far...it might be my favorite dress EVER! I really want to learn how to sew...I'd love to make my own clothes! I also love your story behind the fabric-that's really neat :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. You really make the most adorable dresses! I wish i still have access to a sewing machine now. This just made me want to go back sewing. I adore those shoes with those socks too!♡

    Kathy
    www.mypeachdays.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. has a beautiful pattern and wonderful being your own creation, it's beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I want that fabric!

    www.thepaperswallow.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Beautiful as always! Now that you tell us this, I can't wait to go to Japan and buy fabric asdasfv *-*

    ReplyDelete
  9. That fabric is ridiculously cute! It was definitely worth the effort to buy. Your dress is amazing:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. This dress is absurdly adorable! Make me one!! Lol or at least do that youtube tutorial asap! I'm super jealous of the fabric, its amazing! My online search for japanese fabric starts now (though it probably wont be as cool as your fabric shopping experience in japan lol)

    Miche from Buttons and Birdcages

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. you wouldn't believe it, but i'm *actually* half-way through filming a tutorial, maybe it'll actually happen!!! haha.
      omg search for lolita costume fabric. That's what this was, I'm pretty sure. You don't have to make a lolita dress out of it but lolitas have a monopoly on cool fabrics :)

      Delete
  11. Wow, shopping for fabric in Japan sound much scarier than I ever would have imagined! lol that is one of the main things I want to do whenever I get to go there someday so I am glad to be forewarned. I bet it's hard not to see all those gorgeous things and just scream "I want it all!"

    ReplyDelete
  12. Pretzels?! Cupcakes?! Youtube Video?! Pavlova?! This might be your best blog post.

    ReplyDelete
  13. OMG i want your dress so much! I cann't imagine how many kawaii fabrics in Japan! hope one day I can have one.

    http://petitecovered.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love that dress so much! You're great at sewing and I love that bag! Thanks for your comment on my year in review post, it made me smile so big!

    love, polly :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. The dress is adorable! No wonder it's your favorite!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Awesome! You look like princess bubblegum :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. YESSSSS! My ultimate goal in life!!! Thank you! :D

      Delete
  17. That dress is amazing. Too bad where I live will not find a picture like that because I'm in love for being so cute. I think you should make tutorial videos. I confess that when I made my first dress was very rewarding to see the outcome sz

    xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  18. You did such a wonderful job on this dress. The fabric is fantastic and super adorable. It looks wonderful on you and you definitely should be proud of it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Beautiful~ I would really appreciate a YouTube tutorial!

    ReplyDelete
  20. You look so amazing, as usual! I'm so jealous of your sewing skills! And that fabric shop just sounds so amazingly cool.

    xoxo,
    Laura
    http://lauraisthriftingthroughlife.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  21. I lived in Japan for almost 5 years and I regret not getting into Lolita (though I loved the aesthetics) or sewing until AFTER I left - so much I could have bought....but I plan to visit next year, so I will definitely have fun looking for fabric. My Japanese is pretty good, but I'm sure it'll still be a daunting task, which is why I'm so glad you explained the process - it helps me be better prepared. I made my first Lolita skirt last month and loved how it turned out, and I have a pattern to make a dress, but after watching your tutorial vid, it actually seems WAY easier to do. Thanks! P.S. You make a great outfit. Great choice of fabric. I'm a Gothic and Kuro Lolita, but I would totally try Ama if I found fabric that cute!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a message! I read every single one. Don't forget to check back for a reply if you leave a question! ♥

Related Posts with Thumbnails