Contest Couture Contest: Too much lace!

Must a garment be lined also with lace or can lining be a basic fabric?

 

Lining must be done with lace as no other fabrics are allowed.

 

As a sewing hoarder, I already have so much material to use...for the section about a photo of receipts, what if we don't buy anything?

 

I'm in the same boat as FrozenSunset. My mom has a TON of lace in our basement. I'm excited to dig through her stash to see what I can use for this contest. ^_^

 

I assume like the last contest, nothing is allowed to be glued on, everything has to be sewn on because its a sewing challenge, also that the outfit can be removed

I want to ask, are we allowed to dye the lace?

What about fasteners? I can work with having a lace type closing technique, but would ribbon be allowed? Lace ribbon might be easily torn, or too clunky to lace

 

What about ribbons for decorating or does that have to be lace as well? And does it count for the yardage?

 

Are we allowed to consider thin wires as "notions and embellishments" to give forms and volume to the lace?

 

Can we stiffen lace with glue or other things?

 

Being a non-native English speaker, does lace also mean fabrics made of lace( https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61My79TLf2L._SX425_.jpg ) or only those strips you usually use for decorations and stuff ( https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1579/7399/products/il_fullxfull.1094508104_q3i5.jpg?v=1556063557 )?

 

That’s fine! We’re encouraging contestants to run to their budget if they don’t have anything on hand or want to add to what they’ve found.

In the case you’ve spent nothing, just explain you’ve sourced your materials second hand and maybe thank the one who allowed you to raid their stash of lace.

Yes, like previous contests: your piece must be sewn, not glued. You’re allowed to dye the lace if you’d like. You can use fasteners. Ribbons for closure and embellishments are allowed.

As long as the piece is constructed and made of lace, you can decorate with beads and sequins and ribbons, but keep in mind the focus of the outfit is the lace. This is why lace is what counts against your yardage.

Yes, this is fine.

Yes, you can use glue to stiffen, but note you can’t use glue to “sew pieces together.”

Yes, fabrics made of lace like the first picture. You can use lace like the second picture, too. Please don’t hesitate to contact us in Ask the Moderators if you have more questions. We don’t want you to be left out of this contest.

 

So went to the antque store and there was a bunch of very pretty lace for very cheap and I bought some for my stash. Is it ok if I spent $36 if i included the huge pile of lace I bought for myself and didn't use off to the side in the photo

 

So no solid linings? Won't this be a little racy?

 

If there is already a shape to the lace, is that ok? Ie it was bought/sold that way?

 

Holy Bells. I come back into the fold at the right time. I'm going to go raid the heck out of my stash, this sounds like a heck of a lot of fun. ...Just have to figure out what I did with my BJD slopers...

 

Ohhh, this will be fun. I literally do not have a single piece of lace in my entire house. We've been cleaning out, getting ready to move, so I have no stuff I don't use regularly at all right now! All those JoAnn coupons are about to be very useful!

 

That's exactly what I was thinking! LOL

 

What a fun challenge! Now I need to search my various stashes for all the lace I can find. This is a fabulous way to use all those bits I’ve been saving that are too small, but too nice to throw away!

 

@kurogane same here!! I have so much lace saved up that's so cute and delicate, but I hardly ever use lace in my own projects! I buy it for specific projects and then never get around to it, or dont make it to the embellishment stage

 

I just told my mom about the contest, and she said if I'll help her clean out her sewing room, I can have whatever I find! So, tomorrow is cleaning day.

One question for the mods: Are we allowed to have the doll wear accessories, like jewelry? If so, does it count as materials if it's something we already have? I feel like my idea would come to life much better with a couple of pieces of jewelry, but the focus would still be on the lace outfit and the jewelry wouldn't be attached to it at all.

 

Yes, just cross out on your receipt the lines for the lace you bought for yourself instead of the contest, or if it was a "lace by the pound/bag" situation, note that you used only a portion of the bag in your materials. As long as you used less than half the bag, that would not go over the $20 budget.

Yes if the lace came with a shape to it, that's fine. Just lay it out as flat as possible for your yardage photo.

Jewelry would fall under the same rules as shoes. You do not need to make it yourself, thus it doesn't come out of your materials. Ideally, people should not take shoes or accessories into account when voting. If you would like to accessorize your style photo, go right ahead. Just make sure the emphasis of the photo is still on your outfit.

 

Thank you! Emphasis will definitely be on the outfit, it just will need that finishing touch!

 

In last contests it had to be, so I would say yes to be safe.

 

Never mind

 

Yes, the outfit should be removable.

 

We hope you still try, @Kittywolf13 — it might be fun to challenge yourself to take your sewing to the next level by participating. You might surprise yourself by what you can achieve!

 

All my craft and sewing supplies are in a shambles as I’ve gone through everything. Some of it, I’d completely forgotten about. I think I’ve everything I need, so off to work!

 

can I use a plastic or metal "whalebone" to create a crinoline?

 

Two words: stretchy lace. Sew it onto the doll, just leave an opening big enough to slide it on and off! No worries about buttons, snaps, zippers or whatever else. Or if you have lace that isn't stretchy that you want to use, maybe you could find a way to have a lace up closure to loosen and tighten as needed? It's always worth trying, even if you're new to sewing! I've been sewing for 30 years, and I've often seen newbies come up with much more creative and impressive things than I can.

 

Since we are allowing thin wiring for those who want to add shape to the lace, then this is fine too. So long as the outfit itself is lace, if this would help create your vision, go for it.

 

What is the yardage limit for a 1/8 doll? Mine is 19cm tall. Thanks!

 

Does lace as a trim/cut from a spool count towards the yardage? Ex: https://www.joann.com/ruffled-3-tier-lace-trim-black/12380424.html

 

It should seeing as they ask you to lay all pieces as flat as possible in the allowed area, and it is lace. I think the only things that don't count would be ribbons, ect.

We'll see what they say c:

 

oh man, I might try for this, what is our time limit? ill either go pastel crazy or the black goth route but my biggest worry is acquiring materials cus my only local routes are thrift stores and Wal-Mart...

also are we only supposed to use lace and embroidery for the entirety of the outfit or would ribbons, knitting/weaving and beading be acceptable?

 

This sounds like such a fun challenge! So many ideas already floating around my head

 

Yes, it does. All lace counts towards your yardage.

 

Let's make that 1/4 yard by 1 yard. I'll update the first post in a minute.

Your entries are due by August 20th. Ribbons may be used as embellishment, but not as a structural component of the garment. Knitting and weaving can be used to create lace, but it must be flat lace that you then use as pieces in constructing your garment. A full knitted outfit, even if knitted in lace techniques, doesn't really test your sewing skills! Beads are fine as an embellishment as well.

 

I'm curious to the laying the lace out flat... is this before the cutting the pattern or after? Because I got to thinking, if I do it before, I'll most likely end up with lots of scrap not being used... or lay out the laces after its cut for sewing but before sewing but within the requirement space?

 

In past years, we were allowed to cut out the fabric and lay it within the allotted measurement before sewing. I sure hope that’s still okay because I’ve already cut mine...

 

You can do either. As long as all your cut pieces fit within the allotment, it's a-okay.

 

Didn't see it mentioned here, but would bendable wire be okay to use like thread for shaping?

Also, saw the mentioning of no glue, does that include fabric stitch on the edges of cuts to help prevent fraying?

 

I have new question- as I am already starting to cut out the laces and laying them out to fit in the alotted size. Does lace that are created in the headgears (such as crown or hat) count in the size or is considered as accessory?

 

Some of these were answered here.

Wire is okay for shaping and glue for stiffening of the lace fabric. If you’d like to prevent fraying, then this is okay since it wouldn’t be used to construct the piece or glue the fabric together in place of sewing.

Yes, it’s counted in the size.

 

Ok, out of curiosity, how much is

• 1/4 size doll: 1/2 yard by 1 yard

in cm? 1/2 yard I'd get, and 1 yard too, but what does the 'by' stand for.
(Non-native english speaker).

Likely won't get to participate this time due to a lack of time and lack of lace-stock, but that really baffles me. Haven't read it like this before. :3

Thanks for the answer in advance.

Good luck and lots of fun to all the participants.

 

46cm wide and 92cm high. "By" means about the same as "times" (1/4yd x 1yd)

I hope you get a chance to enter!

 

@Alewife *facepalms* I was thinking in metres of lace all the time. Like the one on a roll. Not (lacey) fabric.
Now it makes sense. Thanks a lot ^^°

 

@Snowy glad I could help!

 

Thanks for helping with that one @Alewife

 

for those of us not living in the states can the sizes in CM be added to the first post?

 

Sure thing, I'll edit them in momentarily.

 

I was hoping someone else would ask but....

How racey is too racey? Since no liners are allowed... are we allowed to have a bra or underwear on underneath?

Thank you!

 

If I have multiple pieces of lace (I bought 1/2 yard of lace but it's very wide so I plan to cut it into pieces once I finish my test pattern/drapery), do I need to do a photo for each piece to show that it fits within the guidelines?

Also, if we have a package of embellishments/notions/etc. does it need to be opened and cut to size as well? I have elastic in a package, so I was curious if I needed to pre-cut it before I photographed it with the supplies.

 

are we allowed to use gentle/removable adhesives to fix parts of the clothing to the doll, like how irl people might use boob tape?

 

Some visible resin through the lace is fine - they're just dolls, after all, not real naked people. Just keep in mind that DoA is a PG-13 forum. I would avoid any deliberately provocative/sexy poses that push beyond a PG-13 rating in your photos. If you'd like to make a bra and/or underwear as part of your outfit, that's awesome too! Just be aware that they must also be made of lace and will count against your fabric allotment. I can definitely imagine some cool possibilities for the use of contrasting colors of lace for the undergarments vs the outerwear.

It's probably easiest to do a single photo with all your cut out pieces laid out together in a rectangle the size of your yardage limit. You can also make a multi-photo collage, but we still need to be able to clearly see the numbers on the rulers so we can make sure your total amount of fabric fits into the yardage requirement.

Notions and embellishments do not count against your yardarge limits. Please include them in your materials photo, but they do not need to fit within your yardarge. Photographing the entire packet of elastic is fine.

No, in this challenge, adhesives may only be used to fray check edges. Your garment should fit and stay on your doll without the use of adhesives.

 

Welp I read the instructions at least four times and I'm paranoid I still did it wrong.

 

If we're making some of our own lace, does the pattern ban apply to the lace itself too? For example, would you be able to make tatted lace using a 4-count ring pattern or crochet lace with a pineapple pattern or bobbin lace using a 9pin pattern etc, or do all of the designs in handmade lace have to be 100% original too? For a lot of things I don't need to be looking at a pattern to make them any more but I know I must have learned them from a pattern at some point.

 

Are we allowed to use velcro or snaps or things like that to close up the back?

 

You can always go into Ask the Moderators before making any cuts or submitting your entry if you're confused. I know I tend to second-guess myself all the time and read rules to the point where I end up being paranoid I'll do it wrong even more, so I can relate, but we're here to help you feel at ease and confident your participation will be included in the contest, so just reach out to us!

It's safe to say we all learn how to make things by example/pattern someone else shared or taught us. In the case of crochet, for example, stitch types are "universal." But making a purse with a pattern designed by someone else (even though the stitch itself is universal/free to use) is the problem. That's what we don't want. If someone can come in and say: "That is my design," then it's not allowed. So, in that sense, the ban applies if the creation of the lace meets that criteria.

You can use snaps, but not velcro. And all snaps/closures should be sewn, not glued.

EDIT: Velcro is allowed, please see clarification in this post.

Keep in mind:

If any of you have further questions, please don't hesitate to ask!