Wearables Sewing Project: Punk/Steampunk/Cyberpunk (Glamrock/Jrock/Visual Kei/New Romantics) [ Round 114 ]

I have a doll who could do with some clothes from somewhere in the hippy/boho/punk arena, but I hade two doll commissions and a Victorian costume to work on, so am unlikely to have time to join in... {sigh} I'll cheer from the sidelines again and join in if I get a chance.

Teddy

 

Oooh. I think I'll try to join in this time. One of my dolls is supposed to be Cyberpunk style.

 

I might just try this round myself! I have two boys in particular who would benefit from some gothed up looks... Graves is in a goth band, so I would like to make him something that feels more like a "stage" outfit! And Charlie can always use some more punk/rock styled looks. Time to inspiration hunt and gather patterns!

 

Oh this is a really cool concept of time management with crafting projects, I need to learn more before I join in, but I will see how things go.

 

I know I've joined a bunch of these in the past and never finished any of them but this theme is calling to me! I love steampunk fashion a lot, as well as punk/rock types of alt fashions, so I want to try and make something at least. I've sort of come to terms with the fact that I probably won't successfully finish most of these projects, but that's ok!

Instead of making patterns from scratch I might follow a tutorial this time though, or just focus on accessories if it comes down to that.

And I'll most likely be making something for my resin doll, since I won't have to worry about staining as much as if I made it for my dollfie. I haven't yet learned how to sew fully protective inner linings.

I'm thinking of going for something simple, since I don't have a lot to work with actually.

I'd like to make something like this (in the spoiler section below), but I think it's too complex for me right now, so I might simplify it into a white dress with a brown corset only, no belts or extra stuff, or overskirt thing. I'd probably also reduce the number of skirt ruffle layers as well. Incidentally, I have an accessory I pulled off a different doll that would work for the cravat-like thing on the chest/neck.
I'd also like to make some kind of tophat but I don't have much brown leather or any good embellishments so I'm not sure if I'll attempt it. It would be ironic if the hat is the only thing I finish though.

Spoiler: image references

 

I definitely see my boy Nori (who's still wearing his velvet overalls from the last round lol) wearing some grunge clothing, so I might attempt to make something along those lines. I'm currently thinking of a patchwork jacket/cardigan of sorts.

 

I ended up drafting a plan on the computer that did not end up being simple, but I want to attempt it anyways. I managed to find patterns for most of it, and I kept the shirt a big loose rectangle since it's going to be tucked and doesn't need much of it's own shape. So I don't think it will be as daunting as other things I've attempted, where I'd usually attempt to make patterns from scratch.


Plus here's the brown scrap leather fabric I have. It's from an old backpack I no longer use, so I'm not sure if it's real or fake leather. I've owned it for almost 7 years though, and it's seen some tough usage, so the fabric seems to be durable at least. It only has minor scratches and two tears. Honestly I haven't got anything else anyways, so I'll use it regardless.

 

After a little research, I'm excited to try a 'New Romantic' look for my girl named 'Knowing'. She's a Luts event head on a Mirodoll SD body. First I'll have to go through my stashes for the right fabric! Ideally I'll need some shear blush pink georgette and cut-out laces in a variety of styles, but I don't think I have any! My goal is to do the best I can with what I have on-hand and I'll start developing the design after I choose the fabric. I'll post visual details after the fabric rummage!

 

What an interesting concept. Lookign forward to seeing what you do with it - good luck mixing the right combination of dolls to get the fit right on her.

Ideal.

Good luck pattern hunting.

You're not alone there! That's what the Unfinished Business rounds are for.

Yay!

That would go nicely with the velvet overalls too.

That was the style of my painfuly shy teen years that I loved but never dared try for myself

This looks like it's going to be a nicely populated round with a nice variety of styles.

Teddy

 

Hi y'all! I keep seeing these but always either like, mid-month or later, or it's a round I don't have anyone to style for. Hopefully this prompt will help me get through some stuff I've been meaning to try!

I'm thinking I'll use Suha, my Black Cherry Dolls Zeri, as my model. I've been trying to figure out a good style for her and I think "rock band fan" might be a fun outfit to make her.

Here she is:


I'm not 100% on what will be in the outfit, but for the moment I'm thinking:

• Tank top or t-shirt that actually fits her, because clearly that one doesn't! And get a band logo on it somehow
• Jeans with that pattern I've held onto for months and never touched despite me saying I'll make jeans this time
• Hoodie with a zipper; I've never done a zipper (or buttonholes, oops) before, so we'll see how it goes!
• Maybe some socks and mesh armwarmers or something

I've got my fingers crossed that I can tailor her a top pattern without too much difficulty, she just has some narrow shoulders, but her hips are a fair bit wider than my other dolls, so making her pants she can actually wear might, along with the zipper, be the biggest challenge.

 

Good luck with it!

Teddy

 

This is a GREAT project! I have been having a ton of fun with iron-on transfers, myself (I in fact just made my boy a Sex Pistols shirt last week). You can also iron the fabric on to freezer paper and run it through your printer, if you have an inkjet printer. The fabric can't be washed unless you pre/post-treat it with Bubble Jet or Retayne or something, but it is a lot softer than the iron on transfers. (Double-sided tape also works, same as freezer paper, but I have personally tried this and found it to be less reliable.)

 

@Teddy ~I was so sorry to read that you spent a whole week in the hospital! It sounds like the issue was a serious one, and I really hope you are fully recovered!!

@JaxxCapta ~Your Black Cherry girl is so wonderful!

So, after digging about last night I found some interesting (and alas, difficult to work with) combinations. I will be a bit confined to the limitations of the fabrics, so I won't try to go above my skill level with details. I made an inspiration board and I hope it can help keep the style on track...
New Romantics board by Coulombe, on Flickr
New Romantics fabric by Coulombe, on Flickr
I will probably need to do a few drawings before I can figure how I want to make the patterns, but here's a start!

 

Hmm I hadn't thought about Jareth's ball costume being a New Romantic, I may have to make some doll cosplay costumes...

 

Also if anyone else is thinking of doing anything Jareth or Sara inspired, I stumbled onto a lovely blog with a costume study for each ball costume that I'm getting a lot of mileage out of.
Labyrinth – Aria Couture

 

Very small update, but I managed to draw out all the first pattern drafts. I'm working from human-sized patterns, just scaled down, so they will most likely need revisions, but I plan to test them all out soon, starting with the shirt. The shirt is loose by design, so it probably won't need as many fixes, but the corset pattern almost definitely will.

I also ended up not including the overskirt since I don't have enough brown fabric for it. Same thing for the hat; not enough leather since I need it for the corset and only have a small piece.

Instead of a hat, I'll be making some oversized steampunk goggles to accessorize the look. I took a trip to the hardware store and bought some various metal washers to accent both the goggles and the corset.

 

@Haven_Of_Dolls336 You might enjoy going through the gallerys of various years of the Labyrinth Masquerade in Los Angeles, too.
Labyrinth Masquerade Ball

 

Ooh I would, thank you! I'm too intimidated to do the Sara dress myself but for some reason I'm less intimidated by the Jareth suit even though arguably it's equally as challenging. I would however be willing to do the Sara wig myself.

 

I went on a confusing visual association game this month.
Thinking I wanted to make something in the vein of new romantics I ended up on Blixa Bargeld instead which in turn led me to have a look at punk fashion designers which made me think of grafitti and led me to ugly mismatched grandma runway designs that branched off in a more sophisticated but still mismatched grandma style and with all the colours it led me back to grafitti and brightly painted dresses.
And now I have no idea what I want to make this month.
Anyway, here is my inspiration board, I hope it confuses you as much as it does me.

Confusing thoughts by Skumring, on Flickr

 

Not really - the week was spent waiting for a bed, then waiting for a space on the lists to have the procedure done. But thanks.

Have fun playong with the possibilities.

Ooooh! Thanks for sharing!

Poots! But then very few plans will survive the first contact with the enemy. Nearly all of my projects have to be malliable enough to adapt as I work on them.

Good luck pinning it down!

Teddy

 

I have two cyberpunk girls but unfortunately they are off topic. :/ So I don't know if I can join you for this month with them.
I have a steampunk girl too but I really love her fullset outfit by Eglantine. XD I have some steampunk fabric (if I can find it in my chaotic home lol) so maybe I will try something to change her a little bit. Even if I don't have any idea yet.

 

I don't really know what I want to do for this round! I am going to a concert this week, maybe I'll get some inspiration... seeing Ghost (and what other concertgoers are wearing!) is bound to be a feast for the eyes

 

Hello! I'd like to join this month.
After Google pics - searching almost all of this round's style options, I realized that I'm not in the mood for steampunk and the rest don't really fit either of my girls, but fortunately stumbled on what looks like an iconic garment for New Romantics: hussar jacket. It will work beautifully for Anwen, as I have been thinking of making a regency-style outfit for her and getting stuck on the need for underlayers. Maybe starting from the top layer will help push this bigger project forward.
So, my model will be Anwen - Fairyland MiniFee Chloe, and I'll try to make her a hussar jacket in dark blue with silver frogging and fur trim. I'm intimidated by the close-fitting models, so this one will be a winter jacket with lining, more bulky but hopefully with a still recognizable silhouette. I'm not sure about the length yet - the initial models were for riding, ending above the hips, but internet has models with long tails and skirts. The variety of frogging is fascinating. On to draft a pattern...

 

I will also join this round. I will be working on my Dawn RS girl. Possibly Cyber Punk theme but I still don't have the final idea yet. Wish me luck!

 

Progress
Here's Anwen wearing a cotton mock up (that will probably also work as lining), with dark blue wool, black faux fur and silver cord chosen for the jacket itself draped over her:
Hussar jacket - progress 1 by helgie, on Flickr
(poor girl, I really should get to her face up)
Anwen is also wearing most of the clothes that she already owns, to see how the jacket will look worn over a skirt, and also for bulk: I tend to make things close-fitting verging on too small, so this is to make sure the jacket will comfortably fit over undergarments and a dress or shirt.
Some research after this picture was taken showed that for a proper regency look the shoulder seams should be moved to the back. I'll do this for the wool layer. The wool fabric is thicker than what I would normally use for this size, so moving seams to less visible places is good. Sleeves promise to be interesting
Research also showed that this type of jacket is called pelisse (for military men's jacket; women's pelisse, though initially inspired by the uniforms, evolved into a whole other type of garment).

 

Well the concert was awesome! And I finally, finally got a shipping notice from DDE for my minifees!!! Saraban's style is very goth and a bit punk, when she gets here (omg) I'll be able to have a better idea of what I'd like to make for her once she's all put together and I can take stock of her little wardrobe!

 

Nice choice - hope the thick wool cooperates with your plans.

Fingers crossed that she will take the quickest route to you then.

Teddy

 

Another small update;
I had the chance to drop by the fabric store and get a bit of brown fabric for the overskirt! I also got some more pleather, but none of the ones there matched what I already had, so unfortunately I still can't make the hat. I might try using the pleather to make some boots to match this outfit, but most likely not during this round, as I have yet to buy extra feet parts to make lasts based on.

Otherwise, I'm making progress on the first draft mock-up with some cheap fabric, starting with the blouse. Unfortunately no pics to share yet, but it seems to be going well. I think the only alteration for the blouse will end up being with the sleeves.

 

I started to sew an outfit for Daria, my lovely Lyseria from Mystic Dolls.


I used a pattern from Missy's Imagining, the top of the puff sleeve dress.


Not finished yet but I hope I can finish it before the end of the month. ^^ I don't know what I will do for the rest of the outfit. Maybe a bloomer. But I continue to think about that.

 

I've been working on the drafts and making alterations as needed, but I was wondering if anyone knows how to reduce bulk in sleeve cuffs?

The sleeves are poofy and gathered at the bottom where it meets the cuffs, so when I sew them into the sleeve cuff, the cuff becomes thick and not flat or uniform, due to the bulk from the gathers sandwhiched between it. I'm doing a normal blouse/button up shirt's cuff style. I'm going to try and see if making the cuff larger and ironing the gathers down a bit will help, but I'm open to other tips.

Maybe it's just the draft fabric's thickness causing it though? The final garment fabric will be somewhat thinner but I don't want to assume the problem will fix itself and then waste fabric.

 

I have a trick I use for reducing bulk in gathers in cuffs, sleeve-heads, waists of skirts etc. I do it for sime full-sized projects too.

It's fiddley but can really make a difference when needed.

Once gathered and the seam is sewn, before enclosing in the lining or the other side of the waistband/cuff/whatever, clip the top of each fold of each gather away within the seam allowance, then zigzag the whole thiing flat, and press, if possible. I use small sharp embroidery scissors to trim away each upward bulge of the gathers (I also clip the ecxess from each pleat, if I'm pleating rather than gathering). It's messy - little tiny triangles of cut-off fabric all over the place, but it's worth doing.

Hope this helps. It's difficult to explain without visuals.

Teddy

 

Well my girls finally made it home! But when I went to get all their clothes out to decide how to dress them up I was in for a shock... it turns out I have WAY more clothes for my punky girl than I thought, and seeing it all assembled really emphasized how little I have for my fantasy girl. So uhhhhhhhh mori kei type vibes for me this time around, I guess, if I get up to anything as it's already the 18th

 

Thank you, it's definitely helpful to have more options to try!

Along the way I actually realized I should have also been using interfacing with the cuffs and it helped a lot as well.

 

I feel you on the surprise mori vibes for this round! I couldn't settle on a design that I liked for my boy's patchwork jacket so I ended up making an earthy-green sweatshirt, and he's definitely shifting into more of a mori-style asthetic than anticipated. For inanimate resin toys, dolls sure do have a lot of opinions when it comes to what they wear.

 

@kaschan502 hoo boy, how right you are!!! tiny little fashion dictators, lol

 

I procrastinated for the longest time on making a sleeve pattern for the hussar jacket, and finally got to it in the last couple of days. The sleeves are sewn in, and the fit seems all right. Tomorrow will be a lot of ironing and steaming to make the seams lie as flat as possible. The thick wool fabric was an unexpected delight to work with - it doesn't shed at all, doesn't move unexpectedly and just looks good. As long as no drape is needed it turned out to be a good option for MSD size.
And I'm excited to do the frogging
+1 to mori fashion dictators. I managed to avoid turning the current project that way, and intend to finish it (and maybe even do a full outfit to go with the jacket), but next month's theme keeps coming up in my mind and google searches. Apparently both my girls want mori style outfits. I already have way more ideas than will be feasible in a month. But back to New Romantics for now!

 

Alas I don't think I'll be able to continue this round (or possibly the next) - my sewing machine broke and I won't have time to get it fixed for a while. Super excited to see how other folks' stuff goes, though!

 

~ Checking in with small progress: I have been pondering the details of the bodice for far too long, lol. But, I have it figured out finally! The dress will have a bolero jacket that is covered in dark blue ruffles. Long poofy sleeves in the shear floral previously pictured with ruffled wrists and ties if i can find the right tiny ribbon in my stash, with a neckline to match. The skirt will hang on the bias from between the breasts and wrap around at the waist leaving the back open (covered by jacket) There will probably be a simple train to the skirt. I'm wanting a satin slipdress under the shear overdress, but haven't found the right fabric in my stash, and to make the deadline, may just substitiute and revamp a long blue sleeveless gown I was gifted that is already made. Whew!
Ironically, and I do this every time - my girl 'Knowing' has two other dresses almost complete that are not to the months theme.

 

My boy Nori is currently wearing the pieces I made this month, off-theme though they may be The good news is that the hooded vest is reversible, so I can style it differently depending on the preferred look at the moment.

 

Nice!

Teddy

 

Progress:
Hussar jacket - progress 2 by helgie, on Flickr
The sleeves are finished. The silver cord decoration makes the overall somber dark blue+black color combination much more shiny.
After taking this picture I added fur trim to the opening and bottom of the jacket, now all that's left to do is the collar (also fur) and decoration on back and front. And probably a shirt to go under the jacket, as it ended up without any lining.

 

It's looking good even at this stage.

Teddy

 

Helgie the jacket looks fantastic! Can't wait to see it with even more trim.

 

You guys are on a roll! I'm so impressed. I'm calling it quits this round, I had four dolls arrive in two weeks despite all my orders being placed months apart, so if I have any creative time the next couple days I need to devote that to faceups instead

 

Have fun!

Teddy

 

I finally finished my cyberpunk theme outfit! I spent so much time on researching the theme. I hope it's cyberpunk enough lol I know I should take more WIP pictures but every time I work on my project, I'm so focus on it that I forgot Anyway, Hope you enjoy!

 

So long as it's YOUR interpretstion of the theme it's cyberpunk enough.

Anyhow, it looks like it would fit right in with the outfits from my cyberpunk costuming-and-roleplay days.

Welll done!

Teddy

 

Don't worry there is many types of styles in Cyberpunk. ^^ And your girl is pretty like this ! Good job.

 

Thank you so much! I wanted to make a cute cyberpunk outfit for daily life I guess I might just need proper lighting (neon lights?) to make her fit to the theme more.

Thank you so much! I always dress her in cool cool/punk clothes. I can't believe she could look more sweet

Thank you! I used ziploc bag for those. I think I will use it again for the future project.

 

@WintyGummyBear omg it looks amazing! I love the clear section of the sleeves.


I miiiight be letting myself off the hook for next round as well, we're in the path of Hurricane Ian and it's going to be crazy at work (park ranger) and at home both this week and next, possibly beyond. But if we get enough downtime, maybe I'll be sewing to pass the time! we shall see how it goes, I guess!

 

Thank you! Appreciated your comment a lot.
Oh no! Please be safe! I wish you and your family all well.

 

@Mamo - Oh goodness, I hope you will get through the storm safely! I live on the Gulf Coast and we've been watching the news all week anticipating that it would come here. I think we're off the hook, so now we're just praying for everyone in that part of Florida!

 

I used an old umbrella to make a Cyberpunk corset for my girl. And used oilcloth to make a skirt. :P
PVC fabrics are perfect for Cyberpunk clothes. ^^

Well, I try to work on my steampunk outfit but health is broken another time. v_v I hope I can finish the top. Just sleeves's hems to sew.