Black and white stripes: Part 1

 My last sewing project of 2021 was something I wanted to make for a while: a black and white striped dress. My hair is currently bright green, so the chance to look like Beetlejuice was to good to miss. Of course, I decided to sew it in less than 24 hours, hours before the small celebration we held. 

My inspiration is the BtSSB's Kuranosuke Stripe JSK. I saw this dress years ago on F Yeah Lolita's blog, and had always liked it (this original post about the dress is here http://www.fyeahlolita.com/2010/12/btssbs-kuranosuke-stripe-jsk.html ). The actual JSK is out of my budget, and I don't really wear lolita fashion in any case, but I liked the basic idea.

I bought these two dresses on facebook marketplace to use to sew this dress. As I had limited time, I simplified the design somewhat. The striped dress forms the main part of the dress.

I used this black dress too. I removed the bottom ruffle to use on the striped dress. What remained makes a nice blouse. 

I used a Burdastyle bodice pattern. I need to resize this pattern because it was very tight. I cut the lining from white cotton. After taking the striped dress to pieces, I had to take some time to place the pattern pieces to make sure that the stripes would line up properly when I sewed it. It was worth taking this extra time on this part of the project, because I really like how to stripes on the bodice look. 

I cut the ruffle from the black dress, then cut it until it was the right width and length. I had to measure multiple times to make sure that theskirt would not be too long, as I wanted it to be just above the knee. I gathered the black fabric into a ruffle, then pinned it to the dress. It was tricky to pin the ruffle on, but once it was n place I sewed it on with a straight stitch. 

I made a lining layer for the skirt from some white acetate. It's not the prettiest but since it's hidden under the skirt, I don't mind too much. I match up the stripes on the front of the skirt and bodice, then gathered the rest of the skirt to fit the bodice. I also added an invisible zip to the side seam. 

I made the straps from leftover striped material, and lining them with black cotton. Rather than top-stitching the black lace on, I sewed it between the striped material and the lining. 

I handsewed the bodice lining closed at the waist and along the zip, and the dress was done. 

The dress looks lovely. It will need altering, because the bodice is really tight. The plan is to add a panel of shirring to the back. I'm also thinking of adding the black bustled panel to the skirt. The skirt isn't full enough to be proper lolita, but it would be nice to add a little more volume.