DIY This Outfit! : Pink Girl

Hello! Welcome to the first edition of "DIY This Outfit!" This feature will *hopefully* inspire you all to get creative and either modify or make your own fabulous items for your lolita wardrobe! This time, we have an Angelic Pretty cardigan paired with a cute Bodyline skirt~!

Pink Girl~ by cat91151 featuring bow jewelry

It's a light and casual feeling coordinate, but it doesn't miss out on saving where it counts! That skirt costs $40 new from Bodyline, and it's a great staple piece in a sweet wardrobe. The socks can easily be swapped out for a pair of cute printed tights or a pair of socks you already own even. Here's where it gets pricey. That cardigan from Angelic Pretty costs over $100! I don't know about you, but I sure can't afford to pay that. So with some simple sewing skills (no machine required!), you can DIY that top and make it all your own.

First off, you'll need a base cardigan. This one is made from a type of cloth called Jersey (t-shirt material!) and it's super comfy. Just search up "Jersey cardigan" and some results should pop up that you can choose from. You can pick any color you'd like too, another great benefit of DIYing! Once you have the cardigan, all you'll need to do is decorate it. To make one similar to the one in the outfit, you'll need get some extra fabric to match your base cardigan from a local fabric store. Conversely, you could also get some patterned fabric and make the decorations stand out from the base. For instance, you could make it match the skirt by getting some light pink fabric and doing the decorations. If you plan to make your decorations out of the same type of jersey fabric (this is key for doing the ruffles seen in the AP one!), you'll need to know how to sew with the knit fabric. There are plenty of resources on this, I highly recommend this Youtube video though!

If you'd just like to add some bows down the front, that's pretty easy. You can make the bows out of cotton if you'd like, as they don't need to stretch at all. Follow an Alice bow tutorial, I personally like this one, but there are tons of them out there. Make as many bows as you want, whatever size you want. However, to achieve the look of the ones on this cardigan, the finished size should be around 3 inches by 2 inches. To make a bow that size, the fabric rectangles should be 6 in x 4 in (you'll have to add a seam allowance to those measurements!), and you'll need four bows. Once you have your bows made, simply attach them to your cardigan. Make sure you sew only one side down though. The other side can be closed by adding snaps to the bows and the base. If you want to add some to the sleeves, they should be a little smaller, and can be sewn down to the sleeves.

For the rest of the outfit, you can just pick from jewelry, shoes, and accessories you already have that match! Or you can make or buy some new ones, whatever you like best! What do you think of DIY This Outfit? What types of items would you like to see here? I hope to hear lots of feedback from all of my readers!