Book Bags

Hi my dear readers,

about a year ago, I found some pretty old books, which I wanted to use to make bags. It's not exactly a new idea, on etsy for example, one can purchase book bags from various sellers. Hovewer, what I always disliked about most designs I've seen so far, was that they either don't provide much space or can't be closed securely, which makes me worry that I'd lose half my stuff.
But this summer, I finally had an idea how to use the book covers for bags I'd use myself, and I'm quite happy with the result (^.^)

I made each one a bit different on the inside, a great way to reduce the mountains of fabric leftovers I cumulated over time, plus it's also less boring to make.

I found the books on ebay and on fleamarkets. I must admit, since I really love books, especially pretty old ones, I felt a bit bad cutting them apart. However, on the other hand, if they're just lying around waiting to be bought, they're not being read either, so at least they get a second life as purses.

I sold them in my etsy shop and on various lolita conventions I attended (I'll write about these later), and was surprised how much positive feedback I got. As I said, the idea is not exactly ground-breaking, but I still appreciate it when people like it (*.*)

Awaiting Autumn

Hi dolls,

autumn is my second-favourite season, right behind winter, and I'm already looking forward to colder days, when the air is crisp and the leaves are changing. In order to be able to dress accordingly, I wanted to make a dress with a fall print for my label Medusa Couture.

Since foxes go so well with autumn colours and are simply adorable, I also wanted some foxes on the print, and the super talented artist Amanda Mullins (check out her page!) did an amazing job when she drew the print for me.

jumperskirt

I made a jumperskirt and a skirt and named the print Artemis, after the greek goddess of wilderness and hunt (and some more things, like protector of girls and women, so she's pretty awesome (^.-) ).

skirt

I was happy when I found this great yellow chiffon which goes so well with the print, and I used it to make ruffles and embellishments.
It seems like I'm slowly adding more yellow to my wardrobe ever since I bought the Deers in the Mist jsk, and also the Erato print has some yellow in it.

Pas de Deux

Hi dolls,

two weeks ago, I released a small collection with a new print for my indiebrand Medusa Couture: Odette, featuring beautiful ballerinas:

I adore the aesthetics of ballet dancers (I even briefly danced ballet myself when I was a child), so I always wanted to do a ballerina print, since I think it goes very well with lolita fashion.
The print itself was drawn by the talented BenyiHS who I found on deviantart, you should totally check out her page, her art is amazing!

jsk in offwhite and bordeaux

 I got it printed in offwhite and bordeaux, because I'm currently obsessed with I like these colourways a lot (^.^)

back and details of the jsk

I made a dress and a skirt version and a matching tote bag. Both the dress and skirt have a bustle back, the dress has shirring and lacing in the back and lots of bows and ruffles.

skirt in offwhite and bordeaux

Since I get the printed fabric only per meter, I had a bit left over in the end, so I made bags out of it - I think a tote bag is something you can always use. Plus, lolita handbags are, although super cute, usually not very spacious, so an extra bag can come in handy.

tote bag in offwhite and bordeaux

As always, there are more detail photos on the etsy page (follow the link) or on Medusa Couture's facebook and tumblr!

Von der Muse geküsst

Hi dolls,

I've had my etsy shop now for quite a while, and I'm very content with how things are going. I can't complain about not having enough or too much work, and I have plenty of ideas for the future.
So far, I only used fabrics I found at the fabric store or online. Which is okay, as there are tons of pretty fabrics around. However, especially since it is a big part of Lolita fashion labels, I wanted to have a print of my own!
Since I love books and everything book-related, but most Lolita book prints are very dark (nothing wrong with that though), I had the idea of a pastel-coloured book print. I'm not good at drawing myself, so I looked for an artist to collaborate with. After looking around the internet, I discovered the work of Sherrae (check out her fb or deviantart!) and fell in love instantly. I was so happy when she agreed to make a print for me, and I think she did an amazing job:

I got the fabric printed at stoffn.de in Germany. They have amazing fabric quality and use organic cotton. I got it printed on cotton sateen, as it has a beautiful fall and a luxurious feeling to it...

I sewed a small collection, consisting of a jumperskirt, skirt, cutsew and headbow. I named it Erato, after the muse of lyric poetry in Greek mythology.

The background in the print fabric is not whte but rather off-white, so I used soft, off-white dotted tulle for embelishments.

I chose a rather simple design, because I wanted the print to stand out, and I think it's more versatile like this, it can be worn very casual, but also offers many possibilites to coordinate it with.

When the garments were finished, I also wanted to shoot them properly, with models and a photographer and everything, because I think they look so much better when actually worn by a human being instead of my crappy dressing form.

I asked Lea and Magali to be my models, they're also Lolitas from Switzerland and, most important, super photogenic. Céline Stucki took the photos, and she introduced me to her visagist friend Tanja Jungen who did make-up and hair. We did the photoshoot at the Hotel Belle Epoque in Bern. The location is so beautiful, decorated with great Art Nouveau pieces and I think the atmosphere matched the dresses really well. The staff of the hotel was so kind and generous, if you're ever staying in Bern I can highly recommend the place!

I was a bit afraid that something might go wrong with the photoshooting, as it was the first time I organized something like this, but luckily everything went smoothly. I was proud of myself for successfully going through with the whole project (especially for doing some scary phone calls xD).

I was really glad that both models I asked had the time to come. Don't they look divine together? Looking back, we should have at least done a scary-twins-in-the-hallway-like-in-the-shining-photo, just for fun, but Céline took so many gorgeous pictures, so I'm not complaining (^.^)

love this detail shot

When selecting the photos for this post, I couldn't decide, so you're being spammed. I posted more on Medusa Coutures Tumblr blog, if you're curious!

"A Book Is A Dream That You Hold In Your Hand"

Hi cuties,

besides winter, fall is my favourite season. Coloured leaves, the sound of rain on the window while cuddling up with a good book and a cup of tea, the smell of the air as it becomes colder and crisper, announcing winter... and of course fall fashion! Cozy sweaters, boots with (fake, hopefully) fur trim, knitted accessories, tons of layers of cute clothes in toned-down, natural colours... I could go on and on (^.^)

So inspired by my love of autumn, I made two new garments for my etsy-shop. I saw these amazing book (and cat) themed fabrics and had to buy them immediately. They're from Timeless Treasures, and I can't point out enough how much I love working with them. Besides the print, which is so beautiful and detailled, the fabric itself is of this high-quality cotton which doesn't wrinkle as much and has the perfect fall, for my purposes anyways.

Minerva high waist skirt

Calliope jsk

As you can probably guess, I'm very happy with how they turned out, so I hope you excuse the unusual amount of pictures...
As usual, follow the link under the pictures for more informations (^.^)