These tutorials are on a variety of sites, communities, and forums, so there's no guarantee that they will be there forever! If you would like to save a tutorial (or any web page) onto your computer for future reference, in your internet browser go to File > Save Page As and make sure the file type is set to "Web Page, complete". I keep a whole folder with saved tutorial pages, just in case!
I am only adding clear tutorials with lots of pictures and photos of the finished result. I will be adding new tutorials to this list when I find them!
General Tips and Tricks
- Hand-sewing tips
- Introduction to millinery
- Guide to understanding fabric grain
- Embroidery basics
- Silk ribbon embroidery basics
- Learn to knit
- Intro to tatting
Sewing and Crafting Tutorials
- Gored skirt (drafting your own pattern for the gores, you need to know how to add a waist band)
- Reconstructed skirt (turning a plain a-lined mainstream skirt into a Lolita skirt)
- Rectangle skirt (pattern for a detailed pintucked and ruffled skirt)
- Rectangle skirt 2 (drafting a 2 tiered Lolita skirt)
- Circle skirt (drafting a simple circle skirt)
- Half-elastic waistband skirt (just waistband tutorial, you need to know how to draft a skirt)
- Simple elastic waist skirt (easiest Lolita skirt ever!)
- Simple elastic waist skirt 2 (the same easiest skirt ever, slightly clearer diagrams)
- Bustle over-skirt (drafting your own pattern)
- Bustle under-skirt (drafting your own pattern)
- High-waisted skirt (drafting your own pattern)
- Bustle skirt (drafting your own pattern, skirt with channels to turn a normal skirt into a bustled skirt)
- Three tiered skirt (drafting your own pattern. Would need to be more poofy to give it the proper shape)
- How to make scalloped hems (just the hems! You would need to know how to do the rest of the skirt)
- Full length Aristocrat skirt
- Pull ribbon bustle skirt
- Lolita apron
- Chiffon underskirt
- Half-elastic skirt with a ruffle
- Half-elastic lace trimmed skirt
Blouses
- Reconstructed sailor cardigan
- Reconstructed Peter Pan collared blouse
- Reconstructed cutsew
- Reconstructed cutsew 2
- Reconstructed cutsew 3
- Puff sleeved free blouse pattern
- Knitted lacy bolero
- Tee shirt + button up cutsew reconstruction
- Bibbed cutsew reconstruction
- Button up reconstruction
Dresses
- Simple puff sleeved dress (drafting your own pattern)
- Simple puff sleeved dress 2 (drafting your own pattern)
- Reconstructed JSK (turning a plain sundress into a Lolita JSK)
- Reconstructed JSK 2(turning a plain sundress into a Lolita JSK)
- Simple JSK (drafting your own pattern)
- Wa-loli dress
- Lolita nightgown
- Reconstructed child's dress
- Beret
- Sailor hat
- Soft full bonnet (PDF file)
- Soft bonnet headdress
- Rose hair combs
- Rose hair clips
- Rose hairpins
- Crochet flower headband
- Hard bonnet with cardboard base
- Reconstructed hard bonnet
- Reconstructed hard bonnet 2
- Tricorn hat with buckram base
- Hard bonnet with straw hat base
- Straw bonnet
- Soft mini top hat
- Rectangle headdress
- Rectangle headdress 2
- Rectangle headdress 3
- Rectangle headdress 4
- Rectangle headdress on a headband
- Felt cake hat
- Beaded crown
- Reconstructed cancan hat
- Rectangle Alice bow
- Deco deer and fruit hair accessory
- Fairy Kei fluffy star clip
- Making a bonnet out of waist ties
- Making a bonnet out of waist ties 2
- Straw bonnet made from straw braiding
- Tiny ribbon hairbows
- Medium sized bows
- Alice bow
- Alice bow 2
- Puffy felt bow
- Fabric candies
- Fabric candies 2
- Lace flowers
- Fabric flowers
- How to tie a pretty bow
- How to tie a pretty bow 2
- Knitted bow
- Fabric roses
- Detachable bib reconstruction
- Apron
- Bear backpack
- Bloomers
- Bloomers 2
- Bloomers 3
- Bloomers 4
- Bloomers 5
- Reconstructed bloomers
- Petticoat
- Petticoat 2
- Petticoat 3
- Petticoat 4
- Sock toppers and wrist cuffs
- Reconstructed stuffed animal purse
- Reconstructed ruffly umbrella
- Reconstructed Kodona pants
- Stenciling a cutsew
- Elastic shirring method using elastic casings
- Easy hooded cloak (shown for a child, but you can make it any size you please)
- Drafting and sewing a corset (plastic boning, could be modified for a more traditional steel boned corset)
- Tote bag
- Heart-shaped rosette brooch
- Adding in-seam pockets to a skirt
- Make a rosette out of rick-rack
- Ribbon Rococo choker
- Faux fur collar
- Bow belt
- Shoe tassles
- BJD styled tights
- Fairy-kei glitter sneaker wings
- Modifying ballet flats into Lolita shoes
- A Large amount of historical costuming tutorials
- Detachable Peter Pan collar
- Adding a shirring panel to a Lolita dress
- Turning waist ties into a head bow
- Turning waist ties into a head bow 2
- Turning waist ties into a head bow 3
- Adding a few inches to a JSK
- Turning a JSK into a skirt
- Tea dying
- RHS customization
- Adding fur trim to a jacket
- Adding embroidery to a cardigan
- Refashioning a cardigan
- How to lengthen sleeves on a blouse
- Cuffs and a smaller bow from a large bow
- Miscellaneous sweets jewelry techniques
- Miscellaneous sweets jewelry techniques 2
- Clay macarons
- Heart shaped macaron
- Biscuits and stick wafers
- Ice cream scoops
- Waffles
- Ice cream charms
- Paper clay whipped cream
- Chocolate chip cookie
- Decoing headphones and basic deco techniques
Other jewelry
- Easy resin pendants
- Rosary (can be modified to make a rosary styled necklace)
- Wrapped loop (used for making chains of beads on wire)
- Cabochon rings
Decor
- Felt cake box
- Rose lamp shade
- Silhouettes
- Embroidered silhouette
- Fake plastic cupcakes
- Felt pie
- Recovering a compact
- Crochet dessert patterns
- Jewelry boards
- Fancy hand mirror
Patterns
Some of these patterns may be out of print and you will need to hunt them down on the second hand market.
Tops Some of these patterns may be out of print and you will need to hunt them down on the second hand market.
- Jessie Dress Up's pattern list (A variety of different patterns! A much more complete list than my following list)
- Free ruffled blouse pattern
- Bibbed blouse Simplicity 3684 (needs to be buttoned up all the way)
Dresess
- Vintage Vogue 2902 (skirt needs to be shortened)
- Vintage Vogue 2267 (skirt needs to be shortened)
- Simplicity 2444 (pretty good on it's own as a JSK, puff sleeves could be added for an OP)
Patterns with usable parts (You're going to have to modify these pieces, sometimes add a whole new skirt, lengthen/shorten hem lines, or maybe just add a few details).
- Free empire waist dress (good bodice, will need to attach it to a properly shaped skirt)
- Drindl (The skirt will need to be shortened and some fullness will need to be added to the skirt)
- Simple darted dress pattern (good bodice, will need to attach it to a properly shaped skirt)
- Vogue 8019 (torso shortened, fuller skirt added, click here for an example of it modified into a Lolita dress)
- Simplicity 3673 (skirt needs to be fuller click here and scroll down for an example of it modified into a Lolita dress. Skirt part can also be used to make a classic high waisted skirt.)
- McCalls M5619 (need to draft a properly shaped skirt, but the sleeveless and short-sleeved tops are perfect!)
- Butterick B4443 (good bodice, will need to attach it to a properly shaped skirt)
- McCalls M6123 (good bodice, will need to attach it to a properly shaped skirt)
- McCalls M5923 (good bodice, will need the either make a properly shaped skirt or modify the current skirt so that it's flared and can fit a petticoat)
Beauty Tutorials
- Puffball hair style
- Double buns
- Mana styled pigtails
- Braided classic hair style
- How to put on a wig
- Hime hair
- Hime hair 2
- Curling with a straightener
- Adding false pigtails
- Curly buns with hair extensions
- How to make your own 2 tone wig
- Looped braids
- Extra full pigtails using your own hair
Makeup and skin care
- Elegant makeup
- Sweet makeup
- Dolly eye makeup
- Applying individual false eyelashes
- Smokey eyeshadow in various colors
- Rhinestone deco nails
- Gold glitter deco nails
- Sweet lace nails
- Strawberry nails
- Hello Kitty deco nails
- Crash course in nails and basic nail art techniques
- Nail stamping basics
Clothing Care Tutorials
- De-pilling socks
- Wig washing and detangling
- Washing your Lolita clothes
- List of what specific Brand pieces can and can't be washed
- How to clean Lolita clothes at home