How to make a gothic lolita parasol

Come summertime, every little gothic lolita needs the chaste and dainty protection of a pretty lace and ribbon parasol. Forget pricy lolita fashion - turn your old umbrella into a thing of loligoth beauty!

by Frankie Howard

What you'll need to make a Gothic Lolita parasol

• An umbrella -choose a plain one, or an umbrella with old fashioned (eg. paisley) decoration
• Lace - a long, thin strip for edging
• Needle and thread
• Ribbon

How to make the Gothic Lolita parasol

First of all, you'll want to find yourself an umbrella. You can pick them up almost anywhere and they don't cost much. Don't get one of the ones that fold up to fit into your bag because they look cheap and tacky and aren't proper Gothic Lolita. If you can, get one with a curved handle - an old-fashioned look is best. And, if you can, go for victorian, old-fashioned or basic colours - you simply can't beat cream, chocolate or morning-black, although you might also consider racing green, a dark purple, blood red or even a pink or cerise.

When you have your umbrella, sew your lace around the edge of the umbrella, and where the seams run from its outer circumference to its centre. It's nice to have lace in a contrasting colour. If you have a white or cream umbrella for example, use black lace and vice versa.

Once you've sewn your lace into place along the parasol's edge and seams, sew on the ribbons wherever takes your fancy (around the edge or on the top looks particularly good). Make sure that any tendrils of ribbon are not so long that, when you have your parasol down, they'll drag on the floor and trip you over. That's not very ladylike!

And there you have it. You see what you've done in a mere hour's work? You've made the perfect gothic Lolita parasol! At minimal cost!

Further decoration: You can also sew on miniature flowers - or embroider a nice design... You can also get some pre-made embroidery designs in interesting patterns so you can make them whatever style you like. My, my - look at you - you're now gothic lolita super-special-extraordinaire!

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