Blog Post: Demon Huntress cosplay Log

Step 1: Planning

Date: 2/21/2024

I tend to have a ton of art ideas and desires spinning around my head at all times, and when they finally collide, I can start a new project. The ideas I had that made up this project were:

1. I want to sew my own lolita JSK (jumperskirt, basically a sleeveless dress with a blouse underneath)
2. I want to wear more lolita to cons
3. I want to cosplay a Love Nikki suit

The force that finally combined all three ideas was going to Katsucon 2024 and being super inspired to jump back into making cosplays, especially outfits from more obscure fandoms. I was brainstorming ideas and hit upon one I really wanted to do: the Demon Huntress suit from Love Nikki.

I don't actually play Love Nikki anymore, but played for YEARS (at least all throughout college, so approx four years) and the Demon Huntress suit is super iconic AND gothic lolita. The brand Nikki Tomorrow actually already put out an official Demon Huntress set, but I wasn't a huge fan of how it looked (it's missing the horns and eyepatch!) and of course, part of the appeal was making the JSK part on my own. However, I also wasn't planning on making a super accurate reproduction. I'm a big fan of "making the cosplay fit you, not making you fit the cosplay" and since I'm not THAT good of a sewist yet, so I knew it wasn't going to look good unless I simplified it a little and bought some of the accessories.

Therefore, this is the plan I came up with. The main changes are making the JSK only one layer instead of the 3 layers in the original skirt and buying some of elements over making them (specifically the blouse, shoes, veil, corset, and umbrella).

I started planning on Feb 21

Step 2: JSK Mockup

Date: 2/28/2024

I was originally looking through scans of the Gothic Lolita Bible (and other Lolita sewing books) to find a JSK pattern I wanted to use, but found that none of them matched the image in my head, and it'd be easier to draft it on my own. I wanted a rectangle skirt with a single ruffle, a bodice with princess seams and a shirred back.

I started constructing the mockup for the JSK on Feb 25. The bodice was copied off a Kaneko dress I own -I vaguely eyed the shapes, which is why it doesn't fit nearly as well, but it was really useful for figuring out how to partially line it. The skirt is just a rectangle, 3x as wide as my waist and pleated. I still am proud of how it looks, and honestly I'm going to wear it as a regular JSK in the summer! For the final dress, I'm going to make the shirring panel wider (right now it's a little tight), the bodice longer, and the neckline lower.

Step 3: Custom printed fabric

Date: 3/12/2024

One of the main things I was excited to do was to design a border print for the skirt! The official art is not super high-def, which is nice because I can make up a bunch of stuff. The above image is what the final file looks like- hoping the final printed fabric looks good!

Step 4: Buy a bunch of accessories and redo custom printed fabric

Date: 4/5/2024

Alright it's been 3 weeks since my last update and a bunch of stuff happened.

First, custom printed fabric! I initially decided to go with Spoonflower (well-known custom print fabric service, I got a sample pack from them). It did not turn out well- partially due to me but I'm also bitter at the company. My mistake: I mis-measured and the print printed way too large. Spoonflower's mistake: The fabric was way stiffer than the sample- the dark ink must have done that to the fabric, because the unprinted edges feel soft. I later learned that covering fabric with ink can make it stiff like this, but it feels misleading for the sample sample print to be mostly white/unprinted, which gave it a completely different texture. For a custom print service... why wouldn't you send a more representative sample? Especially since I bet it's more common for people to print in non-white than white? Not to mention it was pretty expensive, especially because I splurged on the softer cotton poplin. This fabric is going to be muslin for future projects.

I ended up printing my fabric again with Little Cocalico. They had waaaay more fabric options and the per-yard price is actually a little cheaper than Spoonflower's. I got the organic brushed cotton because the soft surface feeling reminded me of a velvet JSK I own and was fun to touch. The result was better because I measured well this time haha. It is still stiffer than the sample, but was far from unusable and got much better after washing!

I also ordered a bunch of accessories from 42lolita! This cosplay wasn't specifically an excuse to buy a bunch of accessories for my normal lolita wardrobe, but it's a nice side benefit. I am especially excited for the shoes because I've wanted them for a while!

Also I know this isn't news to most lolitas, but man I'm really happy with the service for this order too! I got the wig from their 'Buy For Me' program (as in, I sent a picture in for them and asked if they could find it) and it was added to their store in a day. They were also out of stock of the parousel I got, but notified me right away and found several new ones at a similar price point/appearance for me to choose between (The one pictured is the original one I wanted, the new one doesn't have the ruffles). 10/10 experience!