Mori Kei: Thrifting, Boutiquing, and Fiber Art

In honor of mori kei's recent resurgence across the internet, I am going to launch a blog chronicling my fiber art/design within the mori girl subculture. Meager though my audience may be, I wish for my published work to serve as a reminder of this aesthetic movement's origin in secondhand, homemade, and boutique fashion, lest its new adherents bastardize it into yet another lousy fast fashion trend.

I cannot guarantee that my posts will be frequent or even consistent in any way, but I will do my best to create and share my work as regularly as my circumstances allow :)

Edit 7/21/26:

If the photos don’t load, so help me Lord, I will end it all right here and right now.

Anyways, I discovered some old cotton bedsheets while helping my family clear some junk out of the house. Save for a few rips, they were in perfect condition, and o so soft as well! Here’s what I made out of them:

#1: Ocean-inspired cuffs. More Hama Kei than Mori. I’ve only finished one so far, but I’m too impatient to wait until I’m completely done to show them to you all. I’m gonna kill two birds with one stone by submitting these as my summer homework for art class AND wearing them as part of my homecoming outfit.

In addition to the blue sheets, the crochet thread and fabric details were all sourced from my sewing leftovers. I got the wooden buttons from the thrift store, and the mother-of-pearl buttons from the antique store. The seashell beads were part of a necklace that I thrifted. That’s what I love about little projects like these, they don’t require all that much material, so you can make them entirely out of scraps! Affordable and sustainable.

The whole design isn’t fully visible when I put them on, but I still think they’re cute regardless. I left a little wiggle room with the straps so that I can wear them over long sleeves without any discomfort.

#2: Babydoll Shirt. I was going for a 1960s-inspired silhouette with this one. I had to patch up a spot on one of the shoulders because there was a tear in the fabric, and I’m glad for that, because it gives the garment an extra layer of personality. I spent about a zillion years crocheting all the lace details myself (AND RISKED CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME TOO!!! SERIOUSLY, MICRO CROCHET IS HARD ON THE HANDS!!!!!).

The shirt looks particularly cute with this henley top. If only I had some bottoms to wear it with… jeans will have to suffice for now >:(

#3: Dress. I crocheted a collar to go along with it, and some lace ribbon to serve as a belt. I have yet to find a petticoat to wear with it, but layering a couple of skirts underneath works just fine as a substitute.

Here’s the dress with the ribbon. I tried to emulate a pickup skirt by draping it with some safety pins. Wearing it this way reminds me of old lady curtains and I love that >:))

Here’s a better view of the collar: