How to make my Kimono

YOU WILL NEED...

1 Yard of fabric A, for the body. (The yard will be the length of the kimono)

1/2 yard of fabric B for sleeves and belt.
3/4 yard of fabric C for the borders.

A piece of cotton batting 4.5” x 18” (if you want an "obi" belt)

This quantity of fabric is for a Medium size. The 44” wide of the fabric will surround your chest.

But if you need more to surround your body, you will need 1.5 y. of fabric A and use it perpendicular to the selvages, so check the print of the fabric.

HOW TO CUT AND SEW...

I use a rotary cutter and a ruler because I only use straight lines.

Trim out the selvages of all fabrics, and align the borders, so you can sew using the press-foot as the guide.

FABRIC A (the body)

  

Face one selvage with the other and take away a triangle of 4.5” in the neck and 10” in the neckline.

Then put the fabric flat on the table, right side facing you. 

Double one side to the middle, so the shoulder measures 7.5”.

 
 Repeat with the other side. Selvage borders should mount a little, one on top the other.

Give a little angle to the shoulder, by cutting an inch, as shown in fig. 2.

Pin shoulders in place.

Then, for the sleeves, cut a 10.25” line from shoulders, along the body.

Sew shoulders and whipstitch them. Iron the seams to the back.

FABRIC B

Divide the 1/2 yard in three pieces:

• 1 of  9” x 44”. Divide it in two of 22”, each for a sleeve.
• 2 of 4.5”. Sew them together so you have a 88” x 4.5” piece, for the belt.
• Or, if you prefer an “obi” belt, cut two pieces of 4.5” x 18” (or a little more, measure yourself just below your chest)

 Sew sleeves and whipstitch together. Press the seams.

FABRIC C

Cut 4 strips of 4.5” wide and 44” long. (For the L size, cut five strips)

• Divide one of them in two, for the sleeves. (22” x 4.5”)
• Sew two of them in one, for border the body.
• The other one is for border the bottom line of the body. 

If you need a bigger kimono, you will need to sew the fifth strip to the bottom one, and then, after sewing it, use the reminding to the long border.

For the two ribbons of the “obi” belt, cut two strips of 2.5” x 44”, sew them longwise, closing one end. Turn them inside out (you will need a knitting needle or a chinese chopstick to do this) and press them carefully.

SIMPLE BELT

Sew belt longwise, keeping one side open. Turn it helping you with a wood spoon or a knitting needle.
Iron with care. Close the open side with invisible mending.

OBI BELT

You'll need the two ribbons made before from fabric C.

Then cut a piece of cotton batting, just 1/4” less than the pieces of fabric B.


Put together one piece B, right side facing you, then the other one, wrong side facing you and then the batting. Insert inside, between the two pieces of fabric B, the ribbons, in opposite sides of the belt. Align with your hand and pin in place with care.


Stitch all around the “obi”, except for a little aperture in one of the long sides.


Cut the corners and turn inside out, taking care of not folding the batting.








Close the open side with invisible mending.










And quilt as desired.

SLEEVES


Close in ring the two strips of 22”. Open the seams pressing with you nails. (Or iron them open).

Sew this ring to one sleeve, seam with seam. Press or iron seam towards the ring.


Then, carefully, fold the ring along to the border of the sleeve, BUT pin it in the right side, so you can sew it over the previous seam, stitching in the dich, making at the same time the cuff.

Make the other sleeve likewise.










BODY


Then, put the sleeves in the holes of the vest.

Sew them, but because they are straight you will have to make some little (very little) pleats under the arms. Whipstitch the seam together.


Sew the bottom border to the bottom of the vest. Iron the seam towards the border.

Fold it and pin in place, pinning in the right side, so you can sew it like in the sleeves.

This way, you cuff the kimono and border it at the same time, with the sewing machine.

Iron the border.


Repeat this same process with the long borders. Pin the centre seam of the border in the middle of the neck. If you are making a bigger kimono, you will have two seams and no one will match the centre.


Then, pin to one side and afterwards to the other. Sew in place, taking care with the shoulder seams.


Lift the press-foot when you change from the side to the neck. This way, the collar will stand a little.

Then, fold and pin in place, like in the bottom. Stich in the dich with care.

Finish sewing by hand, with hide stitches, the little sides of the long border.


Enjoy sewing it and wearing it!

And don't hesitate to ask, if you need some help.